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: Pierre Hermé's 2000 Feuille over Jean-Paul Hévin's Duja Pistache

Finally blogging about last weekend. This time's cake-off was a little challenging, because everywhere is busy with Christmas cakes. I figured department stores were my best bet. Originally, as the next cake-off, I had wanted to the Origines Cacao's Tart Citron, but when I visited on Wednesday, they didn't have it so I asked whether it was just sold out for the day or had finished its run. The latter was true, not just for the season but forever, as the counter will close Jan 15th (there was I sign which I confirmed later). If I understood the answer to my next question, the Jiyuugaoka main shop will also close, so that's it for the rising star of my list and maybe the most visited shop this year. I do not expect any more new cakes from there, so that leaves me only three priority shops which now don't need to replace something to get promoted, they just need not to get passed from behind as they move fill in the chain of gaps.

Back to the actual cake-off, where I had no trouble getting Duja Pistache from the Ginza Mitsukoshi Jean-Paul Hévin, location because of minimal line and I expected to get cake from LaDuree on the 2nd floor, but a cake I've always seen over several years was out of the line-up, hopefully just for Christmas. So I took the train to Isetan where I expected to see a couple standards of Pierre Hermé's but only found the 2000 Feuille, their praliné mille-feuille. Fortunately, it was great and I appreciated the lack of custard or cream interfering with my appreciation of the pastry, as well as just enjoying the praliné. The mousse chocolate Duga P was still great, but they have a lot of great mousse cakes and I wasn't feeling particularly attached to this one on Saturday.

The run to Ginza was pretty minimal, so I went out later again to do neighborhood run loops. I failed at the Dougenzaka--Maruyamachou--Shinsenchou loop when I forgot what the next site was and couldn't remember why I should or should not turn at the Natural Lawson. I made up for it by getting the revised Kamiyama-chou--Tomigaya--Udagawa-chou loop (for the new Shibuya LaDuree). On the way, I got some missing photographs and saw a new shop open on Aoyama-doori Ave. (on the already established route).

Sunday, I tried again to do the current version of the Daita--Daizawa--Hatagaya--Kamiyama-chou--Kitazawa--Motoyoyogi-chou--Nishihara--Ooyama-chou--Shouto--Tomigaya--Uehara loop counterclockwise. I got slightly farther than last time, which took about 2.5 hours, and then ran anther half hour to a pizza buffet that I'm still trying to work off. On the way, I tried two fresh pastries. One was the Natural Lawson across from Yoyogi-Hachiman Stn. which I turned my nose up at last time, as they were all wrapped. But at least they wrap them fancy, with part paper (which should be good for excess moisture), so I tried a Mini Cinnamon Danish, which was reasonably good, so they stay on the map.

The next pastry was 1 hour later when I circled back to one station over at Yoyogi-Uehara and I got a Bear Cub Claw from the Little Mermaid. (It was a late start and the good shops are crowded, so I was aiming low on this run.) This was as close as I could get to a pastry, but I should have gone for the donut, as this was just too white, though at least the chocolate hazelnut filling was not bad. It wasn't raw, just I think they don't use much butter or bake it very long, so its sort of a Wonderbread version of a pastry. Okay, but never again.

Cake-off: Lenôtre's Feuille d'Automne over Jean-Paul Hévin's Duja Pistache

Sunday, I finally got to the next cake-off. I started off toward Au Bon Vieux Temps a little after 8 am, which is not that early, since they open at 9 am. Still, I felt that I didn't have to arrive so early and I wanted to check out a couple things along the way. For example, I confirmed that I could do the revised Sendagaya central and south loops clockwise, though I altered the latter after the fact (the length looks the same and it eliminates two turns). Took a picture of the cake shop I found on Google. No sign, so I'm not sure that they actually sell things from there (though it does look like there is something on the table on the left), but there's a window where they could do, so maybe. Someone was in there working even that early, and poked his head out a second to see what I was doing. With those looks, it made for a long run, so I arrived maybe 10 am and, no surprise, they not longer are making their blue cheese cake (it seemed seasonal, but I had no definitely information and I've had other seasonal cakes from more prominent shops to deal with).

Still, I was hungry (I had only had one energy cookie), so I got a Pain au Chocolat there. It's pretty well done, as these breads go, but that's not a bad thing and this qualifies as excellent. The croissants were already sold out, but there were some other more elaborate things that might count as pastries that I could try in the future.

I was going to take the train straight to Mitsukoshi Ginza, but I missed the crossing due to a train going the other way and would have waited for the next local, so I ran two stations (not that far, in this case) to see what the shops near Jiyuugaoka had. Now I'm not sure whether PS still has the Giverny, which is not an immediate problem, though Dalloyau has definitely retired the L'Echiquier from individual cakes, which reduces the chance I'll get another cake from them. I think their reputation as a superb shop depends on a cakes made by a chef who's moved on, though at least they still make their Formage Cru and Croquant Fraise.

I was successful at getting one planned cake and the backup, where they know me well. I confirmed that FC had some new cakes, but the just returned Breteuil seems to been changed from chocolate to white chocolate coating, which is a mixed blessing. Also, since I was in the neighborhood within an hour of opening, I stopped by Sadaharu Aoki to sample their Croissant Chocolat again (also, I was really hungry, and almost asleep on my feet), and it was definitely fresher and definitely excellent. I can't say for sure it was great, but I liked it more than the Matcha (which seemed too sweet). Also I confirmed what cake was back in the line up through February (but I've already done three rounds and it's not enough of a winner to be a priority) and one new cake that I hope to get to this week.

The cake-off was a second round for two cakes from the winners, Lenôtre's Feuille d'Automne and Jean-Paul Hévin's Duja Pistache. Sorry JPH, but the combination of L's meringue and different textures of chocolate was a clear winner. Sadly, I don't have anything to match it for the next round yet (if I'm correct about Breteuil being replaced). Happily, there is a Rouge version available for this season as the reward cake that I'll be able to try this week (the brand does not seem established enough to sell out much). Not sure whether the Duga Pistache is seasonal, so it will have to wait. Actually, someone had posted on Twitter a Sicile from L'abricotier just after the shop told me that they we're making it, so I went out there by bicycle (I decided I was too tired to do more neighborhood loops) and, as I expected, the photo did not reflect reality. If I track down which person, I'll probably un-follow them, though actually they were reporting on a cake in the foreground.

Cake-off: Jean-Paul Hévin's Duja Pistache over Pièce Montée's Mont-blanc

Changed my plan and did this weekend's cake-off early, Thursday afternoon. After a half-lunch, I ran to Pièce Montée in Ginza and got their Mont-blanc. They let it just slide around in the box, so I planned to take the train back and do a bigger run later. After stopping at Origines Cacao to confirm the ingredients of their Saint-Michel, I went to Jean-Paul Hévin and got their Duja Pistache, which is not seasonal but I'm not sure how long it will stick around, so I'm glad I didn't wait too long to get the first-round cake-off done. I'm more worried about availability of a cake for the next cake-off, but it requires a full day free, which I'm not going to have this weekend. I also noted that Lenôtre still has their Feuille d'Automne, along with a red version, so the second cake is definitely available, and the backup is this week's cake-off. (The Concerto is gone from Lenôtre, but I wasn't expecting to getting around it its third round this year.) I also swung by Rire Ginza, a "Sweet/Cafe Salon", just to confirm that I could find it, but I didn't climb the stairs in my jogging stuff with my cakes just to peek inside. I did feel free to go inside Sadaharu Aoki in Marunouchi, hoping to find a Croissant Chocolat, but they just had the Croissant Matcha (still an excellent choice), so I'll have to keep looking. I was hoping to try the Tokyo Midtown location Saturday morning (I'll have enough time for that), but it looks like I might get grounded by rain.

Neither Jean-Paul Hévin's Duja Pistache or Pièce Montée's Mont-blanc disappointed me, but neither stood out dramatically from the other. My preference for chocolate, though, led me to the Duja Pistache in the end, though the Mont-blanc remains outstanding as a simple Mont-blanc, why I'm still not sure.

The run was a revised Akasaka--Roppongi loop (fun running from home and back), though it ended up starting at 20:00, due to a nap, video chat, and indoor workout with weights. This time is was revised due to shown picture, which my old course passed behind. Now if only Google maps hadn't stopping letting me upload pictures, I could add it to the map.

Jean-Paul Hévin, Duja Pistache

Monday (I'm behind and have been busy), I got the new regular line-up cake from Jean-Paul Hévin, Duja Pistache. The old Duja I had initially rated as good and then excellent on a second try. Follows the same basic plan but the chocolate is pistachio flavored, giving it a fruitiness, and the top as changed. This is better than the old glazed top, but mostly I think I've come around to this simpler chocolate cake. This version, I'm rating as great. I don't have anything to do an immediate cake-off with (unless I get really lucky on the next cake), but I expect it to stick around for multiple months, so I can focus on the classics that are changing every 2 weeks these next two months.

Running was back to Azabu-Juuban neighborhood course loops. This time, I did both of my target loops clockwise: the Moto-Azabu--Azabu-Juuban loop and Minami-Azabu west loop. Actually, I realized that I needed to split a one-block Azabu-Juuban loop off from the former to keep to my rules, but I also ran that one, counterclockwise. I also verified that I need to redo the Nishi-Azabu--Minami-Azabu loop, which I didn't include in this run, as I had other things to do Monday night and ended up being quite late anyway. I'll be able to do at least one direction next time I do the other three loops next weekend, I think.