Bistro Marx by Thierry Marx : Probably the Most Expensive French Toast in Japan

Tokyo isn't short of Michelin-star restaurants and it isn't surprise to find overseas Michelin-star chefs venturing into the local market. One good example is Bistro Marx by chef-owner Thierry Marx of 2-star Sur Mesure in Paris. For the price and the location in glitzy Ginza, Bistro Marx is more like a upscale fine-dining restaurant than anything else. 

I haven't read much about his legacy but I know he started his training as a baker and pastry chef before moving on to the culinary cooking. He even established bread school back in 2013. I wondered why he chose to open a restaurant instead of a bakery. Nonetheless, his signature Brioche Feuilettine (only limited to 30 per day), besides his Pain Perdu and Marx Burger, was one of the items highlighted by local media.

My visit was an unplanned one on a Sunday afternoon, during which the afternoon tea menu was only limited to desserts and tea. As a French Toast lover, I instantly picked his Pain Perdu which came in the option of half size (1 cube) for ¥900 and full size (2 cubes) for ¥1800.

The Pain Perdu was soft and custardy, but not as creamy or pudding-like as the ones from Grain Traders, which perhaps makes it more qualified to be called a French toast to the french toast purists. It was served with both maple syrup and caramel syrup, of which the latter' burnt bitter taste might be a little strange with bread. The vanilla ice cream was too sweet, but just right when you mopped them with the pain Perdu. This is no doubt delicious, but hardly superior than the ones from Mercer Brunch so I felt it was overpriced.

The Marquise Chocolat was a trio of moist, fudgy baked chocolate cake with a slightly crisp edge. But that's only a part of the story. It's actually hollow within, filled with generous amount of chocolate ganache which was concealed from the eye with a paper-thin chocolate sable.


Paired with the tangy raspberry coulis, this is rich dessert for serious chocoholics only. I loved this more than the Pain Perdu and probably more worth the splurge because it's chocolate.

My friend who visited the place for dinner commented that the food was good. With a "million-dollar" sky view overlooking the crowded streets of Ginza, this might be a

[BISTRO] 11:00–23:00 daily
[BAR] 23:00–26:00 / Closed Sun/PH
7F GINZA PLACE 5-8-1 GINZA CHUO-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN

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Kajitsuen 果実園 Fruit Cafe in Tokyo : Popular but Mediocre

Kajitsuen has had a long presence at Tokyo station selling fruit parfaits, fruit pancakes and fruit cakes. I think fruit desserts make a good business because people generally won't hate fruits and they can be charged at a high price. I finally got a chance to check out its opened a new outlet near Shinjuku station since the location is more convenient and opens till late. 

As attractive as the tall fruit cream cakes may seem, they were utterly disappointing and fared even poorer than food from those franchise cafes. The sponge of the Pistachio Strawberry cake was dry and the pistachio taste wasn't as strong as it looked. I won't be surprise if artificial coloring has been added. 

Of course the freshness of the seasonal strawberries can't be argued but I won't pay more than 1000 yen for a cake of such substandard quality ever again. Better head to Takano Parlour.

The Strawberry Parfait (1300 yen) was more value-for-money than the cake because there was an seemingly endless supply of strawberries. However beyond that, it was just a tower of artificial-tasting whipped cream (like those squirted from metal canisters), vanilla and strawberry ice cream. It's probably the worse ice cream I've ever had in Japan because I've yet to encounter anything as bad as this.

I try to convince myself that I'm paying for the quality fruits. But in that case, why don't I just go to the supermarket for the fruits?

This was my first and shall be my last visit

Kajitsuen 果実園
Shinjuku outlet:
〒151-0053
東京都渋谷区代々木2-7-7南新宿277ビルB1
Daily 7.30am-11pm
Tokyo 151-0053, Shinjuku-ku Yoyogi 2-7-7 Minami Shinjuku 277 Building B1
http://kajitsuen.jp/html/

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An-Cheese Tarts by Tsujiguchi Hironobu @ Tokyo Station

Selling popular cheese tarts might be a good way to gain more business but not everyone can do it well and delicious. Unfortunately, celebrity chef Tsujiguchi Hironobu's latest foray into the cheese tart market doesn't seem to hold up remarkably against strong competitors. Being a consistent advocate for traditional Japanese elements in western pastries, he has created a version filled with anko (red bean paste) beneath the cheese (¥216). The other is a lemon flavored chilled cheese tart (¥270) 

Besides the soggy tart shells, the cheese filling was too sweet and leaned towards a cheesecake texture. To be honest, these were very disappointing. The strategic location inside Ecute Tokyo Station definitely sees a constant stream of customers. But I think he should just stick to the butter rusks which was originally sold here.

That was one of the best snacks I've ever had.

Waraku Beniya by Tsujiguchi Hironobu

ecute tokyo, Inside Tokyo Station 1F
1 Chome-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
Opening Hours 8am-10pm (Till 9pm on Sundays/PH)
http://www.h-tsujiguchi.jp/brand/warakubeniya/

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