Frédéric Cassel, Mandarine Mangue

Was over at Ginza Mitsukoshi last weekend and picked up one new cake, Mandarine Mangue. It was good, but not too exciting. Maybe I'm just not into fruit enough. 

Cake-off: L'Abricotier's L'Abricotier over Ladurée's Plaisir Sucré

Saturday I squeezed in a cake-off before being busy in the afternoon. It involved half-running half-walking out to L'Abricotier to get the cake of the same name (though I would have settled for another great cake that was also available). This is a fourth-round for it, having gotten paused a year for two losses to only one win. I paired it with the main target, Ladurée's Plaisir Sucré, which appears as a February cake on my list and which I failed to get once this year already, so this was a second effort. I picked it up at the Shinjuku Sta. shop, having taken the train back that far.

L'Abricotier is like a pie with fruit and nuts without the excess wetness and crust of a pie, so quite nice. Plaisir Sucré is all great stuff, but I've had the same stuff in another cake that's won 5 rounds in a row and is definitely better, so I don't really need this one, even greatness being relative. It will still get a fifth round, in a couple years, if I'm still in Tokyo eating cakes, but it's on notice as maybe being only semi-great.

à tes souhaits!, Bijou de bois

Last Thursday, I finished off my caking with my first systematic visit to a reputably quite fine shop to get a fourth cake. Top of the list was A Tes Souhaits, which is way out in Msushina-shi, so I went by bicycle, since that's too far to run and walk in a reasonable time and anyway I was starting around 13:30 and had had a runny nose all morning. I over dressed, even after taking off one layer on the road, but better a little hot than sorry. I went with the Bijou de Bois, which is mousse "praliné" (actually pralin, I think) pistachio and apricot gelatin, according to the card, though the dual color makes me suspect there was another fruit in their, since it didn't make me think of apricot when I was eating it. It was definitely good, but not enough so probably to stay in the quite fine group and keep me making the long trip out there. Still need to find 8 better shops to cut the bottom third out of the quite fine group in this round (I could cut the bottom fourth last round with this group, that left it still bloated). Of course, I really hope to find a great cake to identify a challenger to the exceptional shops to keep the competition going.

 

Cake-off: Frédéric Cassel's Breteuil over Éclat des Jours' Baked Cheesecake

Sunday, I did the most recent cake-off, I did my second 5th round of the again, pitting two undefeated cakes against each other. The primary target was Breteuil from Frédéric Cassel, because it is a seasonal cake, whereas Éclat des Jours' Baked Cheesecake has been available year-round for as long as I've known about it. Both are perfect cakes, and it certainly wasn't clear eating which I would choose even halfway through them, but I decided to go with the pistachio wonder that is Breteuil, just based on person preference, but it wouldn't have been shocking to choose the cheesecake, which remains the best I know. Rough to have to wait another year to have either again, but there are a lot of shops out there and even a lot of great cakes to have again in Tokyo. 

This catches me up, as I did have time (or cake slots) for more during long workdays and short shop hours for Monday through Wednesday. Hoping for something Thursday, but my left side hasn't been in much shape for running, though I got my watch battery changed Monday (when I didn't work quite so late) and did intervals Tuesday quite late, despite being cold and windy for walking between runs outside.

Yoshinori Asami, Mille-feuille

In the afternoon, I hit the last of the exceptional shops that I intended to visit for new cake at this stage. I didn't even try to run with my current problems, I went by bicycle, which was fine for what I got, Mille-feuille. This shop sticks to rather basic/Japanese-semitraditional (not Japanese sweets, but relatively old Japanese versions of western-style sweets). Since mille-feuille fits in with this, and this being an exceptional job, I found it an excellent cake, which I usually do for traditional mille-feuilles, so it's sort of an easy cake to impress me with, if you take the trouble to make it, which I appreciate that they do.

This leaves Les Cacao as the low shop to beat as I start more seriously on the quite fine shops, which are going to take a while to get through.

Viron, Tarte au Chocolat Framboise

Saturday, between appointments and walking back from getting a cake from an excellent shop, I took the path by Viron. Actually, I was looking for scones, though the French-style bakeries don't usually have them, so I wasn't surprised that Viron didn't, however, I'm still several cakes short from them, so when I found they had something new, I got it: Tarte au Chocolat Framboise (which might have lost a particle in transliteration). It was definitely good, but the limitations on chocolate tarts as cakes I mentioned recently extend to ones that include fruit flavoring. Still, a high quality product for those looking for a chocolate tart, so my respect for Viron as superb shop remains, though it's getting close to it's challengers at the top of the quite exceptional group.
 

Il Pleut sur la Seine, Le Turin

No cake and little running during the short week, but indoor exercise. Saturday I had a couple appointments, so didn't try a cake-off, but went for the last two (simple) exceptional shops I wanted another new cake for. After the morning appointment, I went to Il Pleut sur la Seine. They are only open a short time every week and they are expensive, but their main thing is the school, so maybe they do best with the basics. I got Le Turin, which if not basic, at least uses basic elements. The biscuit is hazelnut, which gives a special flavor and a nice texture. As the name suggests, the main flavor is chestnut, in different kinds of cream. The chestnut flavor isn't so heavy and it harmonizes well with the hazelnut. So good quality, interesting combination, and solids basic elements make this an excellent cake.

Pierre Hermé, Baba Classique

Not much to say about this one. I recently have appreciated the baba from Viron, so as a new cake for a cake-off win from Pierre Hermé, I thought I'd try their Baba Classique (which since had been replaced by a different baba from the Vantine's lineup). Not sure how classic it was, but I'll assume not so that much that they didn't use rum, though not in enough quantity to raise this above just good.

Très Calme, Chic

Last Monday was a holiday, Coming of Age Day. I visited another exceptional shop, this time Très Calme. The new cake I chose was Chic, which is passion fruit and, I think, apricot. Though I haven't been bothering to report about pastries lately, but I want to say that the I'll mention that I also got a Kouign Amann as my first fresh pasty from there and I thought it was maybe great, being of the same form as Paris S'eveille, which has been my favorite. I look forward to visiting there further for pastries. I ran and walked there, but walked back, and not by the shortest route, so I got a good amount of exercise.

Back to the cake Chic, the fruit part manages to be firm without being stick-gelatinous or runny and the fruits harmonize into mellow but satisfying flavor. The texture along with the flavor make this an excellent cake for me, so Très Calme remain in good standing among the exceptional shops. This was my best new cake of the long holidays. 

Frédéric Cassel: Saint Honoré Noix de Pécan Citron Vert

Last Sunday, after a visit to an exceptional shop, I walked (due to knee problems, but also because I was carrying one cake) to Ginza Mitsukoshi to get a new cake from Frédéric Cassel, trying to balance catching up the shops at the bottom with the top shops. I tried the Saint Honoré Noix de Pécan Citron Vert, which is self explanatory. It was good, but not their best saint honoré. Pecan is pretty rare in cake but I haven't had much luck with it so far.

Coffee Parlor Hilltop, Pistache Chocolat (dome)

So, Sunday I went for one quite excellent shop and one quite superb shop, since I figured I wasn't going to get any cakes once the workweek restarted, which is turning out to more true than I expected (even if Isetan would open their normal hours, I couldn't get cake this week, from long work hours).

I started with a run/walk to Coffee Parlor Hilltop for an 8th cake from them. The cake that got them counted as exceptional was one great cake, Pistache Chocolat. Sunday too, they had a cake with that name, but it was obviously much different, so I gave it a try. This one I'll call Pistache Chocolat (dome) to keep it straight. Like it's name-sake, it has strawberry, perhaps much more. Inside the dome, there is a relatively lot of strawberry sauce for a nominally pistachio and chocolate cake. I'll say that it was colder than I should have eaten it (that sauce was a good heat sink). Even though I like cakes with an outer coating, this wasn't working as particular special. I appreciate the type and it was good, but this shop might have a tough time staying in the exceptional group, as any of the quite fine ones could challenge it with a great fourth cake, and there are a lot of shops in that list needing a fourth cake. 

Cake-off: Paris S'éveille's Monsieur Arnaud over Jean-Paul Hévin's Mont-Blanc

Did a run/walk down to Jiyuugaoka, as planned, and got Paris S'éveille's Monsieur Arnaud. Was about 10 minutes early, but there was still a line of several people, so different from last time I went early (though I can't remember what day of the week that was). Anyway, they had that cake and their other undefeated great cake, but this was earlier in the list, so I choose it as the opponent for Jean-Paul Hévin's Mont-Blanc, which was a priority because JPH is the top shop and the Mont-Blanc is seasonal. This is the first fifth-round cake-off, so I'm starting big. Jean-Paul Hévin's Mont-Blanc might be my favorite mont-blanc, but that's still a somewhat limited category so Monsieur Arnaud, which is also a standard cake, and the one they showcase in the article posted in the shop window, but has more of my favorite ingredients, with nuts, chocolate and fruit in a cake with a thick biscuit with good texture, cream, and sheet chocolate. I've going to have to wait for FC's undefeated great cake to come back or I could have two PS cakes battling for the top.

Sadaharu Aoki, Tarte Chocolat

Was at Isetan looking from something from a superb shop that won a cake-off, but saw a new cake from quite superb shop at Sadaharu Aoki, so change of plans. It was their Tarte Chocolat. I haven't seen an announcement, and I'm not sure any special details, but it's a pretty standard cake with a self-explanatory name. I judged immediately it was excellent. As basic as this cake is, it's not so common, so it's difficult to make comparisons when they are months or years apart. This was was fairly solid, which is common, but it makes it less cake-like. I guess I'm reminded that the simplicity is limiting, so I'm not sure how to distinguish the excellent from the great without a much better appreciation of the differences in chocolate, which I haven't managed to develop yet.

The running, as I mentioned last time, was difficult due to my knee. I want to say I was also increasing the distance daily, working up to two loops around Akasaka Palace, plus the run there and back (though the running part of the latter was probably shortened a little by grocery shopping on certain days). 

Megan, Tres Leches

Tuesday, I went to Isetan before running and got the Tres Leches, which I had seen over the weekend. I was looking then because I was not sure they had any fresh cake (versus carrot cake or slices of pound cake), but they had this, so this was my aim. On Monday, which was a holiday, so presumable they had sold more by as late as I was there, they hadn't had it, I think, but they also had their strawberry (short)cake, which I've had before. 

As the name says, this is a pretty milky cake, which worried me a little bit, but it was good. However, half would have been enough, because there really isn't enough going on there that I need a full piece.

With two excellent and two good cakes, there's a good chance they'll get cut from the quite fine group, as that's the bottom now and if I can find 8 more shops with a third (of four) excellent cake, then I'll drop the bottom. It remains to be seen. There are 20 shops I haven't tried again, assuming none of them have gone out of business, and I've got three shops with one excellent cake down in the fine group that could move up with a second one, which I'll prioritize getting to once I finish reviewing exceptional and quite fine ones. 

I'll mention that the running was more brutal on my left knee than the previous day. Squats seem to help the most, I'm discovering, but it's continued through Thursday, when I did a shorter run with more frequent stops for squats. Friday, I'll take a rest so I can try to make it to Jiyuugaoka again sourcing for the first fifth-round cake-off.

Paris S'éveille, Tarte Vert Griotte

When I went last to Paris S'éveille, which was really long run for me in my current condition, though I'm working on that daily, they had a new cake. I almost didn't notice, but it shared features with their previous new cake, but that one was excellent, so that aspect is no problems. Fortunately, I noticed before paying and they let me add to my order (versus needing to go back outside to get in line again). It was Tarte Vert Giotte, whereas the previous tart had mango as the fruit, but both were green tea, which doesn't obviously go with either. It's not just cherries, but big dark, American-type cherries, like in a pie. My opinion of these is theoretically low, but the actuality was definitely excellent because rather than despite them, so I won't avoid them. I don't absolutely have to have this cake again, but I hope they keep whoever is designing these seasonal cakes, as I really appreciate them. This shop has the best standard line-up of any in Tokyo, but unlike JPH, which tends to make minor variations of established cakes, PS goes a completely different direction with the new cakes, so there isn't correlation. 

I'm about 5 cakes behind on them and it's a new cake-off season, so they'll probably rack up more wins and I'll get further behind even if I'm busy working on the exceptional, quite fine, and fine shops.

Cake-off: Paris S'éveille's Le Suprême over Jean-Paul Hévin's Duja Pistache

Catching up on cake-offs, I did another one to match something with Duja Pistache (obtained the night before) from Jean-Paul Hévin, following the strategy of working on the cakes from the top shop that might disappear before I'm ready. I tried Rue de Passy first, but the citrus pralin mille-feuille has moved on, so I continued down to Paris S'éveille. Wasn't sure I was going to make it, as just 10 days without running had me out of shape, in that my knee and/or hip hurt so bad that my whole leg was going numb. Got through it though. Had the same problem the next day and found that best answer was squats, which I haven't been doing lately. PS is in pandemic mode, with the café space closed and limiting people inside. Got the Le Suprême, which lost last time I think, when I wasn't feeling what was so great about blackberry chocolate mousse. This time I was comparing it to a chocolate pistachio layer cake. Generally nuts are a better bet with me than fruit, but I was feeling the advantage of the fruit complementing the chocolate over a relatively fruity nut this time and didn't mind the limited texture of a mousse cake (complemented for texture by chocolate sheet). This is a fourth round, where both had been held back last year for already having two losses, but Le Suprême pulls a second win, so it's claimed middle territory among the great cakes.

Cake-off: Sadaharu Aoki's Chocolat Pralin over Jean-Paul Hévin's Matcha Marron

Catching up on the previous week as far as Tokyo cakes (from being busy over the Christmas to New Year's Day period, though I had other nice cakes), I did the first of two cake-offs. Since they are my top cake shop and the line-up could change as early as mid-month, I started with a fourth-round cake-off for recent new Jean-Paul Hévin cake Matcha Marron. I pitted it against another cake with only 1 win in 3, Sadaharu Aoki's Chocolat Pralin. It wasn't my first choice, but it's available even during the year transition period (unlike Ladurée's regular items). Though I wasn't thinking about it, I know I considered Chocolat Pralin as a heavy hitting that started with two tough cake-offs, though I shouldn't be surprised that it takes the win. Matcha Marron is an interesting combination of flavors, but there is a reason traditional combinations are traditional.

Marbre Vegan, Gateau Chocolat & Strawberry Shortcake

 Unplanned, got a couple cakes from a shop that replaced Frips. As the name implies, a vegan cake place. I choose a Gateau Chocolat and the other cakes was Strawberry Shortcake. The other cakes available were an apple tart and a blueberry tart.

The shortcake seemed fine and not so different from others, though I'm not the best judge. The chocolate flavor of the Gateau Chocolat was fine, so I a believe them that it's fancy French chocolate. As cake, it wasn't bad but it doesn't really have the texture I want from cake. It's a little dry, though not really in a bad way or a café cake that's sat around too long (or is made to be able to sit around a long time). Anyway, sorry I can't rate them better and I won't resist interest in trying other cakes from them, but I won't actively pursue them.