Bien-être, Chocolate Roll

Last Saturday afternoon,
I went out by bicycle (since I can't run so much) checking a few places. For example, at Tokyo Midtown, I checked whether I could get a new Ryoura cake, but they only had one from that shop at the Dean & Deluca. I've seen more other times, so maybe I shouldn't give up, but I don't need to be in a hurry now as I am going through the many lower rated (but still good) shops seeing who to keep and who to cut, which is likely to take a lot of months. Last stop was Bien-être, which was due another visit by virtue of several successful visits to Viron as far as getting new cakes, which were mostly excellent but not great, so not enough to separate the two shops. Unfortunately, Bien-être almost never has new cakes. Saturday, they had two, both roll cakes, lemon and chocolate. I got the chocolate. It qualifies as good but doesn't belong in quite exceptional shop (though a shop in my top three regularly has roll cake, so can't hold that against other shops too much). I'm glad I didn't get greedy and get the lemon too. On the positive side, it was cheap, but I'd still say the local minimarket is the best place to satisfy a desire for roll cake. And still they have a slight edge over L'Abricotier, but only because I'm willing to ignore the one verrine. 

Frédéric Cassel, Roulé Pêche

As I mentioned in the previous post, I got a Frédéric Cassel, Roulé Pêche on Sunday, as my third cake. This is a peach role cake with cream and mascarpone cheese (a common ingredient at FC). The description doesn't indicate anything about the biscuit part, but it seems less spongy that roll cake usually is, so I suspect some almond powder. It it may just because it includes a crust, whereas usually they cut that off. Anyway, I think it's an improvement and the peach goes well and is a nice variation, so I can say this was excellent, which might be a first time for saying that about a roll cake.

On the running front, I think that was the day I tried the full cake shop neighbor route I've constructed, which extends from southwest Yotsuya Sta., past Sendagaya Sta. and around the park to southeast Shinjuku/Shinjuku San-choume Sta. It's about 12 km and covers 16 neighborhoods (though there are fewer than 16 cake shop sites and it doesn't actually enter every neighborhood, unlike the Top site course). Friday night covered a longer course, 16 km 20 neighborhoods. More recently, I'm working on a major park (namely, the ones with toilets) neighbor course, though I'm working late and haven't even done the part I know.

Frédéric Cassel, Roulé Fraise Vanille

Frédéric Cassel: Roulé Fraise Vanille

Sunday, I had just enough time in the afternoon to run to Ginza Mitsukoshi and get some cake for two. Since I'm "behind" on Frédéric Cassel, I got two cakes from them. Actually, my plan had been to get two croissant from them, but they sold out by the third hour, so I'll have to try again next weekend. One cake I knew about, Roulé Fraise Vanille, so I'll start with that. Obviously, a strawberry roll cake with vanilla. It's a fairly fine cake, versus very spongy. In this case, that probably was good, since it's a high-end cake, though for simple roll cakes, I prefer the spongier. It was definitely good, but didn't convert me to a roll cake fan. Of course, that's only based on the second half of the cake.

Konditerei Kobe, White Cheese Roll

For completeness, I'll mention that Friday of last week (and Saturday), I had slices of Koditerei Kobe's White Cheese Roll, which I suspect was bought at Kobe Airport. It was good, but very white(bread).

Frédéric Cassel: Rouleau Marron

Thursday, I was back in Ginza for a cake from Frédéric Cassel. I don't have much respect for roll cake, but I got the Rouleau Marron as the only new cake. The French term for roll cake is roulé, whereas I think rouleau is like a sushi roll. In Japanese, ロール is English "roll", whereas this uses the reverse ルーロ, so it might be a Japanese pun. Lots of chestnut paste (outside) and yogurt cream with with some chestnut pieces (inside). There's a little bit of chocolate on top, and even a little of that mixed in made for excellent cake, but overall I have to say it was just definitely good. I'm still not convinced that roll cake is a good idea, but this was interesting.

Toshi Yoroizuka, Rouler

Resting up somewhat, I just ran to Tokyo Midtown and back Thursday. I noticed that D&D has cake from a shop I haven't sample yet (couldn't remember the shop name correctly later when I tried to look it up), but it has to get in line after other local shops that I haven't sample yet (Lotus, you are my #1 back-up, since you're open the latest as well as being on the closest loop that I haven't finished sampling from). Today's goal was to get a new cake from the shop providing the last cake-off winner, Toshi Yoroizuka. Not a great selection at night, of course. There were a couple cheesecakes that I haven't had, but I just had cheesecake on Monday and I think my previous new cake from Toshi Yoroizuka was a cheesecake (they still had it, as well as a variation with a little whipped cream and a strawberry). So, for the first time, I got roll cake from them. I'm going to call it Rouler, but between the ambiguity of Japanese pronunciation and French spelling, I'm not sure. Maybe Roule. Anyway, it's strawberry roll cake. This was much better than I expected from the type, though not from Toshi Yoroizuka. The cake was not too dry, having absorbed a good amount for strawberry juice, I think, but not mushy, the strawberries were good, and the amount of whipped cream was restrained even that it was not dominant and I could enjoy the other parts. It was sort of like eating café strawberry and whipped cream pan cakes. Still not my thing, but definitely good, to the point that I'm tempted to call it semi-excellent, but I'll still to the base rating system.

I'm not disappointed, though I still keep hoping for another great cake. I might need to do a run to FC, even if it isn't a priority. Friday, I rest (or rather, buy a new pair of running socks, since they don't last very long).

Ogawaken: Marron Soufflé

Masuda-sei Pan

Friday, I went for a one-way neighborhood course run for some new loops, including ones that I needed to take more photos for. On the way, I finally found Masuda-sei Pan ("Masuda-made Bread") open, so I went in a bought a little French Toast. It is on the eggy side rather than the sweet side, which I'm fine with, and the bread was French breach like, though not hard (though if it is really old bread, then it should not be). It was good. Glad I could have a visit. In Harujuku, I visited Anywhere Door, which has "shots" in wafer-style flat-bottomed ice cream cones. They describe it was tiramisu, though they are different flavors. I decided that I wasn't interested, so I don't need to adjust my map to swing by their alley. I'm looking for solid food.

I had a little trouble with doing the Kita-Aoyama--Jinguumae--Shibuya loop clockwise. Even though I new I had to turn at the Ao Building, but I couldn't remember whether it was before or after before I had already overshot. I went back and ran it correctly, but I need to practice. I expect I'll need to come the same way again soon, so I don't have to make a special trip.

The main target was side loops from the Daikanyama-chou--Dougenzaka--Ebisunishi--Hachiyama-chou--Nanpeidai-chou--Sakuragaoka-chou--Sarugaku-chou--Shibuya--Uguisudani-chou loop. First is what I'm calling the Shibuya south loop, which is just temporary until they finish new pedestrian bridge south of Shibuya Station. The loop goes by the shrines and temples around the site of the former Shibuya Castle.

In another first of finding a shop open when I wanted something (though it was a little early after the French Toast, and I did have a proper lunch first), I stopped by Ogawaken "Western Confectioner" Daikanyama, which is next to their restaurant (versus their salon in Meguro), which seems to be most famous for raison sandwich cookies. Anyway, I tried their oddly named Marron Soufflé, which is a roll cake with chestnut bits inside. It was good and convenient finger food, so my respect for roll cake has increased somewhat as a result. I ate it in a park on the new Ebisuminami--Nakameguro north loop. I tried to do the Ebisunishi loop along the way, but I've had to revise it since then, so I'll need to redo it.

After that, I did the Aobadai--Kamimeguro loop, taking pictures in the fading light (at ~4 pm). Still not certain about the Happy Pudding Factory, but I suppose if I return the jar there, it could be okay.

On the way back, I discovered a basement cafe/bakery/patisserie near Café Le Cordon Bleu, which I was going to for a pastry. The new shop is Maison Ichi Daikanyama and I should have about there. I had previously had two excellent pastries from Café Le Cordon Bleu, so wanted to take advantage of being there when they were open. I got a Croissant Chocolat Amonde. It was good and I'm used to these being sugar and butter bombs and soft, but it was too much for be at the time, more on the sweet side than oily. Still, it's fair to say that it was good, just not the best I've had.

Sadaharu Aoki: Roule Chocolat

It was time to bring my superb cake shops up to 19 fresh cakes (not counting ones from cake-off wins), which meant a visit to Sadaharu Aoki (since the only other one not already at that level is Paris S'éveille, which I should probably do on the weekend to have a reliable selection). Unfortunately, I missed the cherry éclair (I assumed the season is finished, since the sakura certainly are done blooming); what they did have was (and I'm not sure of the spelling French spelling except from back translating) Roule Chocolat. I didn't have high expectations for any roll cake, which is just one level of sophistication above sheet cake, but not in a direction that improves the taste (I'd rather most frosting than a lot of whipped cream filling).

For running, as planned, I went down to Shibuya station to practice the loop that starts there. It's a mess there from construction, which has moved to the pedestrian bridges, were are complex anyway, so all my distances for my kilometer markers are probably off down there. I didn't even try to remember the ones that I've marked so far, I just focused on the new course and verifying that it was viable. It was, though I'm not thrilled about all parts of it and it's going to require some more practice, even without memorizing the kilometer markers, so It's going to be a while, and the bridges around Shibuya Station might have changed by then. In related news, one of the more eastern bridges over Aoyama Doori have been repaid for the first time since I opened the course, so I can bypass Harujuku next time I want to get do parts more east.

Unfortunately, Sadaharu Aoki's roll cake did not convince me that this form of cake is a more excuse for call. The problem is it's soft sponge combined with flavored whipped cream (both chocolate in this case), just too much soft boring parts for me. I'm not sure what sponge cakes is good for, but whipped cream at least is good on something with a firmer texture. Still, good for what it is.