Origines Cacao: Printemps

Under my reorganized rating system, Origines Cacao is the top of the quite excellent shops, which now are above the superb shops, though based on fewer cakes (it the advantage of having had several great cakes that never got a chance to disappoint me since they haven't been available again), so I'm not included to immediately move any shops, just I wouldn't otherwise have been ready to get another cake from this shop. Tuesday, they had three cakes I haven't had before (and it seemed to be the full line-up). I chose the newest seasonal cake, since it appealed most, Printemps. It didn't travel well by bicycle, but it mostly survived. Like Sunday's cake, it was a mixture of different textures encircled by a shell that had to be cut. Sometime I'm going to try heating the knife to see how that works out (I also want to cut up the macaron, which was really nice separately, and mix it in). This is red fruit and pistachio, though not overpowering in either among cream and firmer parts inside (I didn't read that far down on the description), so it lives up well to the name "spring", as in the first appearance of a freshness. I'm going to say that it's good enough to be called great, though that needs testing, which now I plan to do this weekend (though I still need to verify that Hilltop allows take-out, which I failed to ask when I was just there yesterday.

Qu'il Fait Bon, Lectier Pear and Cheese Soufflé Tart and Red Fruit and Chocolate Mousse Tart

Friday, I was busy. Saturday, went to a neighborhood (running course) café for cake sets for two at Qu'il Fait Bon as a first visit. This down near Omotesandou Station, in Minamiaoyama. I've seen some long lines there, so I had wanted arrive at first opening, but there were other things do, so I wasn't even close. However, no problem; not sure why. It was a little strange, because the café section is small and on one side and then there's a big glass case in the middle with their tarts and then they are doing sales of those on the other end. No one was on the café telling being who want to enter what to do, but we just had to sit down in an open seat.

We got two tarts (and drinks): Lectier Pear and Cheese Soufflé Tart and
Red Fruit and Chocolate Mousse Tart. I didn't choose but I was consulted. The pear tart was a custard tart (the cheese was fine, but acted as a sort of base) and the pear was quite nice; I didn't really have an idea what lectier pear tasted like, and maybe I still don't know what's distinct about it, but it was good and went well with the custart, and the crust seemed nice too. We agreed that the Red Fruit and Chocolate Mousse Tart was not as good. Chocolate mousse is that that simple to combine with other things; this tart would have been better without in (though I suppose that would depend on what they replaced it with). One definitely good cake/tart and one so-so kind of good tart means that I'll likely never get back there. It was also agree that homemade fondant were better, though I still need to get back to developing those. Instead, I did a cake-off and lots of running, but I don't have today to write about that.

In the evening of Saturday, I did a neighbor run and was successful in all four loops: Samonchou loop clockwise (I expanded it, so I had to do it again), Sagachou loop counterclockwise, Minami-Motomachi--Wakaba--Yotsuya--Sugachou--Shinanomachi loop clockwise, (trivially) the Shinanomachi loop counterclockwise. I'll need to do the first and third again counterclockwise before moving on on the review.

Libertable: Grace

Went back to Libertable to share the previous cheesecake and try another new cake, Grace. It was hot and in the middle of a day that I had other things to do, so I went by bicycle, though it was still a pretty sweaty business. Grace was chosen among things I haven't had because it's been in the line-up for a long time, so I figured it was a about time. This is mainly a red fruit mousse cake, which means fruity and gelatinous, so a tough sell with me. I those terms, this did not really rise above the standard, though definitely of high quality. This claims heavy (? not sure how to interpretty koku = コク in this case) cream, but the distinctive taste is the basil: actually I wouldn't be surprised if there are other spices. It was definitely good, and interesting, which their cakes usually are. The last three cakes have been excellent on average, so the shop category excellent is probably appropriate, so my focus will turn to better than excellent shops, though I've had one great cake that I'll have to get back to for cake-off, so it might not be that long before I revisit them.

Paris S'éveille: Tarte Fruits Rouge

I realized a little while back that I was actually one short of my target number of fresh cakes for Paris S'éveille and finally got around to going there. Using the route I choose, it is around 11 1/3 km and 80 m of climbing and descending each way. Going out, I was on the high side of 10 km/h, which is not the fastest I've gone, but pretty good for lately. Unfortunately, I'll still getting there pretty late, so I did not find any new cakes. Of the familiar cakes that I haven't tried yet, I choose the Tarte Fruits Rouge (I think the card said), which did not excite me much, but I figured would be better for me than the Opera or the coffee tonka bean tart, since coffee makes me ill. There is also a revamped version of the Everest, so I should probably review my review of that and see whether I can tell how different the new one is; maybe it's worth trying.

Going back was a similar distance, of course, and I was less in a hurry, so only 9 km/h. It rained a little, but I was prepared to double bag the cake box and had a jacket with a hood if I had needed it.

The tart was actually an excellent tart and reminded me that I don't mind an excellent tart now and then. Sorry, I forgot to set the camera for "flowers" so that it can deal with cake close-ups. Still another week and a half before I get the new phone with the good camera, when I'll have to learn all over again about the settings. Should be a little better than these, though.


I should say that Tuesday I ran without cake, and without even a pastry. I might use that as an excuse to get another cookie from JPH some time (I owe them for a cake-off win). I was doing my culture and cake shop local neighbor runs and managed the first two okay (583 m at 10 km/h and 2.72 km at 9 km/h, with two passes over the pedestrian bridge) but still have not completed the third one (I assume that I ran about 9 km/h, so it would have been another 3.7 km, but I'm not going to waste my time measuring the length directly, even though I know exactly where I went) without making wrong turns (granted, I keep adjusting the route, but I can only blame one mis-turn on that this time). Maybe tomorrow I'll finally make it through to the end, though it will be in the rain. I should also say that I went out in the morning and took some photos of some of the points of interest on the route, so eventually when I get organized and caught up on other postings I'm explicitly post the map with the photos and some comments.

Sadaharu Aoki: Marron Fruits Rouges (updated)

Hotter even today than yesterday, so another short run, just down to Tokyo Midtown and back (6 or 7 km) and with a shopping stop (despite carrying cake). Actually, I was after the green tea mille-feuille, which is exclusive to Midtown. I saw it there the previous time and the website shows it, but it was not there (though I didn't ask, and setting out on a Friday would not be surprising), but instead they had three new cakes. Isetan may have the same, but at that point I didn't want to circle back, which is several kilometers, so I bought the Marron Fruits Rouges at Midtown. I'll check Isetan tomorrow to see what they have, because they also had Cassisier (according to the card there), which is on my list of greats that I've been looking for, so final success on finding an old cake.

The Marron Fruits Rouges seems to be from their cheesecake line, with a thick layer of chestnut paste on top, whipped cream (not cheesecake; I should have let this thaw out more, perhaps, though it was having a hard enough time supporting the thick chestnut cream as it was) in the middle, and then red fruit, hazelnut biscuit, and Pâte sucrée (I read the card this time). This was definitely an excellent harmony of fruit, chestnut, and cheesecake good cake for both cheesecake and chestnut, so I'm saying it's great and hope that it will be around again when it comes time to do a cake-off with in.

Friday: La Vieille France (at Isetan)

I did not choose the shop or cake, nor was I even there, which is why one of my "unworthy" shops is appearing here, La Vieille France. Not that I'm shocked: the cake that was so bad from them had such a specific taste that I assumed it was intended and anyway I trust that most shops could make excellent cake, if that was their market (there must be a market for not excellent cake, because there is so much of it).

The first cake I sampled was a chocolate cake, selected for me. I don't know the name, but it looks like a Valentine's Day variation of the Forêt Noire on their website, which does not have little heart. Also, I was told that the red fruit was strawberry, versus cherries, which is true as far as I could taste and would win me over to choosing Forêt Noire for myself. There is cream on top with chocolate pieces, layers of soft sponge cake, layers of chocolate cream, I think, and a little strawberry in there, as I already indicated. Most of these are things that I don't want much of in a cake, but they do work together and the strawberry (or whatever it is) definitely is the right touch to make this a definitely good piece of cake, versus just okay.

Next was the Savarin, which I've found going back is 481 yen. It's definitely good, but I'm not an expert on this type and it did not stand out among the good ones that I've had.

La Vieille France: Cube a la Vanille

The last cake was the Cube a la Vanille, which was excellent if you like vanilla, which I do. This is 540 yen (at least at Isetan).

Since these cakes were all good or better, I'm raising my rating of the shop to "Good" on the map. Not near to me, so no reason to give them further extra attention.