This post was written in 2017. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.

The basement food hall at Isetan regularly runs collaborations with dessert shops from around the country. This time they were selling cakes from a place called Chant d’Oiseau in Kawaguchi, Saitama. I had never heard of it, but it stood out even in the Isetan basement, where star pâtisseries line up one after another, so I bought some to take home.

Sauternes and Belle et Rouge

Both were delicious, but the Sauternes was a real surprise. The honey-like sweetness of Sauternes wine was beautifully concentrated in it.

Tarte Amande Passion

A cake packed with passion fruit mousse and almonds. Lots of character, and delicious.

Pineapple and passion fruit baked tarte tatin style

It looks ordinary, but one bite and I was surprised. There was this concentrated tropical fruit flavor. Pulling off this level of polish with such unexpected ingredients says a lot about how much skill they have.

Misérable

It is a butter cake, but it was full of vanilla. Again, just so good.

The main shop in Kawaguchi is really far away, the kind of trip that eats up a whole day. Thanks to Isetan, I got to discover some truly wonderful cakes.

Expensive blueberries

I bought them for the sake of experience. They were good, but for the price, just so-so. Will the day ever come when I too shop at department stores?

한국어로 읽기日本語で読む