Yoku Moku ヨックモック Blue Brick Lounge Aoyama Tokyo

I’ve never had the motivation to visit this place until recently when I spotted its seasonal menu that looked potentially good. Matcha fondant is a dessert of the yesteryears but this cigare specialty store still had the guts to serve it. In fact, it had done a brilliant job with the entire concept. Who says plated desserts have to be deconstructed in an avant-Garde style and leave us feeling empty after that? 


モワルーショコラ 抹茶仕立て

Thankfully this was totally not the case. Everything was in the way they should be. You can tell a cake’s a cake and an ice cream is an ice cream. 

The perfectly matcha circles painted in the background were the key that transformed the dish, as if it was done with the masterful strokes of Picasso. The wobbly blobs of matcha bavaroise was barely sweetened but it wasn’t too bitter as well. 

Together with the yuzu sherbet, the matcha bavaroise toned down the sweetness from the matcha fondant cake. The matcha ice cream itself was already good on its own and I wiped it clean first. 

桜のクレームブリュレ Sakura Creme Brulee



However, the Sakura Creme Brûlée Parfait was a sorry situation as the centerpiece was terribly sweet, not salvaged in any case by the meringue sticks. Nonetheless it wasn’t a wasted trip as the matcha dessert saved the day and at least now that I’ve finally know how it feels like to dine at this famous Blue House eh nope, Blue Brick Lounge, that have been widely written and reviewed. 

Yoku Moku Blue House 
Lounge 10am-11pm (Shop till 7pm)
https://www.yokumoku.co.jp/store/tokyo/509/
https://www.facebook.com/yokumoku.co.ltd/
南青山５－３－３ 東京都港区 107-0062
Nearest station: Omotesando 

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Hotel New Otani Tokyo: $15 Super Overhyped and Overpriced Japanese Shortcake

If there’s one place you should avoid for cakes in Tokyo or even the whole of Japan, it is Patisserie Satsuki of the prestigious Hotel New Otani, the same place that houses the first Pierre Herme outlet in Japan. 

It’s famous for its super melon shortcake which is priced at a whopping ¥3500 per piece and limited to only 20 per day.  WOW. To think that something so simple can fetch such a heavenly price. And if it can continue to be around for so many years (more than 10 years), it must be damn good. 

Having found out that the cakes can be booked online for collection (which means no wasted trip  if it is sold out or no wasting time to queue), I eagerly booked 3 items from the edo Sweets series, a collection of matcha based pastries. 

1500 yen (~SGD 18) millefeuille

As I tried to navigate through the rather forlorn hotel (think old Beauty World Shopping Center) with kimono-clad Obaasan sipping afternoon tea on red cushion sofas, trying to reach the god-knows-where patisserie, I felt very awkward and I just wanted to collect and get out of this place asap. But the horror of all horrors came later. The cakes turned out to be the worst decision ever made in my life. 

1250 yen (~SGD 15) per slice 

I won’t describe the details of every single piece because it reminded me of the mental torture to try to consume as much as I can without wasting my money. The sponge (be it in the roll or shortcake) was terribly dry and rough you’ll better standby some water by your side. Meanwhile the matcha cream/ganache was so sweet that the first reaction most will do is to scrape it away. I felt sad for the matcha which have been robbed of their beauty because of the poor control of sugar and chocolate.

Portion for each cake is definitely bigger than average but who will even be keen to finish it when it tasted like this? 

Better save your calories and $$ for something else across the streets.

https://www.newotani.co.jp/tokyo/restaurant/p-satsuki/cake/edo-sweets/

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平安京茶事 台電大樓 : 人气抹茶甜点

说到抹茶台湾也不逊给日本。这次做了功课后才发现这里有那么多的抹茶甜点店。第一站来到位于台电大楼捷运站附近的平安京茶事。原以为这里有售卖焙じ茶和抹茶蛋糕卷、不过其实是三种：普通抹茶、三倍抹茶和玄米茶。

反正都来了、就三个都点吧。蛋糕卷本身的质感都很柔软细腻、不过味道主要还是来自中间的cream。普通抹茶卷味道浓郁中带有微甜、

不过三倍抹茶真是名副其实的更上一层楼、抹茶控应该会超喜欢这个、不过不是每个人都能接受这种不甜的甜点。这个三倍抹茶是我在日本和台湾吃过最好吃的抹茶卷。

玄米茶卷败在蛋糕太甜了、但是还好奶油的玄米味够香味十足。

如果是一组大概四人来吃、樱之经典双人套餐（980台币）还挺划算的。因为每个人在这里必须至少消费300台币、而这个就有四杯饮料（两杯冷茶、另外两杯自选）。

不喝甜的人纯抹茶不会出差错可是那杯抹茶latte就绝对淘汰。刚开始舔上面的泡沫还觉得挺浓郁的。但是喝多一口吓死人。太甜了。即使搅拌均匀还是像一杯白巧克力热饮。受不了。

抹茶千层蛋糕比起蛋糕卷来得甜不过还在接受范围。不过奶油很快就融化、要尽快吃。

抹茶卡奴丽外脆内嫩、不会太硬、比日本东京Paul bakery 的 版本还来得好吃多了。

我非常喜欢这家店的抹茶甜点、觉得比一些日本的cafe 还优秀。希望接下来的抹茶店可以继续让人满足

https://www.facebook.com/heiankyo.fans

地址：台北市師大路165號
捷運松山新店線台電大樓站5號出口
MRT Songshan-Xindian line, Taipower Building Station Exit 5
訂位電話：02-23682277
營業時間：12:30-21:30
每月第一個週一店休

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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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Kyoto Modern Terrace 1960 : Best Matcha Opera

Kyoto Modern Terrace 1960 is a cafe restaurant that sits in the middle of many attractions that include Heian Shrine, Kyoto Art Museum and Okazaki Park. It can get quite crowded during weekends or public holidays.


I wasn't loitering in the area for any sightseeing purposes. I was there only for one thing. The limited edition Matcha Opera dessert. And boy, I was totally blown away with this. I've had many many matcha operas before but I haven't come across anything as perfect as this. 

The matcha opera is part of the collaboration campaign held between the restaurant and Souda Kyoto. Perhaps to promote Kyoto I guess. But for a cafe-restaurant which doesn't focus on desserts to churn out something of such high calibre, I am really curious to know the brilliant mastermind behind this creation. 

THE KYOTO MODERN TERRACE

CAFE & RESTAURANT

京都市左京区岡崎最勝寺町13 ロームシアター京都 パークプラザ 2 階

TEL  075-754-0234
OPEN  8:00-23:00

Nearest station: Higashiyama Station
www.kyotomodernterrace.com

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