Le Chocolat de H/Paul Bassett: Chocolat Framboise

Ran down to Shibuya Hikarie ShinQs to visit the Le Chocolat de H/Paul Bassett café again. I promoted this shop to excellent already, but it's also challenging some quite excellent shops by giving nothing but excellent cakes. Nothing I need again, but still there is potential to find a great cake there. Today I had a few choices but went with the Chocolat Framboise as this seemed to be seasonal. It was very fruity, which is not my favorite. Still, the quality is difficult to deny. I'm not sure that this was not just as good as JPH's cake, though different. The raspberry is definitely foremost compared to the chocolate, and actually there is a cream layer rather than stacking in more chocolate to compete with the raspberry. In the end, I think I'm going to have to say this also was excellent, the fifth in the row. It looks like I'm going to be continuing frequent visits until I run through their line up, though I'm close to doing that. Probably won't finish this month, though. Still waiting to see how frequently the seasonal ones change.

Did lots of little neighborhood loops, including east Shibuya (not even officially added, since I discovered I need it), Minami-Aoyama 5, Minami-Aoyama--Shibuya, and Minami-Aoyama south loops. Just adds up to a few kilometers (plus the kilometers to get there and back, so it was more than 1 hour of running). Since I'd like to go to Sadaharu Aoki at ShinQs next or hotel pastry shop further along the same road, I'll probably do the same loops tomorrow (though I finished confirming both directions on Mianami-Aoyama 5).

Cake-off: Jean-Paul Hévin's Longchamp Chocolat over Yu Sasage's Fondant Chocolat (aux Framboises)

So I decided that Yu Sasage's current Fondant Chocolat is close enough to what I previously labeled as Fondant Chocolat aux Framboises (let's pretend I spelled it correctly). The store card said "aux Rouges" or "aux Fruits Rouges" (I forget, and it was phonetic), but the Facebook post about it just says Fondant Chocolat, though the fondant itself is chocolate and raspberries, even if the decoration includes a couple other berries. I should note, I didn't ask whether I was supposed to microwave it with or without removing the decoration first, to make it fondant ("melted"), though I don't actually need it to be in the fondant state and wouldn't have anyway. I've been looking for this as previously rated as a great cake and it's only available until the 14th, so even though I just found a different perhaps great cake from Yu Sasage, I went with the old one as a match to Jean-Paul Hévin's Longchamp Chocolat. I'll need another great cake now against the new Yu Sasage, which will at least stay in the line-up through to the beginning of March, so it's not impossible. My priority is the JPH cake, of course.

Put two kinds of cream and a bandage on my sore toe and was also very conscience of putting the weight on the other side of the food, which is where it should be centered anyway, I think. No problem running today. I went out around 8:15 and was running on and off until 11:00 (and again part way from Isetan to home). Took several pictures of new (to being included) food places that I'm adding to nearby neighborhood course loops, which required going 90 degrees from the direct path to Yu Sasage. That course turns back, so I didn't have to retrace myself, but it must have added a few kilometers to a longish run. When I left the old loops, I picked up a couple sites that I hope to eventual need for loops further out, a park, a green space, and the above shrine.

The cake-off was fairly predictable. The Fondant Chocolat was definitely excellent, but I've had more experience now, including with fondant, and am harder to impress the second time around, so this one will get demoted to semi-great, but it's still my favorite fruity fondant chocolat (not sure I know any straight chocolate ones that are great, but there's still at least one more hanging on for the third round of cake-offs to be tested). Also, Longchamp Chocolat is dark chocolate, nuts, and almond meringue in one of my favorite forms of cake, made by my favorite shop, so it's tough to beat.

In the afternoon, I went hunting for discount mass-produced chocolate (Look 3 is my favorite now) by bicycle. It took three shops to find it, but I went to stop by Les Cacao just to see whether Cuba had turned up (no, though it would only matter if another first-round loser still on the great list becomes available), so I just made finding the chocolate part of that quest. It was a long ride, as I stopped by Shin-marunouchi Building also, where I also didn't find the cake I was looking for at 14 Juillet, though I should check again when Valentines day is over, as they had several cakes that were obviously seasonal.

Maison Douce: Macaron Chocolat Mon Amour

Le Poulpelin

Maison Douce, which I've only had two cakes from, though one was initially rated as great and got a first-round cake-off (neither was declared a win and I demoted both, the only time I've done that), so by in terms of a place where I might find a great cake, it has more potential than some supposedly excellent shops, so it was a high priority to resolve where the shop belongs among my grouping of Tokyo shops. Unfortunately, they are a minimum 35 kilometers out, they don't have eat-in space, and it is not weather for eating outside (see snow above), so I run there and take the train back. I did a 45 km run recently, no problem, so I figured that I would be fine as long as I kept at the same pace, but my right little toe is giving me trouble, and my whole foot tenses up trying to protect it. The shop last told me I need narrower shoes, which might be true once the swelling goes down. I wore new socks with toes this time, but that doesn't really help. I'll use a lot of petroleum jelly and consider taping it, though I'm not sure that I have the right kind of tape now.

Maison Douce: Macaron Chocolat Mon Amour

On the way, I stopped at Le Poupelin whose chef was on the NHK sweets show I started watching. I got a Chasson au pommes, which I'll say was excellent, though it's 27 km, so maybe not in a good position to judge. If I run that far to try them for cake, I think I'm going to get two.

As it happens, I'm probably not going to have to worry about how far out Maison Douce is. I really didn't like the chocolate in this. I suppose it's the chocolate whipped cream that makes for a really weak watery taste. I've had this experience before with chocolate cakes from specialists, so maybe it's just my physical condition. Still, it was ok, but ok isn't doesn't justify going anywhere. The shop still has some potential above shops that have given me nothing better than one excellent cake, but I don't expect it to make the cut to stay in quite good shops.

That clears some excellent shops, though now I saw some other partially challenged by Les Cacao and En Vedette. I hope I can get a visit to Les Cacao next weekend, even if I don't get cake there. Now, I'm really looking forward to a cake-off tomorrow, though reviewing, I'm convinced that Fondant Chocolat au Rouge is just a slightly differently decorated Foondant Chcolat aux Framboises from Yu Sasage, so I've got two choices from them to go against JPH. I need to ask tomorrow how long the two Yu Sasage cakes will stay in the lineup. I need to also review Numero 7 to see what's in it: maybe it's been give a more appropriate name and also can be found in Yu Sasage's line-up without me realizing it.

Yu Sasage, Ardèche

Did a west run to Yu Sasage in Minamikarasuyama, Setagaya-ku, in response to their cake-off win with Perfum, the only cake of theirs that I've put to the test. I tried to take pictures along the way, though I only seem to have a few. Anyway, the weather was cold and there was a little snow, so I didn't want to expose my phone with a cracked edge.

I always have trouble choosing, as my mind is not that organized after running and people are waiting in the cake shop so I feel pressure. The thing that made me pause was that they have a Fondant Chocolat ? Rouge, whereas I've been looking for their Fondant Chocolat aux Framboises for cake-offs for a few years. This is apparently the correct season, as I had it originally in Feb. '16, so the current Fondant Chocolat is probably a close match, but maybe not. Instead of finding out, I got Ardèche. This is very similar to the JPH cake I want great cake to match against: a chocolate cylinder with a hard coating. In this cake, the inside is very moussie: chestnut mousse and (Western) tea mousse chocolate, along with chocolate caramel ganache. This is actually a fairly mild cake, almost a milk chocolate taste, whereas I'm easily impressed by less subtle applications of sugar and nuts. This did have some crunch in the base, along with the coating, so there was sufficient variation in texture.

I'm not sure how it will hold up against further scrutiny, but I think it's not unreasonable to designate it as great. I'll try to get it again Monday and put it in a cake-off against the JPH cake. I don't have anything to match the loser against a second round, though, assuming that I still think that cake is good. My best bets are if 14 Julliet has reintroduced Au Lait Noix (they were back with having small cakes again last time I checked, but a smaller different line-up that definitely didn't have that one) or Les Cacao has put Cuba back in the line-up (haven't seen it since 2017). Not sure that I'll have time to check that latter this weekend, but I wouldn't mind an east run Tuesday or Wednesday, not to let F. Cassel go too long without a visit.

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).

Bel Amer: Caramel Amer

Working my way through the list of possible quite good shops/brands that I have only evaluated two cakes from, I went to Isetan and got a cake from Bel Amer. As expected, they were busy with chocolate sales, but they still had a supply of chocolate cakes. I choose the Caramel Amer. I thought later that I should have checked whether it was bitter or sweet caramel, but chocolate was obviously dominate, so I figured I didn't have to worry about it.

For the run, I did clockwise around the Minami-Aoyama--Nishi-Azabu loop (the first time in the current version) and the Nishi-Azabu northwest loop, no problems, other than taxis that don't stop where they are supposed to (the latter is the most dangerous loop in that respect, I think). With the run to a suitable start point and a shopping detour, it was quite a long run. Also, I decided I should add a couple sites further up Aoyama-doori Avenue around Gaien, though I'm not sure when I'll get over there next in the day time to take the photos.

The cake was very good. It could come from Amer's deli/coffee shop back home, though it would be much bigger in that case. The caramel is not a very dramatic accent to the chocolate, so I didn't have to worry about my dislike for bitter caramel. It's sort of a dense café cake and would probably benefit from a whipped cream topping, which I'm not prepared to provide at home. As it is, this shop probably won't make the cut to stay in quite good.

Feuilleté aux Marrons

Tuesday, I rand back down to Shibuya Hikarie ShinQs and this time managed to get the target object, Feuilleté aux Marrons from Sadaharu Aoki, or at least that's what I think they are calling it: they seem to be the only one using the particular Japanese phonetic spelling, at least online. Anyway, it's a flaky pastry like a galette des rois but filled with chestnut. I dared run with it, trying to do a few small nearby neighborhood course loops without looking them up, it it survived fine. I only managed the Minami-Aoyama 5 loop, which doesn't have any cross-streets.

The pastry was excellent. I decided from experience that I shouldn't try to eat it cold, so I let it heat up at 40 degC in the convection oven for five or ten minutes first. Also, I cut it with a knife, because the edge texture isn't as good from biting. I should have more pastries from them, like their croissants (regular and green tea, I think I've seen)), but I'll have to wait until Valentine's season is over, because they don't have the time or space for them now. Hope I can still find cake this weekend around all the chocolate selling.