Puissance: Delice

Monday was a pastry day, so after checking Bubo B. and finding nothing, I went back to Toukyuu Food Show for a third time and finally visited Boulangerie La Terre, which had the best selection of pastries (ignoring Andersen, which I visit at Isetan). I got their Pain au Chocolat, which was excellent, in that it was a proper pain au chocolat and did not disappoint. After my previous two visits to the Food Shop, the bar was pretty low, but I would like to go back to B. La Terre.

For running, I worked on learning my big neighborhood course loop southwest of Shibuya Station. Just there and back is a sufficient run in itself, so I just did three kilometer markers worth and came back.

Tuesday, I went to Takashimaya to hit another new shop from their selections and scope out a café fpr tje weelend. This time, it was Puissance and I got Delice, which is a standard almond buiscuit with layers of flavored cream, in this case strawberry. It's simple and not too exciting but it was good. My main worry with this type of cake would be that it would be too sweet or too strong a strawberry flavor, but no such problems.

The run was continuing where I left off previously (at The Bake, actually). This time I only did 2 kilometer markers. Tomorrow I'll probably practice the last part, although really only half of that will be on the next run, since I want to continue on toward Hiroo, though I won't get to much far this time.

Paris S'éveille: Citron Vert/Myrtille/Lavande

Did sort of a run down to Paris S'éveille. At least the initial parts of the trip were running, with some stops for photographs of places through the same loop I've been practicing, and will probably continue practicing this week (it's more than 8 km and it takes a few kilometers to get to a starting point), but somewhere past Shibuya Station, I got lazy and mostly walked, because I had the time. I blame congestion from pollen more than the high winds and hills, because I felt, not seriously short of breath, just breathing harder than I wanted to. During the week, I'm usually in more of a hurry, at least at least until I get wherever is selling me pastry or cake.

Paris S'éveille had two new cakes this month, both of the same style, sort of a sliced log of fruit flavors (there are a couple layers of there of biscuit that presumably help keep the layers from sliding around, though I flipped it on its side fairly early on). It's a little gelatinous, which is how you get mousse to hold a shape, which I'm not thrilled by, but not unreasonable so and maybe not more than great cakes of had of other shapes. My cake was Citron Vert/Myrtille/Lavande, so lime, bilberries (or blueberries), and lavender. The other choice was orange, something, and peach. I'm prejudiced against this kind of cake, but I'm rooting for Paris S'éveille, so I hope those balanced out to get a fair evaluation, which was that this is actually an excellent cake, so I'm more optimistic about the orange one (though I should get the Choux desert sometime).

Cake-off: Jean-Paul Hévin's Tonka over Pierre Hermé's Fraisier Pistache

Friday, I went down and did the southern half of what I'll call the southwest Shibuya loop, since it goes through more neighborhoods than I want to list here and may expand eventually when I get around to doing the other side of Old Yamanote-Doori. Bubó Barcelona at Ginza Mitsukoshi on Thursdays had croissants, so I stopped by the Jinguumae shop for Friday's pasty, but they had nothing, so I went to my back-up plan of trying another bakery at Toukyuu Food Show, this time Saint-Germain. Not counting donuts, the only pastry that they had was also a croissant, which was what I expected, so I got it. Saying it was ok is being generous. Actually, it only barely had layering, it was pretty bready but dry, and actually it was noticeably stale. I bought it at the end of the day, but if you sell it, I'm going to judge you on it. The run was long, and this was a first time running it and I might have actually gone places I've never been before, though I might not have. I had forgotten that Accueil, who have a separate patisserie further south, have their main café in Ebisunish. Fortunately, my loop already went past it (which is why I noticed it, of course). Long run and pretty much the farthest out by a direct route of the new parts of the map; and there are enough hills that it's going to be tough after 20 km.

Saturday, I was busy part of the morning and rain was forecast for the evening. I still did a cake-off, according to plan, sourced from Isetan, Jean-Paul Hévin's Tonka and Pierre Hermé's Fraisier Pistache. This is the second round for both of these, from the first-round losers. This are both seasonal and from superb shops, so I wanted to get them in before they are gone. There's no announcement on the main webpage for JPH yet, so I assume it's cake at least will make it to the end of the month. These are both cakes I that respect as sophisticated and high in quality. Today, I appreciated the chocolate nibs and dark/burnt flavor of the Tonka, as well and just the general style of this style of JPH's cakes, which is their main one.

Rather than run, I did needed maintenance and a minimum of cleaning and took out the bicycle for the first time this year. I verified that I can still get the baked cheesecake that I want for my next cake-off, which will probably be at the end of the month. I'm not sure whether I'll do an extra one that weekend, but May is also looking busy (but then there are also a lot of holidays, so I actually might work ahead at the beginning, as JPH has a couple more cakes that are available now but maybe not forever that are ready for a second round but I've been busy with other more pressing ones).

Frédéric Cassel: Fraisier

It had been a week, so I was back at Frédéric Cassel expecting them not to disappoint. I figured I could use a little rest, so I only ran one way and walked (quickly) back; also, their bags and this cake are more heavy and awkward than average to run with. Actually, I had forgotten about the Fraisier [updated for consistency]; I was just thinking about this month's tart, but there it was, so a bought it as planned last week at least. It's main component is a very dense pistachio cream, which is between almond biscuits and topped with strawberries, obviously. I was hoping for excellent, but this was great. I guess I better change my plans for Saturday and see about confirming a match for this for a cake-off out east (not for this week, since I still want another go at Tonka), but when I next get an opportunity, which will perhaps be at the end of the month, which seemed to be telling me last week would still be within it's run.

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.

Henri le Roux: Fondant Caramel C.B.S.

Monday, I did another long run, this time down to Shibuya Station, stopping at kilometer markers for my next long run in westernmost Jinguumae (1 and 5 Chou-me) and then swinging back north the long way around Yoyogi Park and Jinguu itself, verifying multiple markers in Shouto, Tomigaya, and Yoyogi. Along the way, I had a croissant from R Baker at the Toukyuu Food Show (which is part of a shopping area under Shibuya Station). It was a little bitter, though it didn't really look that burnt, and butterier than usual. It certainly was not overly bread-like (not being overly fluffy inside) and it was good, I guess, but it's not really the direction I'm looking for either (kind of greasy). Still two more bakeries there, though one only has had only croissants as pastries every time I've checked.

Tuesday, I got around to trying Henri le Roux's Fondant Caramel C.B.S., which is the closest they've gotten to fresh cake in more than a year. I think my microwave is too weak, as I did not get caramel oozing out the bottom from microwaving 15 seconds, just a sort of moist center (I think I should have unwrapped it first, too). It was still good. I did fewer kilometer markers today but repeated 6b, which is not very memorable, and did the ones in Yoyogi Park (where, despite blossoms being hard to find, revelers were still at it , including vomiting, though, not too near me this time) and next to it for the first time. Next time I finally get around to trying the new loop southwest of Shibuya Station, I think.

Aigre-Douce: Meringue Gourmandise

As promised, I did another run to Aigre-Douce in response to their cake's win in a cake-off. I took a pretty long path, feeling the need to get some more exercise to burn off eating too many homemade canelé yesterday (they had stuck to the mold and tore, though I'm not sure whether that means that there was too much butter or not enough, but I plan to bake them longer next time), and also getting lost at one point, though I didn't go any further out of my way west than I had intended from the beginning).

I choose cake poorly again. This time it was Meringue Gourmandise. Merginue sounded good, or at least different, although it was just plain baked meringue of the crispy-all-the-way-through type, which I'm not against but not sure was the right choice for this shape of cake. Sandwiched between two pieces was custard and caramel cream, which is what is visible. The problem is the type of caramel, which is not sweet and is used in what the Japanese call Purin (pudding) and apparently other people call crème caramel (not sure why) or just caramel pudding. I don't like pudding at all, though the only other America who's commented about it to me said that they thought it was a great thing about Japan, it being ubiquitous. According to wikipedia, it used to be ubiquitous in Europe, but apparently they got over that. Hopefully Japan is moving in the same direction, but not fast enough. Actually, until I got toward the end of this cake, it was good enough, but then the "pudding" flavor took over, so maybe it's really the interaction between the pudding or caramel, or maybe it's just time, since one bad characteristic is that the flavor I dislike stays as an aftertaste (a touch of coffee will do that too), which the meringue probably did not help with. I shouldn't be surprised, given my track record with Aigre-Douce. Maybe next year.