Mont St. Clair, one of the very best cake shops in Tokyo, has opened at the Banyan Tree. Even in Tokyo it sits tucked away in a corner of Jiyugaoka, so as much as I love their cakes, I never got to go very often. When I heard a shop like that had opened in Seoul, there was no way I could skip it.

The cakes

It looks like a lot of variety, but many of the cakes are similar in style, so it didn’t feel as varied as I expected. That’s probably just because they’ve only just opened. I’m sure it will get better as they keep going.

Tarts

Compared to the cakes, which cost about twice what they do in Japan, the tarts are at least within reach, though still not cheap. It suddenly made me miss Japan.

Chocolates

Mont St. Clair is also famous for its chocolate. They run a chocolate shop called Le Chocolat de H as well. In Japan they aren’t especially better than other chocolate specialists, but here in Korea they’re more than competitive.

Whole cakes

They sell all kinds. Making this many makes me wonder whether they’ll all sell, but I guess they can always sell them by the slice.

Roughly these are the cakes on offer.

They were so pretty I just kept snapping away. Do check the price tags, though.

Cakes like these..

At least they’re a bit cheaper than the boutique at the Shilla Hotel.

The whole place

They sell not just cakes but all sorts of bread too.

Bread like this..

When I think of Japanese-style bread, L’Atelier Monique comes to mind, and compared to that, not many of these tempted me. Given the prices, I’d like them to do a bit better.

Bread like this..

Well.. the people buying are the ones dropping by the Banyan Tree anyway, so the vibe was that they’d just buy it even if it’s a bit pricey. It’s only a drifter like me who grumbles.

But then I found this bread. A loaf called Pain à la Crème.

There was this loaf only about half the size of a normal one, priced at around 7,000 won. It’s made with loads of butter and fresh cream, and even in Japan only a handful of shops sell bread like this. I’d never seen a proper loaf like it in Korea, so there was no way I wasn’t buying it.

They sell quite a lot of cookies too.

But the prices are a bit.. and I couldn’t really tell whether they’d be any good.

At the entrance there was a dragon drawn in meringue.

Apparently pâtissier Tsujiguchi drew it himself at the opening ceremony. Talented man, as always.

C’est la vie

The most famous cakes at Mont St. Clair have to be the C’est la vie and the Cerise. The taste was almost the same as in Japan. The difference is that in Japan, at half the price, I could eat them without a second thought, whereas in Korea I have to savor every bite.

Chocolat Fruit

High level, as expected. I got to enjoy all the different flavors of chocolate.

Garlic bread

It was the one that actually looked good, so I tried it, but it was way too sweet. Well.. it’s early days after opening, so a proper verdict is hard.

Pain à la Crème

It was incredibly good, just as I’d hoped. That softness is a level you can’t get in Korea. Great on its own, great with jam, great with butter, and great as a sandwich.

It still feels a little unsettled since they’ve only just opened, but the cakes and the service were both excellent. As for the prices, well.. I just need to earn a bit more. A shop with this much depth is only going to get better, so I’m already looking forward to seeing how it changes.

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