Aigre-Douce, Tarte au Citron

Back on Sunday, the last day I had cake, due to their cake-off the day before, I was back in line at Aigre-Douce. This time I ran about 1 km and walked the rest of the way, as well as walking back. As I've noted, I've had a lot of less than good from here,  so this time I went with a cake that was similar in type, though not in flavor, to the caramel tart that I so much. I got the Tarte au Citron. It was definitely good, relative light, as lemon tarts good, which is no criticism. It was a good choice, even if I still haven't found a new great cake from there.
 

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. 

Le Jardin Bleu, Tarte Chocolat Macadamia

Last Wednesday, for a third day in a row, I could get to a (now opening later) department store to get a cake from the current quite fine shop group. In this case, I wanted to get one of Le Jardin Bleu's cakes via Shinjuku Takashimaya, since the main shop is a long way away. Maybe because it is so far away (or because it was the end of the day, leaving only the least popular), I had only one choice, a fairly solid item that I imagine could be made far ahead. This is Tarte Chocolat Macadamia. The chocolate coating is fairly thick. The inside also has caramel, besides the macadamia nuts. So this is more like a candy bar than any typical cake, which is not a complaint. It was good, but that's probably not going to be enough to keep it in the quite fine group. 

Éclat des Jours, Tarte aux Fruits

While I was visiting Éclat des Jours for a cake for a cake-off, I also got a new cake for their previous cake-off win. My choice was between a tart and a glass dessert, so I went with the latter, even though it obviously wasn't a great back for me. Specifically, I got the Tarte aux Fruits. It's not the first time I've had this kind of tart. The good point is it features various kinds of small fruits, all high quality. The bad point is that's about all there is to it and I'm not sure a connoisseur of fruits. Still it was good. 

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. 

Café Mikuni's, Tarte Tatin

Finally caught up to last weekend, when I was busy, so not as much to say. However, it did involve cake for two, so in some ways there is more. First, at least in photographing, was a Tarte Tatin from Café  Mikuni's, which is on the list of quite fine shops and I only had three cakes from there, so a deliberate choice. We weren't very early getting there, so the selection wasn't very brought and the person ahead of us took the last two of what would have been our first choices, but I'm still looking for a Tart Tatin as good as the one I had at Viron's restaurant, which is probably an unreasonable comparison. This one was definitely good and had a crust with buckwheat, which is unusual but didn't make eating it that strange. Even though this shop probably won't make the cut to stay on this overfull list, it's still a fine shop attached to my favorite fancy French restaurant (Viron being my favorite, but casual). 

Blondir, Chiboust Framboises

Thursday last week, I took the morning off and did some errands, but only after bicycling for cake to Blondir for a fourth cake from this shop on the quite fine list. I've never actually been out there before, at least not since starting to keep track. Other cakes were presumably from a Shinjuku department store. This is actually my first time to use a Nerima-ku tag, so it's been a long time since I've been out that way. The route was complicated trying to follow the Google Maps recommendation, since it's going diagonal relative to the usual roads. Though on an unexpectedly narrow road, it's a really nice looking shop inside and out, had a good spread, and is probably the first place I've been served by an older man (I don't think he was the pâtissier, who's supposed to be only late forties). I went with the Chiboust Framboises, still looking for a great chiboust like I had several years ago when they were more of a thing apparently. This was basically, a raspberry tart with a "chiboust" layer on top. The tart was definitely good, but the eggy topping really doesn't add anything, unfortunately. Looks like Blondir won't make the next cut, but still a fine shop.

Viron, Tarte au Chocolat Framboise

Saturday, between appointments and walking back from getting a cake from an excellent shop, I took the path by Viron. Actually, I was looking for scones, though the French-style bakeries don't usually have them, so I wasn't surprised that Viron didn't, however, I'm still several cakes short from them, so when I found they had something new, I got it: Tarte au Chocolat Framboise (which might have lost a particle in transliteration). It was definitely good, but the limitations on chocolate tarts as cakes I mentioned recently extend to ones that include fruit flavoring. Still, a high quality product for those looking for a chocolate tart, so my respect for Viron as superb shop remains, though it's getting close to it's challengers at the top of the quite exceptional group.
 

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). 

Paris S'éveille, Tarte Vert Griotte

When I went last to Paris S'éveille, which was really long run for me in my current condition, though I'm working on that daily, they had a new cake. I almost didn't notice, but it shared features with their previous new cake, but that one was excellent, so that aspect is no problems. Fortunately, I noticed before paying and they let me add to my order (versus needing to go back outside to get in line again). It was Tarte Vert Giotte, whereas the previous tart had mango as the fruit, but both were green tea, which doesn't obviously go with either. It's not just cherries, but big dark, American-type cherries, like in a pie. My opinion of these is theoretically low, but the actuality was definitely excellent because rather than despite them, so I won't avoid them. I don't absolutely have to have this cake again, but I hope they keep whoever is designing these seasonal cakes, as I really appreciate them. This shop has the best standard line-up of any in Tokyo, but unlike JPH, which tends to make minor variations of established cakes, PS goes a completely different direction with the new cakes, so there isn't correlation. 

I'm about 5 cakes behind on them and it's a new cake-off season, so they'll probably rack up more wins and I'll get further behind even if I'm busy working on the exceptional, quite fine, and fine shops.

Éclat des Jours, Tarte Tatin

Thursday, I took the afternoon off and got back to Éclat des Jours to get a new cake to balance a cake-off win (I'm more behind on ABVT, but they open at 9am and would not likely have anything new by the time I could get there). Managed to get the last of the only cake new to me from there, Tarte Tatin. It was a long run there, as I went around the imperial grounds to the north so I could swing by the Palace Hotel. Going back, I didn't run, to protect my cake, but I did walk as far as Ginza Mitsukoshi, to check out the new cakes at FC, since they aren't posting about this month yet, before catching the train back, so it took more than 3 hours total. I'll confess that I also got high-calorie bread at Éclat des Jours, which I failed to stop myself from eating all of, so it probably wasn't a successful day as far as getting my weight back down. Anyway, the tatin was quite nice. I'm making some allowance for the simplicity and my appreciation of the shop, but it was definitely one of the better tatins that I've had and I enjoyed it, so it should be fair to say that it was excellent.

Pierre Gagnaire, Tarte de Poire et Ganache de Groseille

Thursday, which I took the afternoon off and took care of some chores, also involved a short run to Pierre Gagnaire to bring their cake level up to quite exceptional shop category goal of 16 (not counting to cake-off wins), which had to be Tarte de Poire et Ganache de Groseille. So apparently groseille means red currant, versus cassis (black currant). The cake was good, as well as being stylish, as a hotel cake should be. 

 

Pomology, Pomology Shine Muscat & Tarte Tatin

Sunday, got cake for two from Pomology, a fine shop, at Isetan. Obviously fruit is their thing, which is not my thing particularly, so I won't be returning there just for myself (especially at those prices), but didn't mind an excuse to give them another chance (can't immediately find the post on the first two cakes, which were also for two, so maybe I never posted, though it was this year). From the choices given, I went with Tarte Tatin, because tatin can be very nice sometimes. In this case, I thought it was excellent, finally raising this shop above average, though the fruits were always obviously above average.

The other cake selected was Pomology Shine Muscat. Though I'm all about the cake, not the fruit, these high-quality fancy grapes made this a definitely good cake.

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.

 

Atelier Kohta, Shortcake and Tarte Tatin

After verifying that Pierre Gagnaire wasn't going to give me a new cake Wednesday morning, I walked and ran with an umbrella down to Paris S'éveille Thursday morning (this time taking half-day off work), which hasn't changed it's new cakes, though the recent new cakes are excellent. I came back by train to Atelier Kohta, but I went to the wrong location and had another 1.5 km to walk, plus it isn't close to the station I wanted to come back, so maybe half that again, besides the final walk, so I had an active morning. 

I actually owed them for a cake-off, plus the whole category is about to get reviewed, so I got two cakes to be efficient. Actually, there wasn't much choice, though there was also a tiny tart that I suppose would count as a cake. When I got was the Shortcake and the Tarte Tatan. I've learned to appreciate shortcake, and I guess I was in the mood for whipped cream, as I decided that it deserved an excellent rating.

The Tarte Tatin had so much cinnamon on top, that I could really see how to eat it to balance that out without a lot of drink, but I don't want to rate it too low, because I accidently left it out on the counter for a few hours (and put it back for a couple hours before eating), so it obviously wasn't in peak condition. Still, I can't see how that would change my appreciation of the amount of cinnamon, so I'm going to rate it as good, which sort of balances out the first. This shop should remain in the quite fine category, I think.

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.

Viron, Tarte au Citron

As a weekday destination, Viron in Shibuya is pretty reliable about not running out of cake, though actually I went in the morning. This was the second-to-last of a long run of mornings off to use up my expiring paid holidays. In response to a disappointing lemon tart/pie over the weekend, it was natural to hit Viron for the Tarte au Citron. This seems so traditional for them that's surprising that I haven't had it before, though that's probably because tarts were low on my priority list. This has meringue on top, naturally, and is excellent, thankfully. 

Éclat des Jours, Tartelette Fraise

At the same time as getting a cake for a cake-off, following covid rules of minimizing shopping trips, I also topped up Éclat des Jours after their last cake-off win by getting Tartelette Fraise, despite some new tempting non-tart cakes, which I also hope to sample soon. This was the same base as the great blackberry tart, though the top is different, besides the strawberries. Though in general I'm not that into strawberries, I could really respect these ones. I could also respect the shop for using strawberries that were not perfectly red. Definitely excellent. Think I've had all their tarts now except some sort of mixed fruit one. I'll probably hold off on that one to get to new cakes in the lineup. 

Frédéric Cassel, Tarte Myrtille

Back on September 4, I visited Frédéric Cassel for a new cake. Two weeks the previous month they had special domestic blueberry cakes. Next, they had blueberries as the month's theme. This cake goes by simply Tarte Myrtille, and was excellent, as usual, and suitably different from the recent maybe more traditional limited domestic blueberry version. This is almond cream in the bottom and blueberry cream on tip, with crepe added for texture, I'll say.

Lenôtre, Tartelette orange

Due to EV's weak performance, Lenôtre got another chance to improve it's standing. Best bet seemed to be the Tartelette orange. Unfortunately, it's exactly what it looks like, a tart with a lot of raw orange on top. The base is hard with some custard. The ingredient if fine, but not a combination that's probably ever going to work for me. For course, I can say it's good, but so far their tarts have been their weakest items.