Pierre Hermé: Yu

Did another neighborhood run to learn the Southeast Sendagaya course. Made too early a turn after the station where I changed the map (or tried to; Google reverted it) and overshot going around Zuienji loop, the southeast one, and apparently ended up going around it twice, which surprized me at the time, since I though I reverse direction at one point and went around a corner, but quickly found that I hadn't, but at least it gave me another chance to make the correct turn turns. I also followed the course south of Shinjuku Gyoen over where I messed it up and confirmed that I could do it correctly (at least until the bypass get's finished and that area gets cut off). Total, I think I did about 9 km (including 3 pedestrian bridge crossings) at a low -9 km/h.

New month and new cakes at Pierre Hermé. Rather than following this month's theme, vanilla (which I've had the main one already), I chose Yu, which is yuzu-flavored apple compote inside praliné mousseline on top of hazelnut dacquoise surrounded by milk chocolate. It looks good and has good ingredients of no doubt high quality, but it is all overly mild for me. At the very least, dark chocolate would be an improvement, I think. Still good, but someone it seemed dry, maybe. I had it with Earl Grey tea, so maybe milk as a drink or a side of rich vanilla ice cream would make this better.

Cake-off: Pierre Hermé's Deux Mille Feuille over Sadaharu Aoki's Chocolat Pralin

For my run, I went a long way to Sadaharu Aoki's Marunouchi shop to satisfying myself that the cake I had thought they had did not exist (at least not this year: I think I was conflating cakes, though I was sure I had seen a Marunouchi exclusive on a green tea cake, so not the Bamboo, which you can get everywhere). I had already bought my cake at Isetan, so no problem. I might have to get a cream puff next time, but maybe something seasonal will come out in the mean time: July is almost here. The run was an easy 9 km/h over 11.1 km (69 m up and down each).

Today's delayed cake-off (prepared since last Thursday) was Pierre Hermé's "Deux Mille Feuille" versus Sadaharu Aoki's "Chocolat Pralin", two heavy hitters, both in terms of the shops and the cakes. These are both definitely great cake, but the total decadence of the Deux Mille Feuille wins out: praliné mousseline, praliné feuilletée, as well as the normal caramelized layered pastry. This is one of my favorite cakes, so don't think the Chocolat Pralin was not also wonderful. Tomorrow will be more running and less cake.