菓子工房&Sweets Cafe KYOTO KEIZO: The Mont Blanc that Lasts Only Ten Minutes

I used to wonder what is the hype with a 10-min Mont Blanc? Why has it been so popular amongst dessert afficionados in Kyoto?


I finally visited the shop and found out the truth. The 10 min Mont Blanc is so named because it is said to have a super short lifespan of 10min from the moment it is created. As such, don’t even think of having it as a take-out. But does it mean that one has to finish it in 10min? I don’t think that is necessary. To be honest, I took my own sweet time and I didn’t notice any apparent change in texture. But I couldn’t help smiling to myself from the start to the end.

The seasonal variation I had, Sakura Mont Blanc, could possibly be the best Mont Blanc I’ve ever had. The cream was utterly soft, with subtle notes of savouriness and gentle scents of Sakura. It had none of those boorish sweetness of typical Mont Blanc, though I can’t guarantee the same for the original Mont Blanc here. Beneath the cream was Mochi and matcha cream on a airy crisp small meringue. Excellent.

With a focus on a la minute desserts, the shop freshly prepared the desserts upon order and customers are invited to the backyard kitchen to view their dessert being made in front of their eyes (or iPhones). Fortunately the desserts here are not just an act of gimmick.
After being full blown away by this Mont Blanc, I decided to check out its latest chocolatory that is just few shops down the same street. Opened only in Feb 2018, it’s a chocolate retail gourmet shop that sells all kind of chocolate bars. I was thrilled to be able to taste test all types of chocolate and finally settled on buying the Sakura and Matcha after much deliberation. If you are keen to learn more about the techniques of chocolate, you may be able to pick up some tips here. In fact, chef Keizo Nishida was making some chocolates at the chocolate kitchen instead of the cafe when I visited.

There’s no queue for chocolatory Keizo but if you want to try the Mont Blanc for yourself, be prepared to arrive early before the shop opens to stand in the queue.

菓子工房&Sweets Cafe KYOTO KEIZO

https://kyoto-keizo.com/

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Salon De Muge 無碍山房: Dessert in the woods by Michelin 3-Star Kikunoi

 Getting a seat here by reservation was a horrible story.

 I don’t know whether to count that is gaijin sabetsu because they can only take in reservations if you have a Japanese phone number. Even hotel concierges don’t help because they don’t want to be liable to the cancellation cost.

But the popularity of this place amongst the locals isn’t surprising at all. As the first dessert salon opened by Michelin 3-Star Kikunoi, standards and expectations are set in place.

I only had eyes (and stomach space) for one dessert and that’s the matcha Parfait.

My first reaction was “やばい 超濃厚だ” it was very rich but strangely the more I eat the sweeter it became. Here, there’s the order of eating, carefully planned with the position of the spoon. I was told to spoon from the right to the left, which means I will encounter the Yuzu castella first before reaching the ginger castella on the other side. The yuzu castella was too sweet, which probably make things rather “jelat”.  There was nothing much special about the warabi jelly as well but I guess what merits praises is the matcha ice cream that boasted such a charming dark hue which would be perfect if it is less sweet.

I’m glad I didn’t have to queue long for this. My neighboring customers ordered the seasonal Ichigo Parfait which looked no less attractive then the matcha Parfait. Perhaps that could be a better bet.

Website: http://kikunoi.jp/kikunoiweb/Muge/

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Malebranche Kyoto : Matcha Rediscovered

I've written about Malebranche of Kyoto a few times previously and to date, I still think of it as a befitting representation of modern Kyoto sweets (not Tsujiri). As with the ever-changing sweets market business, Malebranche has renewed its shop at Kyoto Station Porta and Kyoto Tower with new items that are exclusively available only at those two locations. 

Repoened on 20 March 2018, the Kyoto Station Porta outlet has introduced a new matcha roll in two versions, Futomaki ("fat" large sharing size) and Hosomaki ("thin" individual portion) However, both rolls are vastly different in texture and taste composition. I had the Hosomaki (500 yen) which is a palm-sized okoicha sponge enrobed with okoicha sauce and white chocolate cream in the center.

The sponge had an interesting mochi-mochi bite but I found the tea taste to be lacking and overpowered by the sweetness of the white chocolate roll. The Futomaki is probably a safer bet though you need to find someone to share such large roll.

I prefer the Nama-cha Ice Bar (250 Yen) from Kyoto Tower Outlet. You pay from a vending machine, hand the ticket to the staff to exchange for a matcha ice popsicle-like thing dipped in hot (no actually mine was not hot at all) rich matcha sauce. I found the sauce to be redundant as it did nothing to melt the pop and the ice bar itself was very rich and shiok. However, I read that they had a winter edition hot yuzu sauce which I felt should be permanently placed on the menu. 

Tokyo Station Porta Outlet

京都府京都市下京区烏丸通塩小路下ル東塩小路町902番地 京都駅前地下街ポルタ内

10am-9pm

Kyoto Tower Outlet

京都市下京区烏丸通七条下ル東塩小路町721-1

9am-9pm

http://www.malebranche.co.jp/

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Grains de Vanille : The Kyoto Cake Shop Visited by Pierre Herme

Even Pierre Herme dropped by this shop twice, how could I have given this a miss?

Compared to Tokyo, Kyoto seemed to have fewer cake boutiques and dominated by more standalone cafes. But this doesn’t mean that there are no worthy ones around. Grains de Vanille has been on my list for the longest time because the cakes stood out amongst other competitors like Patisserie S and Grenier de Au.

The Japanese-French pastries here are less conservative than their counterparts in Kyoto but not too bold and wild to assume bright, neon coloring that most French pastries are donning these days. They are similar to those in Tokyo, such as Asterisque or Mont St Clair. It was a challenge to narrow my selection to only 4 items and luckily only 1 turned out to be a disaster. The seasonal item was menacingly sweet— a mental torture to consume.

However, I found the Cafe Escargot interesting because very few chefs would flavour the meringue and tone down the sweetness. This was a brilliant combination of the 3cs; coffee, caramel and chocolate. The pistachio mousse was tasty but I thought the black tea chocolate st honore stood out more with its intricate layerings of tea and Cacao.

I haven’t tried many patisseries in Kyoto but I think this shop can stand in line with Tatsuhito Satoi and beat Tendresse hands down.

住所：京都府京都市中京区鍵屋町間之町通486
電話番号：075-241-7726
営業時間：10:30～18:00 (dine in available after 1pm)
定休日：第2・第4火曜、水曜

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Antoinette Launches New Menu : When Hakka Meets French

Mod-Sin is not an unfamiliar term in Singapore’s gastronomical scene but talk about French-Hakka fusion, I am quite sure Chef Pang of Antoinette is the first to launch it in Singapore. On the savoury menu is a repertoire of new dishes—of which some pay tributes to Chef Pang’s own Hakka’s culinary heritage. For instance, the Hakka Gnocchi ($24) is a colourful variation of the usual yam balls with the use of beetroot, sweet potato and purple sweet potato. I was a bit worried that the foie gras might overpower the dish but fortunately it did not. The flavourful stir-fry of dried shrimps, cured pork and morels make this no less delicious than an authentic Hakka suan pan zi.  


The Spaghetti ($24) is a delicious spin off from the classic Hakka noodles with a robust pork belly ragout with cuttlefish and aromatic elements like the ebi sakura. I might be biased towards Chinese noodles but this dish appeals to me anytime better than a plate of traditional spaghetti. I can imagine myself finishing the entire portion with chilli padi. As a half Hakka who is being raised by my Hakka maternal grandparents, I grew up with a fondness for suan pan zi and niang dou fu. Although these can be found in some hawker centres, I always feel that Hakka cuisine is under-represented versus Cantonese or Teochew cuisine. As such, it is heartening to learn that Hakka food has been placed on the French menu, giving more people the chance to understand and taste what Hakka food is.

Bread and Butter ($5) : Satay Bacon Epi, Levain, Baguette, 5 spice escargot with butter in unique flavours like chye poh and sambal

But the menu goes beyond the love story of French and Hakka. There’s local inspired dishes like Chicken Rice or Kale Caesar Salad that has a funky salted fish dressing. I highly recommend the Chili Crab Arancini (3pcs) because it tastes just like having chilli crab but without the trouble of deshelling the crab. Think of a giant crab meat ball, deep-fried to a golden crisp exterior with a gooey cheesy core, served in a pool of homemade chilli sauce cooked with lobster bisque. The bonus is the nuggets of fried Chinese buns littered randomly in the dish. What a clever interpretation of the Chilli crab dish and I love this more than the real dish. 

Expect no less from the desserts section as it has always been Antoinette’s forte. The Misty Forest ($18) that makes a smoky entrance reminded me of Harry Potter’s movie; as dark and mysterious as the main grand cru dark chocolate cremeux that envelops the tastebuds. But if there’s one dessert that is bound to win Singaporean’s hearts, it will be Pandan ($14), a 2-part dessert comprising of pandan kaya butter toast served alongside a plated dessert of Pandan ice cream, coral sponge, caviar, coconut crumble, lime foam and salted gula Melaka.    

Pandan, pandan, pandan. I haven’t come across any Singaporeans who don’t like pandan. This dessert is almost like a dream come true for myself who loves every single element here. And now, I (secretly) wish that there’ll be a pandan entremet on the cake collection next year.

Penhas Outlet

30 Penhas Road Singapore 208188

Mon-Thur 11am-10pm

Fri/Eve of PH 11am-11pm

Sat 10am-11pm

Sun/PH 10am-10pm

Mandarin Outlet 

33A Orchard Road, Mandarin Gallery, 

#02-33/34, Singapore 238897 

11am-10pm daily

http://www.antoinette.com.sg/

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L' Automne : A Sweet Spot All Seasons

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/

Clan 594 yen
Strawberry and almond cream mousse

Crunch 540 yen
Vanilla mousse, Framboise, Chocolate mousse, Crunchy Chocolate Coating

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Magie Du Chocolat マジドゥショコラ : So called "Magic" Chocolate Soufflés

Opened in Dec 2016 by chef-owner Matsumuro Wagomi, Magie Du Chocolat is the latest addition to the hot chocolate scene in Tokyo. It sells everything to do with chocolate and is said to support the direct trade movement of chocolates. An eco-friendly sustainable practice, that is.

But did I taste the magic here? Unfortunately not. The Uji Matcha Chocolat Souffle (¥480) was too sweet and tasted predominantly of white chocolate. Nonetheless, we loved the creamy texture when the cake melted in the mouth even though it looked rough when sliced apart. Never mind if it didn't possess any of the fluffy or airy characteristics of the common soufflés we know. This was rich and dense, with a biscuit base which had turned a little soggy.

Thankfully we decided to give a second chance by trying the Tanzania 75%. Indeed, this dark chocolate was a safer bet with its mellow bitterness. Skip the soft serve as it tastes as cheap as convenience store ice cream. Even if it is said to be made from chocolate Papua 35% and Tanzania 75%. To be honest, I'm cynical about the source of chocolates used here as I saw its supplier carrying boxes of XX chocolates, a common chocolate brand used in the industry, into the kitchen. Bean to bar? Really? Hmm....

myfoodsirens and I couldn't understand why there is a queue for this shop. Perhaps it's the magic of chocolate but we left disillusioned.

Magie Du Chocolat マジドゥショコラ
〒158-0083 東京都世田谷区奥沢６丁目３３−１４
10am-7pm (Closed on Tues)

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Chocolatier Inamura Shozo : Hidden Chocolate Patisserie in Ueno Tokyo

Most patissiers would serve chocolate cakes but very few would open another outlet just dedicated only to chocolate. Imamura Shozo is one of those. Located in the quiet suburbs of Yanesen, Chocolatier Inamura Shozo is Chef Inamura's second boutique after his popular Patissier Imamura Shozo which debuted in 2000 in Ueno Sakuragi.

But the range isn't very wide. Only chocolate entremets and confectionaries like bons-bons or pound cakes. No plated desserts or ice cream. Even for the entremets, you can easily count them in less than ten fingers. And there's only 6-8 pieces for each type. Apparently, the range doesn't change frequently as well. 

Yet, I can say that the chocolate entremets are high flyers in the league of chocolate even though I only tried two items. The chocolate glaze was as smooth as mirror and the mousse glided around the tongue almost like an Olympian ice skater skiing in the ice rink. The Matcha Chocolate is probably the most matcha-ish chocolate entremet I've ever, ever have. There's a good balance of matcha and white chocolate, with the mellow bitterness emerging mainly from the matcha ganache. It was sweet but in the milky form that won't shut you off like some entremets which make you feel as if you are just eating sugar. 

Coincidentally, the Larme (涙のしずく) was another tea-based entremet of bergamot tea. I picked this because the tangy lemon cream provided a nice refresher which prevented me from feeling jaded with the chocolate. Both works were impeccable in achieving the right consistency of chocolate mousse that can be enjoyed at a cool temperature of 25-26 degrees. Even better than Jean Paul Hevin to me. But it could be more adventure in the textures. None of the entremets had a crunchy component and a macaron base is the furthest you can get besides the typical sponge-mousse-ganache combination.

Nevertheless, the CP value is high and I was very satisfied with the two I had (initially I even wanted to order three for myself). It's worth a detour if you are in the Yanesen district or maybe as breakfast before lunch at the coffee house. Just be prepared that the potency of the chocolate is likely to get you a little chocolate dizzy.

〒110-0002 東京都台東区上野桜木2-19-8

10am-7pm

Closed on Mondays and every Third Tues 

http://www.inamura.jp/

宇治の抹茶とホワイトチョコレートを合わせたムースとチョコレートのムースで層をつくり、土台のマカロンに抹茶のガナッシュとチョコのガナッシュの２種類をサンドいたしました。

ベルガモット風味の紅茶が香るチョコレートガナッシュ・チョコレートムース・レモンのクリーム・マカロンショコラが入っております。レモンクリームで爽やかさを表現しており

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All The Batter: Probably Singapore's First Avocado Specialty Cafe

I often wonder why the cafe isn't called "All About Avocadoes" because All About Batter sells all kinds of desserts and drinks revolving around one of the world's superfood, avocados. Little known is that the shop has been selling avocado drinks and natural food at a kiosk in Anchorpoint since 2014. It takes online orders for cakes and caters for corporate events or special occasions.



It does not instill huge confidence to find the cafe tucked discreetly in one of the shophouses at Aldephi Park (next to Thomson Plaza), with seats and tables barely filled up on a weekend afternoon. Nor will one's heart rejoice when you browsed through the food photos posted on social media because the colors are dull and unappetizing. But once my family and I had a taste of the cakes and drinks, those initial suspicions were soon allayed.

The cakes here may not be fit into the photogenic criteria these days but they are all tasty and not too sweet at all. Above all, avocados are used to replace certain dairy products like butter and cream, making them healthier than the conventional pastries we know. What a bonus.

The Avocado Milk Ball ($2.90) is actually a choux puff filled with avocado cream. There is nothing spectacular about the choux pastry and the cream filling doesn't possess the dark green hue as shown on the official photo. But the avocado cream tastes like what it should be. The texture is dense but the flavor is pure and light, almost like eating an avocado.

The signature Avocado Rhapsody Slice ($6.50) is a cream cheese frosted chocolate sponge made with avocados in substitute of butter. I am not a fan of cream cheese frosting so I naturally swerved towards the Avocado Gula Melaka ($5.90) even though the two layers of cake here belongs the dense American style that can easily fill one up.

If I were to return again, I'll definitely order the Avocado artisan drinks that is churned from a multi-grain base. The Avocado Chocolate Ganache sounds like a super indulgent, calorie-laden smoothie but it turns out to be exactly the opposite. Barely sweetened yet rich, nutty and wholesome. The ganache (made with avocado too) is so thick that it hardly dissolves into the drink. Same goes for the Matcha Avocado that is also sweetened with honey. The restrained sweetness here is the most attractive aspect of the menu here.

Healthy and tasty. Now I know I don't have to travel too far for my sweets indulgence.

17 Jasmine Road, Aldephi Park
Weekends only 11am-9.30pm
http://www.allthebatter.com/

Matcha Avocado Smoothie

Avocado Rhapsody 

Avocado Gula Melaka

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