Lately I have been eating dinner at home more often. So I keep stopping by a cake shop on the way home to pick up a cake for dessert. Tokyo has so many great dessert shops that it makes dinner all the more enjoyable.
Mont Blanc from Angelina, Ginza
You could call it the standard for Mont Blanc in Japan. By today’s standards it is a bit too sweet, but eaten in the middle of a shopping trip it is just right. Tasty after such a long time
Shirokuma ramen
I made the Hokkaido-famous Shirokuma (polar bear) shio ramen at home. Pretty good for the price. It is perfect as a late-night snack, so I ended up cooking it often whenever I got hungry late at night.
The bag
Yes.. it is cute, so cute.
The back
A polar bear is cooking ramen.
Brandy-soaked figs coated in chocolate
Found them by chance when I dropped into a supermarket. Nice with a drink, but the price was a bit steep.
Ichigo daifuku from Osumi Tamaya, Ginza
Freshly made ichigo daifuku. Daifuku is a dessert with all sorts of things tucked inside mochi.
The inside
There is a big strawberry inside, which makes it even better. I get a craving for these once in a while.
Chocolate cake from Chocolatier Inamura Shozo
This is the top chocolate cake around Ueno. It is delicious, but I hear their cake called “Namida no Shizuku” (Teardrop) is great too, so I should drop by sometime.
Cakes from Mont St. Clair
There are plenty of good cake shops, but I have never seen one that builds cakes this complex without losing the balance of flavours. The cakes I brought home this time were flawless too.
A drop of candy on the raspberry..
Took a photo because it looked so neat.
Echire butter cake, no. 1
The real butter cake, the one shaped like a bar of soap, is limited in quantity and I could not get one T.T So I bought this cake instead, and the raisins and butter go together beautifully. Some people may not like the rich, heavy butter flavour, but I really enjoyed it.
Echire butter chocolate cake
This one had an incredible butter aroma too. Probably divides opinion.
Echire madeleines
Unlike the cakes, the madeleines are something anyone would love. Even better with a cup of tea.
Pierre Herme’s Ispahan
Awkward to eat and expensive, those are the problems, but taste-wise I have no complaints at all. No matter how busy I am, I have to have one at least once a year.
Anmitsu bought at Mitsukoshi department store
When you only eat cake, you start craving Japanese-style desserts too. So I bought this, but it is not quite up to the anmitsu I had at Umemura, the famous shop in Asakusa. Still, I enjoyed it.
Rolls from Pelican, Asakusa
I bought them specially to try, but the rolls are a notch below the shokupan. Pelican really is all about the shokupan, it seems.
Tarte Tatin from Signifiant Signifie
I remember being blown away by it last year, so I ordered it by mail. It arrived frozen.
A slice of the tarte Tatin
Hmm.. definitely not as good as what I had last year. It must be the frozen shipping. I should set a day aside and go to Sangenjaya in person.
Banana cake from Testarossa, Asakusa
It is a bar and cake shop in one; a bit pricey, but the cakes are generous and taste pretty good. I had been at a loss for a good cake shop near Asakusa, so this is a relief.
Testarossa’s silk pudding
A well-known pudding around Asakusa, and it is pretty decent.
I am happy that Tokyo has so many great cake shops. Fine eating at home seems to work out fine too, so I will keep making the rounds.