Toshi Yoroizuka: Croissant

Did a run (there and back) to check on the shops between Tokyo Station and Ginza. Nothing interesting to report, but it was a good run. There was a threat of heavy rain, but it fell elsewhere. As a snack, I got my second pastry from Toshi Yoroizuka, a Croissant. It was fairly fluffy, but after the recent pain au chocolat I've had, which were more tough than flaky, I'm pretty happy with fluffy. Despite being a cake shop, they are more geared toward bread than pastries so I'm not surprised that their croissant is somewhat on the bread-like side. Good pastry, though.

Paris S'éveille: Tarte Rhubarbe

I'm calling it: 35 degC is too hot for cake, even by bicycle.

My goal had been to get to Au Bon Vieux Temps, since they won a cake-off a little while back. It's really hot, so I went by bicycle. However, since Paris S'éveille hasn't had any new cakes for a while and it was a new month, I stopped by there. Even if I decided that they are a superb rather than a quite superb cake (looking like the case, but they have the disadvantage that I've had more of their limited-time cakes and their standard cakes are mainly the great ones), I would be one cake behind on them, so kind of a priority. I was still prepared to get a second cake elsewhere, on the grounds of missing a week recently, though I'm ready to call things even now.

In fact, Paris S'éveille had a few new cakes, so I took the one they were particularly recommending, the Tarte Rhubarbe, which is a hard crust type standard shallow fruit tart with flavored whipped cream on top. Not necessarily a bad idea, and certainly pretty, but for me, whipped cream and fruit rarely works, even though that's considered a pretty standard combination (such as in most Japanese "short cakes", which a recent Japanese NHK program backed me up on as having a silly name since they lack short cake, which is biscuit-like cake made with shortening, since the Japanese definition is sponge cake and whipped cream). Good tart but not that interesting to me. Of course, not being 35 degC would have been better, but probably wouldn't have changed my evaluation, bested on previous experience with this type of tart. Not the best photo, but I wanted to eat before the cream died in the heat.

At this point, I decided that it was too hot for eating cake, or carry cake in a box dangling in a bag from my handlebars, or even in fact for cycling, really, so I headed home. Until I realized that I wanted to check the line-up at L'abricotier, which was way too far north, but I went and confirmed that they still have Sicilien Figue anyway, because I'm obsessive compulsive like that, so that's want I want next weekend for the cake-off. Then I convinced myself that I should go some place local and get something that I can't get on a weekday, so I was off too far back south, though at least I talked myself down to 365 Jours, which is a apparently super-popular bakery west of Yoyogi Park (closer at least than Daikanyama). Fortunately, the line was not out the door (though there were instructions for how the line should fold if it came to that), but it still took a while to get a Canelé. I also got photos of the shop and of 15°C (not that far way; interesting number theme around). Not sure about After Hours around the corner, which is apparently on vacation until next month. The canelé was good, as expected. The shop is mostly little breads, with the only other pastries a croissant and essentially a chocolate croissant.

Saturday update

As planned, I went out and hit the neighborhood running course and finished revisiting some parts. I finished revisiting the Sendgaya central and Jinguumae north loops, though I have to traverse parts of both of these to get anywhere remaining. Down on the bit of the Kita-Aoyama--Jinguumae--Shibuya loop, I got a Chocolate Croissant from The Little Bakery Tokyo, which I've newly added. It was definitely good, though the outside was a little tough and the center was denser than I expected, so it was a little bagel-like. I also will add a picture to the map after this.

It took 50 minutes to cross the road from Yoyogi west, so that gives me a benchmark of how easy it is going to be to expand my running northeast (by doubling back). Today, though, was about filling in to the south on this side of Yamanote Line. I also got the same type of pastry, under the usual name of Pain au Chocolat from 15°C, which I still need a picture from (the shop, not the pastry). This was better, much more airy inside and the patterning is obviously more tradition, though still a little tough on the outside, so perhaps its just the heat. I found it interesting that the lines of chocolate inside weren't symmetric (one was in the middle and one was above and on one side, which made it seemed more handmade. Also definitely good, though I didn't eat it until was on my way back (at about 95 minutes).

Had to check a fork on the Hatagaya-Motoyoyogichou-Nishihara-Tomigaya-Uehara loop, since it's been a while, and I overshot the new turn on the Kamiyama-chou--Shouto loop, but doubled back and could complete revisited that loop, as well as the little Udagawa-chou loop for the Shibuya Viron, so mission accomplished. I ran all the way back (except stopping at Yoyogi Park to eat the second pastry) and had a total run a little over 115 minutes and seem okay.

Cake-off: Très Calme's Pistache Apricot over Bien-être's Pistachio and Grapefruit Chiboust

Saturday isn't as hot as I feared, but still plenty hot. Haven't done any running yet, but am considering going out in the evening to revisit parts of my neighborhood map before getting back to adding new parts (besides the new parts I've had to add in the middle of old maps, because I found overlooked locations). Instead, I went out at about 9:30 to update pictures for the neighborhood map. Did a temple practically next to Shinanomachi Station that's been rebuilt, then down to Jinguu Gaien Ichou Namiki Avenue, where I've added a new neighborhood loop, now that the connecting pedestrian bridges are available, along with the Royal Garden Cafe Aoyama at the south end, which has good pastries. Then I went down to the loop around Hiroo, where I only managed two planned locations and picked up two previously unknown locations near them, which is not a very good ratio of success, so I've had to completely redo that loop, splitting off the northeast part as three loops (which include a lot of bread places that I overlooked previously) and merging what was left (which is most of that loop) with the loop northeast of Shibuya Bridge, near Ebisu Station. I still haven't tested any of that, so I won't be surprised if there are future changes.

Then from about 10:08, I went my bicycle and got my cake. One was Pistache Apricot from Très Calme (naturally, I visited the farthest one first, though that was because they open first) which only got slightly dented, and the other was the variously named Pistachio and Grapefruit Chiboust from Bien-être, which I had (unnecessarily) preordered the night before (they just took my name and number; they didn't make me pay ahead, unlike Sadaharu Aoki), which definitely did not like road vibration, which is not surprising for any chiboust. The later cake I've been waiting to do a first-round cake-off since last September. I also noted that Bien-être had at least two other cakes that I haven't had, a seasonal tart and a new mille-feuille and that they do not in fact seem to have verrine, just puddings.

The cake-off wasn't a blowout this time, so they were well matched in that sense, as well as being well matched in flavors (no clashing) and yet having significant design differences to make comparing them interesting. I'm deciding in favor of the denser more sophisticated Pistache Apricot from the less distinguished (by me, at least) shop over the light, homemade-like Pistachio & Grapefruit Chiboust, which I thought would be better for with less grapefruit. Both cakes are seasonal, so I'll be doing second-round cake-offs with them next, starting with the loser against Le Saint-Marc, which at least shares its lightness. Next time, perhaps I'll walk the chiboust, or at least run it, home and see if it arrives more intact.

Bien-être: Jasmine Lime

Went back to Bien-être, this time by bicycle, though it was not in fact hotter today than yesterday, maybe about the same, but apparently I was hearing about tomorrow when I thought it was going to be hotter, because they are saying 39 degC for the weekend. That's only further northwest, I hope, where they tend to make the Tokyo records. Still, it might not be until next Friday that I actually run again, since I also have a busy midweek planned with little time for running.

They did have cakes that I hadn't had before and I could even avoid the verrine and get Jasmine Lime, which I had seen before recently, so I figured it was worth keeping trying visiting despite yesterday's failure. I asked about eating in and they said that they were full, which I was okay with. Then, after I select my cake, they offered to let me sit at the counter. Not sure why the story changed, but I took it. Maybe they took a second to calculate that it was only going to take me a few minutes to eat cake by myself. Not sure whether it's cheaper. They save themselves a box, ice packs, and a bag (actually, I would have reused a bag), get a glass, plate, knife and fork dirty and use a paper napkin and a wetwipe.

I kind of messed up my review of this cake. It was going along fine at first. It's quite sweet, again reminding me of Christmas cookies like another recent cake that I didn't care much for, though moister cookies that evoke better memories, apparently. I probably wouldn't have been able to guess lime, much less jasmine, though there was a dark green bottom (which I probably would have guessed pistachio, which can be fruity). There was a layer of red in there, so that might have been from red fruit, judging from the top. The problem came at the end, when it subtly turned on me and actually the aftertaste was a little bitter, which didn't make any sense (I was expecting to get sick of the sweetness). If you look carefully, you'll notice a stem sticking up behind the cassis/currants. I think I accidentally ate that (I definitely did not eat the plastic; give me that much credit), and that's were the bitterness came from. I was mulling over calling this great even maybe but decided against it, I think before eating the cassis stem, so I'm going to call this excellent and make it a somewhat priority to give it another chance to confirm, at least if I get to a point that I'm retrying excellent cakes, which I'm on the verge of doing for some shops.

Now, Bien-être would have reached #3 status based on reviews so far, putting as among the quite superb shops, except I haven't had that many cakes from them and I've managed to avoid some that I don't expect to be thrilled by, so I'm holding off final judgement. Even for a superb shop, I'd like a few more cakes from them and their competition doesn't have anything new for me to try anyway, so their relative rankings aren't so important.

In other Bien-être news, Pistachio and Grapefruit Chiboust is back (I'm guessing that they're out of American cherries), so suddenly I'm doing a first-round cake-off for tomorrow.

Cacao Store (Théobroma): San Juaquin Dos

Defying the Sunday forecast that Monday was the violently hot day and the rest of the week would just true summer hot (30-35 degC), every day has been hotter than the previous this week and it looks like tomorrow is more of the same.

Nevertheless, I went running to Bien-être, where they had nothing new for me, so I headed down to Cacao Store in Tomigaya, Shibuya, where I got San Juaquin Dos, which actually comes from the Théobroma shop, which several blocks south. Now I know. Their closing hours are the same, I think, so it doesn't matter which I go to. Cacao Store is a little Bean to Bar & Chocolate Bar shop, whereas the other is an older shop on a larger scale, whatever that proves.

Anyway, in some ways this is a pretty basic chocolate cake, with high sugar glazing (to keep moisture in, of course). It was definitely excellent, and I'm really not sure how it is not as good as the best other chocolate cakes, so I'm going to call it great and put to the test, though I'm not in a hurry. However, as a cake shop, there was not much on offer there, just 3 other items (none chocolate), so I'm not sure that this shop can rise very high in the rankings. Also, I've yet to buy cake from Théobroma, so I'll have to see whether they actually have different things there (I know Théobroma has pastries, which Cacao Store doesn't).

I think I'm to try Bien-être again tomorrow, so maybe I'll find out, since the next nearest backup isn't so close and Théobroma is easily on the way. I'll go by bicycle, I think, so I might have time to get to some place that closes at 7 p.m. instead, such as 365 Days near Cacao Store, which has pastries and over 2000 photos posted on the main food rating site, so maybe I should try something; anyway, I've put it on the local neighborhood map, so I'll have to learn a new route.

Takano: Rare Cheese

Decided to swing by Isetan to see if there were any unexpected changes for August (not that I found) and check out the line up at Yu Sasage (which didn't have either of the cakes that I was looking for), which is visiting from today (next week is a non-Tokyo shop, so outside my interest). Didn't get anything there, so I went to one of the last two remaining neighborhood shops that have branches in that area, Takano (the shop on the neighborhood map is the counter at Toukyuu Food Show, in Shibuya), which has their own building in Shinjuku near the station and has take-out cake in the basement, with access from the subway corridor. I decided to get what I think was called just Rare Cheese, which is a rare cheese dome over a short roll cake (double-layer) base around a peach center, I think. It was definitely good, though moist spongy cake is not my thing, but a nice change, actually, so I'm pleasantly surprised, especially based on other cakes from fruit dessert shops.

The running was long, 90 minutes. I did the neighborhood course (one way), picking off various loops that don't lead to any other loops: Sendagaya northwest loop (going through the heart of Harajuku), then down and around to Jinnan (which is actually outside the Yamanote Line, so forget what I said about inside being my priority), and then back up past Harajuku Station to the Sendagaya west and southwest loops, which are pretty out of the way. So that means the next options are to go outward from Yoyogi Park, which takes a while to get to and then to get down to near the northwest side of Shibuya Stn., where the isolated loops are, or down to the new Shibuya east loop, and there will be a tiny loop even east of that just to pick up the Lindt shop there north of the station. Also, the Shibuya--Minami-Aoyama Loop wouldn't be bad; it's farther than the Nishi-Azabu loops, but short. Before, those, though, I think I have add a new loop in Kitaaoyama going through Gaien, now that the pedestrian bridges are repaired across Aoyama-douri there; I also need to get some photos to go with that, as well as some scattered ones of places that I've added on current routes.