Leisurely cycling to Jiyuugaoka: m.koide

Not only did give up going to the cafe for cheesecake, but I gave up my primary target when I realized I've never posted about m.koide, which today was the perfect time to visit, since they don't open until noon, and I've found them closed on Sunday.

Rather than choose one of the two cakes that made me designate them a great shop (actually, I've only been there once before), I went for the Gateau Framboise, for 600 yen, which is just what the name implies: raspberry cake. There are three layers of cake, three of something between raspberry cream and raspberry frosting, and a couple thin layers that are just raspberry, all visible in the disappointing picture (stupid autofocus camera). It is well constructed, the raspberries are delicious, and I had no problem with any bite of it, but overall just raspberry did not work for me. I think I like raspberry, but I guess I need to mix it with something, even just custard. I'll tentatively keep them as a great shop, though. Certainly they are aiming high and have skill. Not a very focused picture, though.

Since I was in Jiyuugaoka, I went to the nearby Au Bon Vieux Temps, where I did get the good thing that I've had before, the Sunobu for 561 yen. This is mainly pistachio buttercream mousse. The description just said red fruit and some katakana French that I didn't recognized and don't recall. Elsewhere, I've read raspberry, which might be correct. It's mainly a coating with just a little mousse (?) inside. It melts pretty fast, which is a problem because there are just no parks in that area. I need to try going south, where the map says there is a university. Maybe they have some benches that are better and/or closer than the next alternatives. My other observation is that this was ice-cream rich, like their other cakes, but also "painfully" (if you know what I mean, where you sense that you are eating poison, not unlike alcohol) very sugary.

My search for a park and general vagueness meant that I came home a different way and I ended up going by Lettre d'Amour [Closed], so I gave in and bought a Carrefour (?, カレフール) for 560 yen. It had to ride home, so it slid and lost some decoration. The top half is hazelnut and caramel mousse and the bottom tart-like base has a mix of roasted hazelnuts, almonds, and pistachios with semi-dry figs. This was great, better than either of the other cakes, so I'm designated Lettre d'Amour as a great shop now. Still, no other customers there, so I'm not wanting to get too attached to them, since I'm not sure how they stay open.