Monmouth Tea: Apple Tart

I've got some catching up to do. Friday, I ended up working late, did some shopping, and then was really exhausted, so exercise at all. I also didn't get fresh cake, which was as planned, but I did get something from Sadaharu Aoki, since it doesn't look like I'll ever have as many new cakes as befits their ranking. I tried the seasonal Fondant au Marron. Definitely had the chestnut flavor and was definitely soft. I would say that this was excellent.

Saturday, my main plan was to try the longest (now revised) loop, Daita-..., but I had an appointment in the morning, so I went out for a couple hours before that and scouted Around Ebisu, taking photos and figured out that my proposed route enclosing Ebisu Garden Place was not going to work, due to where I could cross to the south side of Ebisu Terrace. The Kamioosaki part is going to have to be separate loop. I also ran the Ebisu-Nishi west loop counterclockwise while was down there, so I was up to date on revised loops at that point except for the Daita-... one.

Starting out of the big look, I took the route through Sendagaya so I could stop at Monmouth Tea, which I had an excellent tart from. I want to call it a pastry because it's relatively cheap, you can eat in by hand, and I want to have my tart and cake too, but they list it under cake (but not gateaux) on their website, so now I'm conflicted. Supposedly they can also have other cakes, including whole cakes (which I assume you have to order), but I've only seen the tarts and muffins to date. This time, I got the Apple Tart, and it was definitely good, but they it didn't get ice or seem to need it (though I didn't eat it quickly enough to tell whether the display case was a cooler), so I'm going to keep called this as a pastry or baked good, though there is some custard under the fruit (not a lot and it could be baked, like the apples). I'll keep looking there. Anyway, I recommend it for baked goods so far, as cheap and definitely good to excellent, though I'm not interested in milk tea, much less ice milk tea, so I turned town the free sample at this second visit.

Before I reached the milk tea shop, I went by a Japanese tea shop that had sweets that I decided justified adding it as a site, so I've had to revise the Sendagaya central loop. I continued on to the Sendagaya south loop and found a place called Moon Dog that had baked goods, so that blows that loop. Later, looking a Google maps (which doesn't show Moon Dog) I found at least the workshop of a cake maker (maybe it's the same guy: couldn't remember when I saw the cake maker the next day when I confirmed the location). At the end of this run, I stopped by and had a (not cheap) Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie (might not be the correct name). This is a soft cookie, but not a doughy/oily cookie, which was maybe excellent as a cookie, though I little sweet (I probably should have gone for the Dark Chocolate).

Continuing on, I decided that Rapha Tokyo, which is a cafe/bicycling meet-up location, deserved to be on the Sendagaya west loop, so that revises that one. Finally, I got to the target loop and good a good ways around it, at least enough to correct my last mistake and get the revised part including Jam House and an inari shrine and do the continuous park strip from Honmachi 1 to past Gojou Bridge, but coming back, there was construction (an excuse) that distracted me so that I forget to turn after Equal (pastry shop) to go by the late addition Padders Coffee (which I have gotten correct in the past). Given that I had two hours of exercise in the morning (though mostly by bicycle), I wasn't devastated. At first a turned to home, but that I reconsidered what I should do and decided that I should try another incomplete look nearby, so I did the revised Kamiyama-chou--Tomigaya--Udagawa-chou loop counterclockwise (because I wasn't convinced I could do clockwise, and still it's going to be tricky to remember where the new turn is). Nearby, I also tried a look loop, as well as taking the photographs for it, which I hadn't even named yet, but is the Udakawa-chou loop. I failed this simple loop because I couldn't remember where to turn (which either means, don't until you have to or immediately and I choose wrong). On that loop, I found another site, but also noticed a new shop (though a known chain), flippers on the Jinnan loop side. It's a pancake place, which I don't do, but there but the sign out front was readable across the street declaring a kind of sandwich treat which maybe should qualify, so that blows that loop, too. I also found another site already on the Udagawa-chou loop (I had seen it before, but not looked at what they offered, which includes a pastry and bread display) and on the course link there (as a place selling ribbons that also has drinks and a fresh brownie with whipped cream). Also next to that loop is the reopened Parco department store, so I had to checkout whether there were any shops I need to add.

Café Marly

Café Marly looked interesting, but not for running, so it goes as special information. However, there is a Starbucks on the fifth floor, so I suppose that counts.