Sadaharu Aoki, Tarte Caramel Framboise Pistache

I couldn't, or didn't resist getting more cakes during the week despite already being one ahead, though I did hold off until Wednesday. I'll catch up in a couple weeks, by which time I've finally start on the just fine shops, which have interesting points but will be something of a slog. Anyway, Sadaharu Aoki is a quite superb shop with not so many new cakes, so I got this one when it was available, still looking for a great tart from them. This is at the other end of their range, but still definitely good: Tarte Caramel Framboise Pistache. Under the pistachio cover is a fairly thick layer of fruit (and caramel, I think, which balances out the fruit well) sauce. 

Demel, Arriba

Tuesday, I again took advantage of Isetan being open until 8pm and my not working past that (not true every day this week) and visited Demel for a 4th cake. I got the Arriba, the other option having been a strudle, I think. Since Demel's signature cake is a Sachertorte, it's not surprise that Arriba is a very dense chocolate cake. It was good, with good chocolate, but I guess I don't need a whole piece of this dense of cake, not without some whipped cream or fruit sauce to bring in some variation, but it's unfair to imagine what I might like better, when it did a fine job to being as intended, I'm sure.

Shiseido Parlour, Mont-Blanc

The emergency declaration for the Tokyo region as been rescinded, so Isetan is now open until 8 pm. Searching for a new great cake within this month but still working through the quite fine shops, I hit the Shiseido at Isetan. The 8 pm closing time was new, so it was pretty empty just after 7 pm and already discounts from the non-dessert areas had started. I had two shops to choose from to visit and I went with Shiseido. Actually, I may not have had a choice. At Shiseido, I definitely didn't have a choice because they only had their Mont-Blanc. As it happens, that was pretty lucky, because this was definitely lucky. The special feature of this is that the cream inside (I think) has white chocolate. The result is a mont-blanc that tastes like (not wet) ice cream to me, and not much like chestnut, which actually I'm fine with. There were actually also exercises. Besides walking, I did squats, presses, and curls. The squats were only 5 per set, but I did too many sets, I found out afterward, so I was limited the next couple days. Now I have an incentive to building up those muscles. 

Cake-off: Viron's Menton over Jean-Paul Hévin's Maya

For the weekend, I started off
going to Isetan to get cake for a Cake-off at Isetan. It's the weekend of White Day, so even getting there at opening, there was a long line at Jean-Paul Hévin. Fortunately, they closed the bar and were using the space for people who didn't need to individually select chocolates, so I got my cake. For the cake-off, I needed Maya. I figured I had time, so I walked it home before setting out for Viron to get their new Menton, which involved a little waiting but was no problem. It's a rainy day, so no attempts at running were involved.

Both these new cakes stood up to evaluation. As much as I like chocolate, its a crowded field, which might be why I'm giving the Menton the win. It's lemon, but there seems to be a lot else going on, even if I'm not sure what, and a satisfying mix of textures.

Pierre Hermé, Tarte Infiniment Chocolat

I'm coming back to pick up a cake I skipped reporting, accidently, from before last weekend. From their cake-off win, I owed Pierre Hermé a cake, which I picked up from the Isetan Shinjuku counter. I really like the Tarte Infiniment Chocolat au Lait, so I thought I'd try the Tarte Infiniment Chocolat, though I think I misread the card, as I thought it had some pralin going on, but no, just chocolate. Still, it was up to their Tarte Inifiniment standard, and the chocolate was excellent, so I can't complain. 

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.

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.

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.  

Ladurée, Religieuse Pistache

Two days behind blogging, Tuesday I was particular lazy about running, doing only about 15 min. There was a lot of walking before that, as it took extra distance going home to get cake, and of course I did indoor workout components. I'm also working various stretches at night, as I was getting some hip pain.

The cake was, working through the exceptional shops, a new cake from Ladurée. There most exceptional aspect is their prices, which are high. I went with cheapest, though it also was perhaps the most promising. I got the last Religieuse Pistache. Although the Saint-Honoré Pistache hadn't impressed me, I had rated the Religieuse Fraise as excellent. This is large and small choux pastry balls filled with pistachio custard and covered in thick pistachio icing. It's not subtle, but I like pistachio, and sugar, so for me this was excellent.

 

Jouvaud, Douceur aux Mûres

Working my way through the potentially fine shops (I need to cut more than half), since Jouvaud visited Isetan, on Wednesday I went to get a second cake from them. The name was definitely Douceur aux Mûres, and that's a blackberry on top, but it's seasonal, so nothing on their homepage. I plan to get back there Saturday morning, so I'll get what else is in it. I suspect fig and chocolate, but I'm not sure. Certainly, it has an odd taste and I wasn't happy with the uniformly soft texture, but I did feel they were trying to do something, so I've giving them the benefit of the doubt. Still, two good cakes isn't going to make the cut, so I can't expect to ever get cake from them again. [Update] As I suspected from info on another berry cake, the other mousse besides blackberry is earl grey tea, which isn't that unusual.

In other news, Tuesday I actually tried to get new cake from the list of neighborhood shops. I was told the Stadium Café was open later when there is an event, but they weren't open Tuesday, when there should have been an event. I'll try again Friday, maybe. Instead, I tried the Glorious Chain Café. Their cake of the day was actually apple pie, so they aren't going to be a cake place for me. Still, I decided to try it. They heated it up without warning me (which took more than 5 minutes) and it was ok but sort of looked like a perfectly manufactured pie, which is what it was. Came with ice cream, which was good as ice cream. So I wasn't so satisfied except about checking them off the list of local places that need visiting.

   
 

Sadaharu Aoki, Chocolat Pistache

Like my Tuesday plan, my Wednesday plan veered off course, with good results. The Tokyo Palace Hotel was visiting Isetan, and I wanted to get a second cake from them. The cheapest options were a tiny grape shortcake for 800 yen and a similarly priced chestnut whipped cream (not cake, apparently, just a mount of whipped cream). I'm not that into fruit-center stuff, so I wasn't too excited and decided I could wait until next week. Getting ahead (because I'm late writing), I swung by their deli and sweets shop the next day and found that they had those two cakes, at lower prices, as well as the broader section that I was hoping for. Since the Isetan counter just mentions the hotel, I'll assume they are selling things from the café menu, at their eat-in prices. Also, the Isetan counter had a least one higher-end grape tart that I didn't see in the shop, which fits that explanation.

But I was in Isetan and it was a new month, so while JPH doesn't have anything new (until the week before Christmas, as usual), Sadaharu Aoki does and I'm always behind on them. As it turned out, it was the same kind of cake as the previous day: Chocolat Pistache. In this case, the cake was about double the size, but less intense. Still, it was excellent, so I was satisfied again.

Juchheim Die Meister, Schokosahne

This one will be quick. I used my second coupon for the Odakyu food area to follow up on a second cake from a potentially fine shop. This time was Juchheim Die Meister, which is also found in Isetan, where I had gotten the first cake some time ago. There might not have been another choice, and certainly there wasn't more than one on a Friday evening, but I was happy to get Schokosahne, which is their chocolate cake. It's layers of milk and dark (I assume) chocolate cream between sponge layers. Not exciting, but the chocolate taste was not bad. The problem was almond slivers. Otherwise totally soft cake with little hard spikes (hiding somewhere)? Sorry, that doesn't work for me, but I'll give it an "OK". I'll actively avoid this chain in the future and be suspicious of the Juchheim family of brands.

  

Presqu'île Chocolaterie, Mont-blanc

Having brought Presqu'île Chocolaterie, a quite fine shop, up to the target 4th cake level, I went back the next day to get one cake ahead with them on the grounds that it could be years before they come back to Isetan (whereas normally they are inconveniently far from central Tokyo). I went with the only cake of theirs that has no chocolate at all, the Mont-Blanc. The unique feature for me was the base, which has pastry more like what I only see with quiche: salted filo crust. Inside the base is almond cream. It's definitely excellent even among the crowded category of mont-blanc.

Presqu'île Chocolaterie, Ruby

I took advantage of Presqu'île Chocolaterie being at Isetan to pick up a 4th cake from them, which is my goal for the 48 shops in my quite fine category. Ruby chocolate is still rare, and it can be great, so I went with their Ruby, though it's closest relative is probably Mure, which was my least favorite of theirs at the time. Nevertheless, it turned out well, as this was excellent, which means it will make the next cut (32 shops is the target number for this category, but just 3 cakes wasn't enough to make that fine a division). Besides being ruby chocolate with the traditional raspberry addition, the center is lychee liquor marinated grapefruit in lychee cream. It works. These days, I'm working late and doing more indoor exercises, though I still got in some running (not that I can remember now whether it was a 30-min or 45-min day).

  

Michalak, Cheese Cake Orange

Monday to Wednesday, I managed at least short runs along with indoor workouts. Monday, was too late to visit I think, and Tuesday they were sold-out, but Wednesday, I managed to get Cheese Cake Orange from Michalak as an exceptional shop. It was probably a fairly high sugar one (American-style?), and suited me fine. Hadn't known orange, which is a bit tricky for cake, worked for cheesecake, but it does.

Repos, Fromage Vanille & Fraisier (Muscat)

Got cake for two on Saturday from Repos (a.k.a. P. Ease), a fine shop that had given me one excellent cake from their new counter at Isetan. This time, I chose the cheesecake, Fromage Vanille, and a Fraisier, though with Muscat grapes substituted for traditional strawberries (also cheese based, but mascarpone is tasteless, so it doesn't really count; it's just a medium). 

While more soufflé-like than my preferred cheesecake, it was still definitely good. 

The interesting thing about the Fraisier, besides the contradictory name, is that it comes with olive oil that you pour over it (though I guess that's a standard thing with them for this type of cake, Muscat or not). It also was good, and interesting, but I was less convinced. This will remain a fine shop in my list.

Le Salon Jacques Borie, Pistache

Was busy on the weekend, but catching up, midweek I had one cake, La Pistache from the (Le Salon) Jacques Borie at Isetan. Actually, I was looking for something else at Isetan, since I haven't finished bringing up the exceptional shops to 8 net cakes, but I didn't mind getting back to this quite fine shop that I had three excellent cakes in a row. 

This was definitely a good cake. It's got a great sablé and the whipped cream, but the latter tends to drown the pistachio flavor (perhaps the pistachio part is pistachio cream rather than a stronger paste). Nice cake from someone who likes something on the light side, though I assume this shop will safely stay in the quite fine category, even though I'm hoping to cut 1/3 in this pass.

Pierre Hermé, Tarte Infiniment Praliné Noisette

It's been years maybe, but it's finally Pierre Hermé's turn to get a new cake not related to a cake-off win (though it has earned a good number of those so far), as I've already had a new cake from FC and no where at the same or higher level either has a new cake or has had few enough for me to be looking for one. The timing is good, too, because the Tarte Infiniment Praliné Noisette is in the form of their best tarts (the vanilla one is a standard) and also promising in terms of the ingredients, at least for me. It lived up to expectations and was great. Since I've promoted two JPH cakes in the line-up to great, the plan for Thursday became an early cake-off, again sourced from Isetan.

 

Ease/Repos, Nut, Dried Fruit, and Caramel Tart

Not that I was in a hurry, just I wanted to know how it was before this weekend Repos, so I sent to Isetan a lunch time and got a cake from the new counter, Repos (by P. Ease). It's pretty pricy and away from my usual tastes, so I momentarily gave up but after looking at the visiting counter of the week (a fine shop) and not finding information about when Repos might leave (though they replaced a shop that was there maybe 6 months?), I reconsidered and got the  Nut, Dried Fruit, and Caramel Tart, which was relatively reasonable (nothing exotic or seasonal in it) and looked promising. As the name states, it's a tart, specifically an almond cream tart, on top of which is a crème mousseline of custard, butter cream, and pistachio paste with bittersweet caramel. The topping is nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and cashews) and dried fruit (raisons and cranberries). Definitely hots of things I like in a substantial tart, so no surprise that I thought it definitely excellent. The name they put on top of the each is Ease. I assume they want to differential the location names because the offerings are different, but they have a pretty big space, offering various bake goods besides the fresh cakes. I should definitely get back there for a second cake earlier rather than latter when it comes time to go in for second cakes from shops that had at least good cakes.