Sunday: Jean-Paul Hévin (Isetan chocolate bar)

Catching up on my reporting (so I can get something new, after  walking there), I went to the Jean-Paul Hévin chocolate bar at Isetan. We got one cake, the Bergam for 699 yen, and one "ice", Glace Pilée au Chocolat Rhubarbe Mangue for 1388 yen.

The cake Bergamot is orange-flavored chocolate mousse with a little orange Bavarian cream. There are also some ganache and crunchy bit biscuit toward the bottom. The orange just blends with the chocolate, I couldn't really taste it to identify it, though there is a fruitiness. This, finally, is a great cake. I can look forward to having it again.

Ice deserts like Glace Pilée au Chocolat Rhubarbe Mangue I don't get. I don't really even like chocolate ice cream any more, I find, though I would prefer that to "ice". It's chocolate favor with with mango and rhubarbe (though I didn't notice the latter). There is some gummy stuff in there too, which I don't know what it was. It was not really bad, but for me, only okay. Not something I would ever order myself.

Saturday: Palet d'Or

Finally went to the Palet d'Or chocolatier/café. Not sure of the names, since didn't have when I ordered, but close to Vogue for the chocolate pistachio and maybe Al Cioccolato for the chocolate cake with some nuts. Both definitely good and nice atmosphere café, but nothing exceptional to take me back, although the chocolates were also good (caramel, cognac, and praliné).

Thursday: Demel, Black Tea Torte

I'm behind writing from injury and having other things to do, but I'm past the immediate peaks of both, I think. Still typing one-handed, although some of the other hand's fingers could and may help out, although they're tired now (can't use chopsticks with my off hand for much).

Last week, leg still not right, though progressed more toward pins and needles than burning. Got cake from Demel, their Black Tea Torte, which seemed my best bet, among four choices. It's 540 yen and pretty substantial, so a good deal. Not sure that I could really identify the tea. I suppose there was chocolate in there too (besides the decoration), but too long ago to remember well; certainly not a major amount. It was definitely good, nice creamy torte, but was special, to make me look forward to having it again.

The same day, on the baking front, I managed macaron-like chocolate sandwich cookies (with chocolate ganache filling), that were actually delicious, but since it was the actual macaronage step where I failed, I won't call them maracons or show a picture (shells were both deformed, due to too thick batter, and cracked, although that might mean they needed more than the 1 hour of drying I gave them, though maybe they wouldn't have if they had been less fat). Since I've got them looking right but too dry previously, from overbaking, I can probably do better next time.

Need two more post to catch up, and then there is the email to answer.

Sunday & Monday: Isetan

Left leg still having a problem,  so did not go far. Actually seemed okay for walking until just now: not happy from sitting in front of TV, but seemed pretty okay going out for shopping today. I'll see whether I want to walk somewhere tomorrow. Hand is somewhat better, but I need to stop using it so much still.

Yesterday, got Blueberry from Shiseido Parlour for 561 yen. It is cheese/yogurt mousse cake. It's good, but not special.

Today I got Duja for 623 yen, which is chocolate and hazelnut, but I ate it without letting it cool back down enough in the refrigerator first. Hard season for cake lovers, so it was good, but not more than that. I'd like to try again under better conditions.

Same goes for an Henri le Roux Dauphinois (also hazelnut praline and chocolate) chocolate from yesterday, because I'm a slow learner, though there I made the mistake of not getting ice. 

Frédéric Cassel: Breteuil

Left hand a little better, but not ready to use typing. According to Wikipedia, 80% of tendinosis cases fully heal within 1 year, so looking forward to that.

In that vein, I may be rushing the left leg tendon: felt a little funny Thursday, when I did ~1.6 km @ 8 km/h (easier to write than 1 km time range I actually calculate). Did 6 km @ 8 km/h Friday night for cake (more below), and still seemed iffy but maybe okay for that speed (which is like a fastish walk). But trying more Saturday, I gave up at P. Shima (who failed to have the advertised bostock) and quickly gave up even trying to walk to my ultimate cake destination, instead just walking home. Wasn't really painful, but there was a signal there, so I'm going to listen to it. Maybe walk some distance tomorrow, but no running at any speed for now.

The cake from Frédéric Cassel Friday night was the Breteuil (presumably) for the usual 756 yen. It's a pistachio dome. Very creamy, reminding me of pistachio ice cream without being all cold and wet. Not actually my favorite flavor, but was quickly sure that it was excellent and ultimately decided that I was really impressed, in the sense that I'd love to know how to make it myself, so I'm calling this my fifth great cake from this shop. The pistachio layer is about 1 cm thick and isn't soft or gelatinous, so maybe the cream is pistachio butter; I just don't enough about cake. The bottom is a nutty biscuit, and there are nut pieces/cluster above that (but not an annoying anchor-nugget. Also, in the center is a brownish cream fillig, which was not strong enough to figure out, although a weak chocolate or caramel Bavarian cream would make sense.

If I get cake today, it will be from Isetan, but I've got my own baking plans to combine most of the parts for praline opera cake (the most complicated filling I'll leave out until next time).

Shima: Paris Framboise

Rushing thru congested sidewalks in Yotsuya, went too fast: 2.3 km out at 5'30''-6'10''/km pace, which counts as 3.45 km of my budgeted 12 km of 6'10-7'/km, and 2.2 km back just under 7'/km. Need to work on my pacing.

To P. Shima (in Kojimachi) for Paris Framboise, which has nuts (supposedly; must be paste or cream) and puff pasty layers top and bottom, as well as raspberry, for 540. Like mille-feuille, cream tends to squeeze out if one tries to cut through from top, but still excellent, like the shop so far. Raspberry delicious without being overwhelming.

Yesterday, no running, but tried a C.B.S. chocolate from Henri le Roux, for 324 yen. Excellent caramel chocolate.

Cerulean Tower-Tokyu-Hotel Pastry Shop: Isocele

2 km @ 6'10'' to 7'/km & 7 km @ 7' 8'/km. Okay, but hot and humid. Used up budget (6 km & 21 km, respectively), so no running tomorrow. New budget starts Wednesday: 12 km & 22 km, respectively. Not much for a 3-day weekend, so maybe finally try bike again.

Cake shop was a new visit: Cerulean Tower-Tokyu-Hotel Pastry Shop just past Shibuya Station (congested in every way).

Cake:  Isocele @ 699 yen: no ice in box! Must ask next time. Still, excellent in a candy bar way, but I'm biased toward chocolate (tho not necessarily milk) and lots of hazelnut, and lemon cream harmonized well (at least warm), so should go back next week.