Ryoura, Mille-Feuille Mistral

Finally got back Ryoura a while back for a new cake. I can get their one (available) remaining great cake at Tokyo Midtown, but the selection there is fairly limited so I did a bicycle ride. I wasn't quite as crazy there as last time. They have actually been limiting the number of people inside, but probably I can't remember well. Anyway, even at the main shop, I've pretty much had all their standards already, so it's touch choice. On the grounds that Mille-feuille are a fairly safe choice and I have had one excellent one from there (and one just good), I tried the Mille-feuille Mistral, which is F.Cassel like in having a gelatin layer for the flavor, which honestly I'm not that convince is a good ideal but is a reasonable simple variation. A Japanese source reminds me (not that I probably read in this detail at the time) that its passion fruit and mango mousseline and the gelatin is rhubarb and strawberry, which sounds about right. It was good, but I'm more convinced that gelatin in my mille-feuille is not optimal, but not the worst, as I've found out.

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.

Frédéric Cassel, Mille-feuille Colette

As I posted previously, I loaded up on cakes Saturday, out of efficiency, though my cakes/week is fixed. At Ginza Mitsukoshi, besides the JPH cake for the cake-off, I got Frédéric Cassel's latest seasonal mille-feuille, Mille-feuille Colette. In this case, the cream is cinnamon cream and the gelatin middle is fig and raspberry, which was an interesting combination that harmonizes well, so I would say this is excellent, which most of this series is.

 

Frédéric Cassel, Domestic Blueberry Mille-Feuille

Sunday the 16th, while busy, I had a window to run to Ginza and get cake, so I did. My target was a different cake, but I needed a pair and this was also new from the same shop, Frédéric Cassel. This was one of a couple cakes with domestic blueberries with a two week scheduled run, but I note that they must have liked blueberries, as they became September's theme. Anyway, obviously this is Domestic Blueberry Mille-Feuille. It's like their other theme mille-feuille, which are excellently made but don't vary so much and aren't my favorite type of mille-feuille (I don't like the gelatin in the middle, which I think also requires some sponge around it, which is just wrong for mille-feuille). I complain, but they tend to be excellent anyway. However, blueberry is maybe not the best choice, or I'm just getting too tired of these, as it was only good.

Domestic Blueberry Mille-Feuille

Sadaharu Aoki, Mille-Feuille Mâtcha

The second stop Sunday morning was Sadaharu Aoki, in Marunouchi. It's taken three and a half months to get this year's exclusive cake, Mille-feuille Matcha, so I was happy to get it. The filling is matcha custard. I could find that it was an improvement, nor was it a huge difference, but it's still an excellent mille-feuille. 

Rue de Passy, Mille-Feuille Praliné Citron

Started my Sunday run by heading down to Rue de Passy in Meguro-ku. They are on my exceptional shop list and were near the bottom, so I had been giving the top of the quite fine group a chance to challenge them but no replacement, so I finally went for the next two cake from them, #8. I ate in, which is usually the most convenient thing to do, but can affect the results. I decided that the Mille-Feuille Praliné Citron was the most promising even before noticing that it was the one recommend by the chef. The chef gave a good recommendation, as this was a great cake. Neither the praliné or the citron was very strong, but all the parts balanced well and I liked how a more buttercream filling rather than custard worked with mille-feuille. Not sure that it was actual butter cream or just there was enough nuts in the praliné to give that effect, but it worked either way. Too great cakes in less than a week: I feeling like I'm doing pretty good.

On the way I kept a sharp eye out for what shops were open, as I found too closures Saturday night and hadn't noticed some others. Lotus is looking different these days, and is hard to spot. I decided that Chavity right before them deserves to be a site on the neighborhood running map, but I'll need a different photo, as I got serious glare on the one I took. I'll also add Candyapple in Daikanyama-chou. Down near the Daikanyama Stn. the entire Tenoha shop block seems to have closed, so I'll probably need to revise that 10.4 km loop, but I'll put it off until its time do that clump.

Cake-off: Jean-Paul Hévin's Tonka over Viron's Mille-feuille

This week, I had a lot of working late, so no cake Wednesday to Friday. I managed to bicycle to Ginza Mitsukoshi before closing Wednesday and Thursday, but had a couple cakes in particular in mind that were not there. Friday, I didn't even try (I might have gotten there just before closing, which wouldn't be that useful on a Friday), but went to Isetan and confirmed that PH has a great cake in the line-up that has never had a cake-off (but I don't have an opponent for it right now) and the strawberry tart at SA is the one I've already had (which was excellent). Think I did one workout with weights one of those days, though I can't remember the details. Friday, I finished off confirming the updated Daikyou-chou--Shinanomachi loop and also confirmed the updated Shinjuku Gyouen clump (3 loops, 4.909 km) and definitely did a non-weights indoor workout.

Saturday, I went to Ginza Mitsukoshi again for cake-off materials, but I also confirmed that they had one of the cakes had been looking for but not the other one. I later found that Viron has a new cake, so I still have a backup for next time I go out there looking for new cakes, which might be tomorrow (I haven't decided where I want to go, and a new errand has come up). My main target for the cake-off was Tonka, which is one of their new cakes, from Jean-Paul Hévin for a fourth-round cake-off. They are currently two wins to one loss, so I matched them with the highest priority cake in that bracket, Viron's Mille-feuille. On the way back, I got a matcha chocolate bar from a new site on my Souga Gakkai clump route, though on the opposite end from the Souga Gakkai campus, near Yotsuya station, at the San Paolino shop, which is mostly sweets. I am saving it for later, to share, so I'll have to update this. While I was there, I noticed a castella place that should be on the Yotsuya north loop, so I revised the loop and will have to do confirmation runs another day.

Before cake, I went out again to try to confirm the Akasaka--Azabudai--Roppongi--Toranomon loop, as next in priority after the Daita-... loop, which I'll get back to another time. I knew the planned route fine, but the construction in Azabu 1 has expanded to the point that streets have disappeared, as well as a park and possibly a temple that was on my route, but the latter might have an entrance on the other side and still be there, though I didn't find one last time I looked. Anyway, I need to figure out a new route and try again. Actually, I'm not sure how the old loop was valid, unless there was an entrance to the Reiyukai Shakaden Temple on the old route that I can't remember now. On the loop, I stopped at the Pierre Gagnaire shop and got a Croissant d'Almonde. I don't know why I chose that one, since it's not my favorite type, but it always catches my eye. It was good but standard, which is too sugary even for me, but I won't let that put me off retrying other pastries from there. I also found another Japanese style sweets shop that I'll add as a site on the map, but there's still a lot of shops ahead of it, and cake and pastries are my priority.

I was pretty happy with cake-off this time, as expected. It was hard to choose, but Tonka is a great example of why I like JPH's cakes, and I've giving it the win. In the previous round for Viron's Mille-feuille, I had my doubts about it as a great cake, but even though it lost this time, I'm satisfied with it as on the list: it lacks subtly, but it seems to be a perfect classic mille-feuille, which I haven't had anywhere else and am happy to be able to eat.

Frédéric Cassel: Mille-feuille Chocolat Fruits Rouges

Sunday, as a reward for a cake-off win the previous day, I visited Frédéric Cassel to get a new cake, trying to make up for missed cakes during illness. On weekends, they have special mille-feuille that I like to try once in a while. This time was Mille-feuille Chocolat Fruits Rouges, which uses strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, so more berry than red fruit. It was comparable to previous versions, so I'll say it was excellent. I'm still waiting for the combination that really excites me.

Might allow them another cake during the week, since the cake-off doesn't really have to count and I'm catching up resolving the borders between different shop categories. Still, maybe not until Thursday, if things go smoothly earlier in the week. 

L'Authentique (of Saitama), Trois Chocolat and Mille-feuille

Friday and Saturday, I was busy (and there was a typhoon), so no cake.

Sunday I got cake, but not Tokyo cake: Saitama cake from Pâtisserie L'Authentique. It was cake for two, so only half a piece each, but both the Trois Chocolat and Mille-Feuille seemed excellent (though the mousse cake was warmer than I liked). 

Sunday night, I went running, with no bicycle, assist and did the updated Daikanyama-chou--Ebisunishi--Hachiyama-chou--Nanpeidai-chou--Sakuragaoka-chou--Sarugaku-chou--Shibuya--Uguisudani-chou loop counterclockwise, so that's settled as long as I don't look at it. Meanwhile, I'm doing a review of would neighborhood course from the root, so that's been sucking up time and I've found problems I've avoiding dealing with and some new sites close to home, but I'm working on it. One part is the Jinguumae 4 loop, which just goes around one block (though a full-sized block) to pass two shops.

Frédéric Cassel, Mille-feuille Chocolat Poire

Sunday, I kept my plan to get a new cake from Frédéric Cassel (I didn't want to go out to ABVT again and I did two new shops last week), which I'm three new cakes behind due to cake-off wins. The advantage of going Sunday was I could get Mille-feuille Chocolat Poire. The regular mille-feuille is their most promoted cake, so I figure I should their mille-feuille a chance once in a while. In a week, I'll get to the next Inspiration cake.

Since the typhoon is coming, I want to do my running early, but really it was too hot. Sunday, I definitely finished of the Azabu-Dai--Azabu-Mamiana-chou--Higashi-Azabu loop, which is the fourth and last making up the Roppongi clump of loops. That was run, but the two other loops I've been working on I walked most, after a heavy rain to raise the humidity, the sun came out in 30+ heat. I photographed a lot of Japanese sweet/snack shops around Azabu-Juuban and went home and found more shops that I missed, so the fact that I messed up the loop at a new twist is not so important. Also, I realized why the Grace Church wasn't originally o the route: it is/was a wedding chappel, not an active church, but it seems to be inactive even for that now. Still, it's not worth changing that part of the loop. Failed the bottom loop for the same reasons as last time, so I axed the stupid green space and it's suicide access path and determined that the hotel cafe was out of bounds (literally, unless you're associated with the US Navy, apparently), so I'm back to just bypassing that whole corner to get around the stoplight. Walking was too slow, and I had to pay for parking; I should have gone back after the first loop and moved my bike but I wasn't thinking that far ahead.

The mille-feuille was fine. Chocolate and pear weren't so different from the caramel and apple version, the last one I had. It was excellent, no complaints about quality. Maybe the next favor will excite me more. I don't know how often they change these, but probably 6 months, though it could be 3; I'm not usually paying attention, as they have something new every month so even as my number 2 after JPH, I don't usually have to have every new cake, until Sadaharu Aoki, which I might never get caught up with. Hopefully they'll have another new cake next month, but it will be a special limited cake, so I have to watch closely.

Forgot to mention that I forgot to pack Calorie Mates, so I bought a pastry from Dumbo Doughnuts and Coffee. I got Meringue Lemon, which I hoped was lemon cream filled, but no. It's a big yeast doughnut and it's ok, but I should have waited another block for an actual bakery. Or, I found a Niko later, which, I hope, has better donuts.

Frédéric Cassel, Mille-Feuille Finger Chocolat et Vanille

Another week, another great cake from Frédéric Cassel. The running was much like yesterday (same route, same destination), only I walked a little less (but substituting a dash for 1 min walking on the grounds that I had rested at a traffic light during the preceding running period) but again decided that walking back was good for the cake and my body (also, it had been raining, so it was seriously humid). I got my target cake, which was the Mille-Feuille Finger Chocolat et Vanille (otherwise, I was considering going elsewhere and trying again tomorrow). There was a time where every month had a different flavor of this as part of the monthly "inspiration", but not lately. Instead, I think that they've had this mille-feuille finger for a while. I can't find the official announcement for Ginza Mitsukoshi, though it was at Ebisu for a few days back in April, so maybe it's been around since then. Great texture (the base has some crunch, as well as the mille-feuille) and great chocolate, so how can I resist. I'm never going to get to third-round cake-offs of older cakes at this rate, although the only other new cake at FC is about to be replaced (from mangue (mago) to maron (chestnut)) and FC has to keep winning cake-offs or else eventually I'll get fewer cakes from there even if they have new cakes. Still, It's the kind of probably that you want to have. At home, I did the base indoor workout, to get some more exercise, and so that I don't feel compelled to stay in on Friday night. I should do more upper body tomorrow, though, when I plan to run to a different Ginza shop.

Fiorentina Pastry Boutique, Mille-feuille

Got my cake by bicycle first. Even though Fiorentina Pastry Boutique lost the last cake-off, it won the one before, so this catches me up on them (fourth cake). I decided to go with the safe choice of Mille-feuille. For running, I tried the modified Akasaka--Azabudai--Roppongi--Toranomon loop failed when it came time to make the last turn before the new site I just confirmed last night, KB-Keiji, which I'll get to below. I was thinking I needed to turn at the next light, but was just looking for crosswalks, so I missed the first intersection with a stoplight and overshot by enough that I knew I gone too far. I went back and confirmed the correct place, which might help if I try again tomorrow, and then headed for home. On the way back, I found another Natural Lawson within the same loop, but I can't see a more efficient way to add it to the over course than as another around-the-block cul-de-sac loop, unfortunately. No change to the main loop. I say "another" because last night I confirmed a different such loop, also because of a Natural Lawson, but at least that loop has another site on it, so splitting that one off shortened the main loop slightly at least, but that would have been near the end of the run, whereas I only got about 40% of the loop. The cake was fine. They did not do anything fancy, but it seemed perfect for what it was and I like mille-feuille, so I can say it was excellent. The run felt good, but I don't imagine my feet will be happy about it tomorrow. It was doing 1:6 walking:running and ended up doing over 73 minutes of running. 

Monday, I went out by bicycle to confirm some sites and do some shopping become coming home and doing some indoor working out. The new shop was KB-Keiji, which is a German cake/bread shop (so a konditorei&backerei, thus the KB). I got what I'll have to write as Nusswolen, though I can't find any comparable name or desert from anywhere except this shop. It's hazelnuts, shortened to just nuts (nuss), but I don't no what woren/wolen is. It was ok, but pretty dry. The shop and shopkeeper seem quite old but there is a pretty varied selection. Looks hard to keep going, though I went pretty late, so maybe they move a lot of bread during the day, which there wasn't much of when I went.

Bien-être: Mille-Feuille au Fraises

Monday, in light rain, I went to Bien-être (double points) in response to a cake-off win for a new cake. There wasn't actually a new variety, but I had never had the Mille-Feuille au Fraises, which is much like theother five mille-feuille cakes I've had there, except with strawberries (not sure which one was the best, so I'll guess mango). All the ones previous had been excellent, though my appreciation was diminishing. This time, it dipped below excellent, though it's still pretty, and good, but not one I'm interested in having again. The run was my first attempt to verify the revised Tomigaya--Yoyogi loop. I could do the main parts but missed a sharp turn to take in AfterHours, an early turn to reach the main road to run past the pedestrian bridge next to the Cosmo Hatsudai Service Station, and a detour away from Sanguubashi Park to hook around Flotto, all fairly new additions. The second deviation was at least was an improvement and I've updated the map, but I need to fix the other too for next time.

Tuesday, with a break in the rain, I did a short run down to Tokyo Midtown and successfully got the Croissant Matcha from Sadaharu Aoki. The eating space was occupied by a promotional event for some communication company, so I ran it home. As part of the run, I reconfirmed clockwise the Minami-Aoyama east loop with a minor variation to take in NinoCaffe. They'll be a good backup in the future, since they have relatively late hours, such as for Viking Bakery F, which requires me to get off work on time and not spend too much time changing and stretching. The croissant was very nice, and matcha is an interesting change (the inside is quite green), so I can say that it was excellent.

Cake-off: Yu Sasage's Perfum over Viron's Mille-feuille

In the morning, I ran down to Viron in Shibuya by way of practicing/confirmed the two loops in the Jinnan clump of the neighborhood course and then getting roasted crushed peanuts from Nikunohanamasa, since I was running very low. Both the loops are newly revised and I failed on the smaller further away Jinnan loop but could do the simpler and closer but longer Jinguumae--Jinnan loop clockwise. This year, for the third-round cake-offs, I'm working through the list in order of the month I first sampled the versus just chronologically, so that I can match things up in the main season better and am not look for winter cakes in summer, hopefully. This time it was the Mille-feuille, which is available year round, like most of their cakes (the repeat rate on specials is pretty low, though the Fraise, for example, is strictly seasonal, though it's off the great list. I had a delay coming back, as I took the wrong exit (I'm being carefully and using the train to bring back my cakes) and was briefly trapped north of the Shinjuku Marathon runners.

After a half-lunch, I went out again to go to Yu Sasage and was trapped longer on the east side of slower runners, though eventually they let us through. As in other recent outward forays, I took a several photos that are aspirationally future sites on neighborhood loops, should I ever add loops that far out. Yu Sasage still doesn't have either of the other two great cakes of theirs, which have never been available for a cake-off since their appearances in '16 and '17, but they had Perfum.

I like to give honest reviews, so while Viron's mille-feuille was excellent, as a traditional mille-feuille, I wasn't feeling the need to have it in the great list at this time. I've had a lot of mille-feuille since I've last had this one, and though none of those was great, maybe I'm becoming more demanding. Or it could just be natural variation. Perfum remains a combination of fruit, pistachio tart, and meringue that I appreciate, so I don't mind giving it the win, though it's a lot less convenient to report them with an additional visit for a new cake (but the only way I visit these days, so they need the visit more).

Ryoura: Mille-feuille

Sunday, I got up early and did a long run out toward Ryoura. On the way, I finished checking and photographing landmarks along my largest potential loop, about 35 km in total if I run it all at once. I was out about 3 hours, most of that running. I decided to finally try their Mille-feuille, since it's a standard and they usually have a variation as well, which one of once (not they're onto a different variation). It was excellent mille-feuille, no complaints, but of course it's just flaky pastry, custard, and a little sugar, so it's hard to get too excited about it. I was better about stretching as I went, which made a difference for my feet, so I might actually be able to run long enough to do the new loop I finished charting Sunday. In the evening, I tried to make chocolate cakes again, following the recipe better than last time to hopefully get better results but had the opposite. My chocolate ganache cores are too big and I didn't push them down enough into the cake batter. Also, too much total batter, so they swelled and cracked.

Monday, I took a rest from buying cake and did a review run of the first three loops, worried that I'm not actually as familiar with what I've already added to the course, so I shouldn't be in a hurry to add more loops. As a remedy, I'm planning to redo all until I can do them both directions without reviewing them beforehand. I could do the first two short ones clockwise, but the third one I haven't done clockwise much and I failed near the end, so I'll try doing the whole loop again (if I failed at the end, I might have just gotten lucky elsewhere). The fondant came out better, though the ganache is still too big and even making 5 instead of 4, they were a little big (though the biggest was due to an air bubble at the top. Still, good enough to photograph.

Frédéric Cassel: Mille-feuille Finger Kaki

Tuesday, since the once-a-week applies only to new cakes, I went back to Frédéric Cassel and this time got the new mille-feuille, the Mille-feuille Finger Kaki. This was a full run both ways, and I used my eco cake bag from Ryoura. It's been a while since the Mille-feuille Finger has been part of the line-up. Previously, this was part of the regular monthly "Inspiration", but actually this month's inspiration has no individual cakes and this mille-feuille is separate with an unclear cutoff day.

The visible fruit is persimmon. Not sure what the gelatin cubes are. The main filling is yuzu cream, rather than mascarpone cheese, like in the old versions.  The whipped cream on top is flavored with houjicha (roasted green tea), so it's got lots of Japanese elements. Accordingly, I ate with green tea rather than the usual western/Indian tea. Bien E. has me used to different fruity mille-feuille, which is probably why I could appreciate this and consider it great. I guess it's going to be a Ginza first-round cake-off next.

Sadaharu Aoki: Mille-Feuille Azuki

Thursday, I tried again going to Sadaharu Aoki, and this time I was successful at the first shop, Tokyo Midtown, and got the Mille-Feuille Azuki. I'm not that fond of azuki beans and was avoiding this, but it's the only new fresh cake there right now and I figured that I could trust them. I was right to, as there was none of the usual azuki bitterness or aftertaste, though it's hard to say how much of the real flavor was left behind the sugar. As assume so, since there was a flavor there, but anyway it was excellent, so I'm happy, and I had a short run, which met with my plan to have a long run on Friday.

Bien-être, Mille-Feuille au Poire

I ran to Bien-être, where I had pre-ordered and prepaid for a Mille-Feuille au Poire (or whatever they were calling it; no card out and they just wrote down mille-feuille on the order, since they only have one type at a time). I took a long way to get there and practiced some of the mega-loop that includes the shop and that I want to practice on Saturday.

The cake is a tough call, but I'm going with excellent, same as all their other mille-feuille. The pear didn't impress me much, so this is maybe my least favorite of theirs, but I still enjoyed the cake plenty and on reflection maybe the pear was doing its job, just it is subtle with the custard. Still need two more new cakes to catch them up as a superb shop.

Bien-être: Mille-feuille au Marron

Monday, I tried to practice the Kita-Aoyama--Jinguumae--Shibuya Loop. On the way, I planned to stop by the new Sendagaya Number Sugar but it was closed. So was Sun&Witch, but Bakery Cafe 426 Omotesando was back to being a cafe, so I got what was called a Vanilla Croissant. This was the least pastry-like croissant I've ever had. It was definitely bread, complete with a thick crust. It had some layering, but the thickest I've seen in a croissant. Inside was some vanilla custard. They definitely had real pastries there and the Vanilla Croissant was definitely good, so I'll probably buy there again soon. They have cake in glass containers; it's not verrine being called cake, but normal looking fancy cake put inside squarish glasses large enough that the cake does not touch the side or stick up over the top. The cake is for eat-in only.

While I'm talking about bread, let me mention that when I was riding Sunday through Uehara, I ran into bakery being run out what would have been a garage maybe on a short street between two other short streets, where everything else was residential. I bought a Noix Raisin, and it was excellent bread.

Noix Raisin

Back to the run, I wasn't confident through the west end but managed it without checking my map. Coming back up the east side, I had to turn back and try again after Jarat (I remembered how many streets to count, just I missed one the first time) and couldn't remember what to do after Rituel, so I had to resort to the map. I'd like to try again on Friday. I should really keep at it until the loop part at least is a familiar neighborhood. Also, I found another bakery cafe in Google Maps, so I'll be altering the southwest end anyway.  I should really confirm the location in person, but it doesn't radically alter the course, so I can do that when I try it the first time.

Tuesday, I had a table and Mille-feuille au Marron reserved at Bien-être. I had enough to take a long way that took me down some roads I've never been on, so maybe I'll recognize them if I get lost running a neighborhood course. Chestnuts suit custard mille-feuille well, as it turns out, not that I was worried, given the source. Like all their other mille-feuille, this was excellent and different enough not to be boring.

Bien-être, Figue Mille-feuille

Yesterday, did my first Bien-être run since they reopened, as I confirmed. They had three great cakes and one excellent cake but no new cakes, so I ran to Shibuya Hiharie ShinQ and got a sweet quiche fromToshi Yoroizuka, but I should have been more careful, as it needed to remain flat, whereas I was given it a paper sack, and I didn't worry about it. It was still good, but I don't want to judge it based on that experience. About an 80-minute run.

Today, trying Bien-être again, I ran slower and shouldn't have, as they were more busy, and though they had more and different cakes left today, the short cake sold out in front of me and I had to settle for Figue Mille-feuille. This time, I was more careful about my cake (and my feet), and walked home. This is my fourth type of mille-feuille, but I'm going to stick with excellent for now, as I still like the balance of lots of dense pastry and maybe equal parts fruit and custard. I may have to result in reserving a piece or going near opening time (which is what I do for cake-offs, when I need a specific cake) to get a new cake. I'll see how next Wednesday goes, which is probably when I'll get back there next. I still have three cake back-ups and two pastry back-ups, so I can be patient for a while.