Bromance?
It doesn't only appear in K drama but also in real life. For Chef-owner Koutatsu Kanda of L' Automne, another well-known local patisserie in west Tokyo, this is certainly true to describe his relationship with two other celebrity patissiers, Yuki Ajiki and Tsujiguchi Hironobu. The three of them (Chef Kanda being the most junior) worked and lived together during their years at ら・利す帆ん (now defunct) before each of them moved on to develop their respective career paths in pastry.
Chef Kanda won some famous French chocolate cup at the young age of 22. After his stint in Provence, he returned to Tokyo to take over his family business at L'Automne. The close relationship of these three chefs continues to present as can be seen from the photo found in YA's book in which both Chef Tsujiguchi and Chef Kanda also contributed in the foreword columns.
Located in Shin-Ekota, L' Automne sits on a lower radar than Mont St Clair and Yuki Ajiki, but his items are still swept up at a no less faster rate. I was there for this signature matcha cake 古田 but it was gone despite having arrived 1 hour within the opening time. His "eco田" chouxs? Sold out. His cakes are not as original as Yuji or as complex in flavor combinations as compared to Tsujiguchi but they are still delicious and good, at least still better than the average department store cakes. Most importantly, the price range of 400-600 yen is certainly good news for our wallets. (More reasonable than Mont St Clair)
I won't dwell into every single item we've tried but I would recommend the purple sweet potato Mont Blanc because rarely do we get it as a regular item in a pastry shop and the version here made with Okinawan Chura Koi Beni was not overly sweet. I loved it more than a typical chestnut Mont Blanc. Another item will be the Collage, a rather predictable yet beautifully assembled collage of chocolate and pistachio. I didn't like the raspberry jelly layer but the chewy, nutty pistachio base and the melting textures of the mousse changed the way I looked at pistachio cakes.
From croissants to chocolates to cakes, the item range is just as extensive as a full-fledge patisserie. Sometimes it amazes me how shops like his, YA's or TH's can churn out so many items. Good to know that there are two dine-in tables with a total of 8 seats. Most Japanese takeaway the cakes but I think it still depends of your luck if you want to "chope" a table successfully. No minimum order of drink required and they make efforts to plate your cakes.
Certainly I'll return again for the missing items. Not only in Autumn.
Address:〒165-0023 東京都中野区江原町2-30-1 Google map >
Daily 10:00～20:00 (Closed on Wed)
Access:
Oedo Line Shin-ekota Station 大江戸線 新江古田駅 Exit A1 turn towards immediate left
Seibu Ikebukuro Line Ekota Station 西武池袋線 江古田駅 Walk 10 min from South Exit
http://www.lautomne.jp/
Seibu Ikebukuro Line Ekota Station 西武池袋線 江古田駅 Walk 10 min from South Exit
http://www.lautomne.jp/
Clan 594 yen
Strawberry and almond cream mousse
Crunch 540 yen
Vanilla mousse, Framboise, Chocolate mousse, Crunchy Chocolate Coating
