After agonizing for ages over what to have for dessert, I went to Pierre Hermé in the basement food hall of the Mitsukoshi department store in Nihonbashi. I wanted to try the real Ispahan.
The shopping bag
I bought this and that in the department store, but there was nowhere to eat inside, so I went out and found a park. Honestly, the cakes are expensive enough to make you gasp. These are top-of-Tokyo prices.
Strawberry dessert
I’ve forgotten its name, but it’s a sweet packed with strawberry-based layers. It tastes great, of course, but at this price it had better.
Ispahan
This is Pierre Hermé’s signature dessert. I’d had the Ispahan-style desserts at Amandier and Ladurée, but this was my first time having the original from the house itself. And it really is on another level. Chewy macaron shells, rich cream, and berries that burst in your mouth. Then, to finish, a gentle waft of rose. The only drawback is that it’s hard to cut; in every other way it was a cake that moved me completely. At this level it truly deserves to be called a signature dessert. I’ll definitely have to go back.
Cheesecake
This one was pretty high-level too, but given the price, sadly, that’s only to be expected, and on top of that it gets overshadowed by the Ispahan.
I also brought back a few more as gifts. Most of them are gone by now, though. Pierre Hermé’s sweets are wildly popular, and next time I go I’m going to buy up a whole haul again.