Cake-off: Éclat des Jours's Rhum Raisin over Hidemi Sugino's Améthyste

Rain front coming through, but it slowed down, so I could get out before it. I'm hoping it will speed up again, so I can go out tomorrow afternoon, though there's the next typhoon coming in behind. Ran 15+ km total at 9+ km/h average, first to Éclat des Jours, which was a little late opening (there were a few people waiting ahead of me, but not more than there were staff inside, so no problem) to get their Rhum Raisin, and then to Hidemi Sugino, where I arrived 15 min before opening and got in a long line. Lots of foreigners, like me, as the place is famous and maybe some of them don't know better (like I should have) than come here on a Saturday morning. It took me 1 hour to get cake, but maybe I could have gotten it faster if I had come earlier (to get at the front of the line) or later (to come after the line had diminished, though it did not seem to have at 11:45). I should have waited and done this when I had a day off, but I was hoping for only a 30 min wait. Well, it will probably be a couple years before I need to go back, and I won't be in such a hurry that I can't wait to do it during a personal holiday.

As you might guess from the above, Rhum Raisin won the cake-off. Améthyste was not bad but I wasn't feeling the greatness (maybe it was too cold) and the Rhum Raisin still was a nice flavor with a creaminess that I'm not sure I've had elsewhere. Haven't decided yet when I'll try to go for the follow-up cake. I had about run through the whole line-up of cakes available at the end of the day when I stopped making them a weekly thing, but I can get something other than fresh cake as follow-up for a cake-off if I don't find anything new when I go.

40+ km, Ginza-Tsukada and Shiba-Takanawa H&C, visiting Hidemi and Lettre d'Amore [Closed]

Did two History and Culture courses today which start at the same intersection, but returning home in between for a 20 to 30 minute pit stop. The Ginza-Tsukada one is short, is pretty crowded with lots of stoplights at the beginning, and requires a slight detour since the north side of the pedestrian walk for the main bridge is out. Just the course, which is about 4 km, took 24'13''75, which includes the detour and one double back of 0.1 km where I missed a turn.

I visited Hidemi Sugino again, this time getting the Améthyste for 680 yen, which is mint (?) green apple flavored butter cream and cassis butter cream. Fruit is not always my favorite, but I'm going to give this the benefit of the doubt and say it was great. They went light enough on the cassis to not tilt the flavor that way. Note that, due to being busy with Christmas cake, not only are they closed Sundays (and Mondays), but the salon is closed. There was a line just after opening, but it was diminishing when I arrived, so you can probably get there a little before noon and still be okay.

Total for this run was 17.28 km and took 2 03'53'', although that might have included the beginning of the next run, as I had multiple problems with my timing today. I should say that it was very windy, so I gave up on the hat part way home.



Hidemi: Améthyste

The second run was down the Shiba-Takanawa course. This is a forked course, so actually I ran the due-south leg both directions, which made the total for that course 11.04 km. Somehow, I restarted the run on my watch, so I'm completely confused about how long it was, although given that I had more than .5 km of doublebacking, it would not have been very characteristic. Too much of this is along main roads that were not too exciting, but since both south ends meet the beginnings of other courses, I'll be going at least partially be going along them again, maybe. Also, lots of stoplights at the beginning. At least there is room for running all the way and a lot of slopes, for good and bad.

Coming back from Meguro Station, I went to Lettre d'Amour and got Pomme Caramel for 480 yen. Actually, this is essentially pie, but it was a good choice for the gale-force (?) winds that I encountered at one point (almost couldn't move forward) and it hit the spot. After all, I had already had a fluffy creamy piece of cake today. Excellent cake/pie.

Well, if my body and the weather allow it, I'll see whether I can get down to Jiyugaoka and back tomorrow.