Materiel マテリエル : Sugar Master in Ooyama Tokyo

To create flavors and shape from a shapeless form 

This is the concept/motto of Chef Masaaki Hayashi whose shop named "Materiel" is located in Ooyama 大山. One can say that Chef Masaaki is a sugar master because his sugar works have won several international awards and one of his publication is a book on sugar techniques. Since it is unlikely that I will ever step foot in Ooyama, I decided to give it a try when it took stage at Isetan Shinjuku's weekly rotating pop up area.

Honestly, none of the cakes were as aesthetically attractive as those from Asterisque or Mont St Clair. They are very simple, generally just a glaze with a simple chocolate decor or macaron. Yet the texture and flavor were deeply impressive. The Matenique was my favourite of the 3 I've tried as the chocolate was very, very dark, multiplied in depth by the use of rum. The sponge at the base was an atypical fluffy Japanese sponge--rich, moist, dense but the layer was thin so it wasn't overwhelming at all. Meanwhile, the smooth tropical banana creameux ensured that the cake would not be a chocolate overload. 

Another stunning masterpiece was the Cafe Dolce (¥651) which had the best texture of all. It's a creamy coffee-chocolate mousse cake with a fine, aromatic walnut crisp accented beautifully by salt. The Primviere (¥561), a red berries-pistachio cake, was too sweet for me but it didn't spoil my mood as I have managed to pick the right cakes, not one but two. 

Hats off to this sugar master.

Hakujyukan-Ichibankan 1F,
21-6 Ohyama-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0023 Japan

10am-7pm (closed on Wed) 

http://www.patisserie-materiel.com/access.html

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Kooriya Pissu or Peace 氷屋ぴぃす Kakigori @ Kichijoji

The Kakigori at Peace (pee-su) can really pissed customers. No, I'm serious. Imagine arriving at 12 noon sharp when the shop opens for business, only to realize in horror that there is a written waiting list on which you have to jot your name down at the next available slot which is 6.52pm.

Perhaps that's not a problem for those who live nearby but for most, you either find something to do in between or opt for the takeaway option. So we chose to takeaway which also requires 30min of queuing time.

Takeaway options are limited and not as fanciful as eat-in flavors. But they are slightly cheaper. I'm glad we didn't wait till 6.52pm because the Kakigori were extremely normal.  And there is no other components within the ice.

There could be only 2 customers seated in the 8-seat eatery but they will not allow anyone to enter earlier. Can't understand how the business here works? Me neither.

東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺南町1-9-9 吉祥寺じぞうビル 1F
weekdays 11am-9pm (closed on Mon)
weekends/PH 12noon-8pm

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Salon Ginza Sabou : New Generation Matcha Parfait

Salon Ginza Sabou is part of the Salon adam et Rope group that focuses on Japanese traditional sweets. But it seemed like the business did not take off very well initially until the menu expanded to the Matcha parfait--the one which almost every table would order.

Many people would call it a photogenic sweet but I didn't find it pretty at all. I was rather skeptical as it looked just like the matcha tiramisu served in the Maccha Kan. But I was glad to be proved wrong. It's a sophisticated box buried with plenty of gems such as chestnuts, Warabi jelly, genmai crunch, matcha gelato beneath the matcha dusted chocolate veil. Excellent composition that begets triple satisfaction that an average parfait tower.

As it was late after our dinner at Hanatare, the Warabi mochi and the seasonal Wagashi were sold out. But thankfully there was still the anmitsu on the menu for my friend who wanted something light on sugar and calories. Fret not if you want more substantial bites as this place also serves classic rice sets featuring Yukihotaka rice from Gunma prefecture as part of its Salon Rice Project and some ala carte dishes. It's a pity that I missed out the award winning tea from Inokura Tea Farm but I can imagine it will make a good pairing with the sweets. 

東京都中央区銀座五丁目2番1号

Daily 11:00 - 22:00

（L.O.21:00）

http://salon.adametrope.com/sabou/

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Ginza Johan Limited 限定: Visual Sandwiches

The Ginza outlet is the only one that sells sandwiches that once used to be categorized as "visual k" sandwiches because of the colorful cross section. But with so many competitors like Potasta, King George or Wa Sandwich, they are no longer as special. For an average of 350-400 yen, I find the portion small and expensive. Better head to convenience store or just stick to their regular selection of bread. 

http://www.johan.co.jp/fair/20140201.html

たまごegg Y346

アボカドとエビのブロッコリーY454

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Mont St Clair @ Jiyugaoka Tokyo

To those familiar with Japanese pastries, Mont St Clair by Tsujiguchi Hironobu needs no further introduction. This celebrity chef can be considered one of the most business savvy persons in the industry as he has ventured into many different concepts from jam specialty shops to chocolate to Wagashi. His flagship pastry shop-cafe in Jiyugaoka is ever popular amongst tourists, just like Hidemi Sugino or Sadaharu Aoki. Every item that I've tried here so far has a crunchy component but it's still not exactly impressive considering the price.

One would notice that there's a lot of pistachio items here but I guess Lady Luck wasn't with me when I picked this Ichigo (600 yen) The "Pistachio cream" labelled on the tag turned out to be buttercream, something which I would never order. And the pistachio flavor was utterly faint.

Kiyomi Orange Galette (630 yen)
Though named Galette, it's actually a classic almond cream tart in seasonal orange flavor. Fairly decent but I wouldn't mind if they use grand marnier instead of pure orange juice in the squirt

Lustre (630 yen)
Lemon cream, hazelnut praline mousse, lemon marmalade, hazelnut dacquoise, hazelnut cookie

Avenue (650 yen)
Fromage mousse with crunchy coconut base, lime gelee, coconut base

Ardeche (650 yen) This is a very beautiful construction of a French chestnut-orange cake but a pity that the sweetness of the chestnut mousse overpowered the taste of chocolate

Mont St Clair
Salon 11am-5.30pm (Closed Wed)
〒152-0035 東京都目黒区自由が丘2-22-4
http://www.ms-clair.co.jp

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Ginza Hanatare 地きんめ鯛専門 銀座はなたれ: Kinmedai Specialty Fish Restaurant

 Kinmedai aka red snapper is a deep seawater fish that is commonly harvested from the waters off Izu Peninsula, Chiba or Shikoku in Japan. And Ginza Hanatare is probably one of the few Japanese restaurants that specializes in this fish. In general, Kinmedai is grouped into 3 category and the most priced category is the "Ji-Kinmedai" due to its rich fat content.  I was lucky to drop by in end May as May-June, as well as Dec-Feb, are the two seasons when the fish is at their most tip-top "fattiest" condition.

Hanatare uses only Ji-Kinmedai and those with at least 10% fat is sub-categorizes as Toro-Ji-Kinmedai here. We truly felt the fatty power of Toro-Ji-Kinmedai when we had the Kinmedai wrapped with Uni and Ikura. It's cost a bomb at 1000 yen/2 servings but so best to be savoured s.l.o.w.l.y. Shhh....just don't talk for a minute and enjoy.

The best way to enjoy fresh fish is none other than steam. And here it is done with sake apart from salt grilled, deep-fried, and boil. We chose the most popular boiled style in which the fish is cooked in a delicious  dark sauce. The meat was unbeatably fresh, sweet and tender. Perfect with rice or even just on its own.

The Ji-Kinme Meshi Teishoku Set (3000 yen) is another hot seller here that comes with not 1 but 3 egg yolks--just enough to mix with the rice that's concealed by the Kinmedai sashimi. It was quite interesting to learn that the sashimi is meant to be dipped into the Goma dressing and not shoyu. But for those who want to taste the sweetness of the fish, I guess the best condiment is still shoyu. The set is served with a kettle of dashi (for savouring the rice in an ocha-zuke style), pickles, salad and a very tasty bowl of Kinmedai fish soup.

This restaurant also offers a long list of matcha beverages and of course, shochu and sake. But for me, fish ehem...kinmedai will do.

Ginza Hanatare 地きんめ鯛専門　銀座はなたれ
11am-11pm
Tokyu Plaza Ginza
Chuo-ku Ginza 5-2-1 Tokyo 104-0061
https://www.facebook.com/ginzahanatare/

Broccolli with Kani Miso

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和Kitchen かんな: Your Neighbourhood Kakigori Shop

和キッチンかんな  (Wa Kitchen Kanna) is a popular Kakigori shop in Sangenchaya that requires at least 15-min walking from the station. It sits on the 2nd level, right above top-rated boulangerie Significant Signifie, but not too difficult to be spotted with a wooden signboard at the door. What I like is that there are many flavors to choose from and the price is reasonable. Moreover, the waiting time in the queue wasn't too long on a weekend afternoon and we could chill out with the delicious bowls in spacious tables. (Not cramped counter or table seatings)

I was pleasantly surprised by the Strawberry Caramel Custard as the roasty notes of the caramel complemented the strawberries beautifully, making this a nice departure from the conventional custard or condensed milk pairing. The caramel is cleverly enhanced with kinako powder buried within. My friend preferred the "Green Custard with C" which contained chunks of "C" aka chocolate. This was the less sweeter of the two but I wished there were some beans or chestnuts fillings inside.

東京都世田谷区下馬2-43-11 2F
11am-7pm (Kakigori service varies according to days)

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CAMELBACK sandwich & espresso: THAT Tamago Sandwich

Been there. Done that. Another one crossed off my list.

Camelback is a hipster cafe that was under the media spotlight for its coffee and tamago sandwich. I'm always impressed by how well a business could survive here no matter how small the shop is. There's only a takeaway counter with benches outside, yet you can spot it from far because of a line streaming out from the shop.

The tamago sandwich (\380) is the most sought after food item and surprisingly, the cheapest one on the menu. The tamagoyaki is the cold, sweet version commonly found in sushi-ya. I would prefer a warm, savoury dashimaki for the filling but my friend likes this. The bread had a lovely crust and the wasabi mustard provided a moist, spicy kick to cut the sweetness.

Not my favourite tamago sandwich in town but I can see it as a no-frills breakfast or snack good on the go.

http://www.camelback.tokyo

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