Kuhonbutsu is the neighborhood right next to Jiyugaoka. It is only about a hundred meters’ walk away, so you could almost call it Jiyugaoka. It is a purely residential area, but I heard there was a cake shop tucked away in one corner, so I dropped by.

The front entrance

I put Parlour Laurel on my itinerary because their cakes looked so pretty, but I was surprised by how old-fashioned and dignified the place felt. There is a bit of a Showa-era coffee shop atmosphere to it too.

Sicilia

I ordered it because it looked so pretty in photos, though my own photo did not come out quite as nicely. In person it is truly beautiful. What surprised me is that the taste is just as first-rate as the styling. I had no idea cakes this vividly beautiful existed outside of Sadaharu Aoki. The designs have such personality that I even felt they might be better than Sadaharu Aoki’s.

Sphère

I had planned to have just one cake.. but it was so beautiful that I ordered another. That day I filled up on cake alone.. Anyway, out came a cake like a piece of surrealist art, and sure enough it tasted good too. The Sicilia was a little tastier, but this one has such visual impact that I am glad I ordered it.. By the way, there were more artwork-like cakes in the display case, but this shop does not allow photos, so I could not shoot them.

When I asked at the register, they said the shop itself has been around a long time, but the cakes are something the son started making recently after studying abroad. A beautiful harmony of tradition and modernity. And so my list of must-visit places just keeps growing..

Having enjoyed my cakes, I headed to Un Grain in Aoyama to buy some sweets. I had bought them and was about to head back when something suddenly came up that needed the internet, so I had no choice but to sit down in the cafe space and order a cake.

Mango nougat cake

From above you cannot really tell what it is like..

A side view

The bottom layer is nougat. I had eaten Au Bon Vieux Temps’ nougat that morning, so comparing the two, they are similar yet completely different in style. Not too sweet and not hard, perfectly arranged for use in a cake. They really do make great cakes.

The trouble was, because of the building’s layout there was no phone signal, and no Wi-Fi either, so I had to eat quickly, leave, and go use the internet somewhere else. My own fault for trying to work in a cake shop when I should have just been eating cake.

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