Pierre Gagnaire: Green Tea and White Chocolate Cake

Leading text. Thursday was a holiday, as part of a four-day weekend prepared for the Olympics. I used it to visit Pierre Gagnaire and get their other new cake, Green Tea and White Chocolate Cake, which follows the same literal naming as the other cake; can't say that I mind. In fact, I started the next week's cakes early, but I expected to be busy two days, and did not actually have any cake then. White chocolate seems a much better pairing with matcha than blond chocolate, and this was excellent. There might have been some sort of custard in the middle, or maybe it was just cream. Anyway, excellent cake. It was raining, so I walked there and continued on for a second stop. This actually brings this shop level with quite exceptional shops, as far as new cake count, and it maintained its rating edge, so Lenôtre loses it's place, as expected.

Lenôtre, Verrine Baba Agrume

Monday, wanting to fit in a couple weekday cakes this week (since I was busy this weekend), I did my first run to Ginza Mitsukoshi and was somewhat successful. I wanted to get a cake from Lenôtre, which has two seasonal cakes that I haven't tried yet. I could get my preferred choice, but I figured that I would get to both eventually, so no worries. I got the Verrine Baba Agrume, which is a baba in a glass with lots of fruit, specifically orange, pear, and Japanese apricot. While verrine and baba aren't my preference, I found the abundance of a fruit an improvement over my previous similar cake and can say that this was definitely good. Actually, this puts the shop in danger from challengers below, so I'm not sure that I'll actually get to the other cake, but there are also cake-offs coming up, so I remain optimistic.

En Vedette, Cocoanana

After a long week of mostly long work days (except Monday and Friday, which is the reverse of usual), I took advantage of the reopening of Shibuya Scramble Square and its relatively late hours even under pandemic conditions (compared to local department stores), and got a new cake from En Vedette, which is challenging the quite exceptional shop list. This time I got new cake Cocoanana as (maybe, I'm suspecting I'm overlooking one) the 16th cake from there. Note to parse as Coco+Anana, as in coconut and pineapple, though there is also, I think some passion fruit sauce. The coconut aspect was fine, but pineapple cake isn't so exciting. Good, but it's starting to look doubtful that the shop will get a promotion. Still, they have a great cake that's only done one round, so I'd probably get back there soon regardless, if I can get two new great cakes available and the same time.

Viron: Caramel Chocolat au Lait

Ran to Viron Monday night. I didn't really run so fast, I thought, but the time passed fast. Even coming back with the rain getting heavy, it did not seem like a long run, though it's longer than a Ginza run and there was only a tiny bit of walking underground. I delayed posting because I'm really not sure what's in this Caramel Chocolat au Lait. The chocolate is in the base of the tart shell, so it's not visible. This is maybe slightly more caramel above that, that is also not visible, but seemed rather red, so I wonder if there is something more than caramel. I'll have to ask next time I go by. It was definitely good and appropriate for some place that is more of bakery than a cake shop, but not super exciting. I'm not sure that they had another cake (though this could qualify as a pastry tart). Fortunately, it will take Origines Cacao time to finish its run to displace something in the superb group before I need to give Viron it's chance.

Ryoura, Fromage Cru

Friday night was a neighborhood run. I only managed the revised Minami-Motomachi--Wakaba--Yotsuya--Sugachou--Shinanomachi loop, which itself is just 4.17 km.

Saturday, I had some time before a 10 am Skype appointment, so I went out before 8 am. At the last minutes, I decided that I'd try the updated Tomigaya--Yoyogi loop, which I hadn't reviewed and failed. Still, I went around to the new sites I had added that prompted the update and confirmed and photographs them (one of which I decided was a mistake to add). Since it nearby, next to route, and famous, I tried looking in on Path Cafe, which was full and had people waiting and eating take-out outside. The freshly made Croissants and Pain au Chocolat were already spoken for, so I would have had to wait 30 minutes. I could buy a Cannele immediately, so I went with that. On one hand, it seem perfect, not like my fake ones (which don't replicate the outside coating). On the other hand, in the end, they were too strong for me, at least without some sort appropriate beverage. Maybe I'll not that into real canelé. If I get by there nearer 8 am (when they open), I'd still like to try their Pain au Chocolat. Coming back, I could do the updated Jinguumae east and Minami-Motomachi--Moto-Akasaka loops clockwise.

The cake run came from after 11 am. I went to Yoga and visited Ryoura for a 16th cake. I've had the least luck with seasonal variations there and recent good look else with Fromage Cru, so I got that from Ryoura and brought it back for eating at home. It's two layers, so I suspect it's actually a rare/baked cheesecake combo, but whatever it was, it was definitely excellent. Not sure what a great one would be like, but I'll have to consider that when I get to a third-round cake-off with my favorite cheesecake.