Mille Crêpe Brûlée - Tully's Coffee Shop

Tully's coffee shops, found all over Japan, (and everywhere else), make an acceptable range of cakes and coffee, even if a little predictable. (I shouldn't complain, since that 'sameyness' inevitably goes with the territory. The whole point of a franchise being, that those people who don't like surprises can find the sense of security they crave in knowing exactly what their money is buying.)

The location, usually in the centre of town, somewhere near the train station, makes it a popular haunt for weekend shoppers, and... well... every now and then, if you're tired after trawling the local デパート, (department stores),  and in need of instant gratification,  'predictable' is kind of comforting...
                                                                       

This slice of cake, named, exotically, "Mille Crêpe Brûlée," comes with a dark caramelized brûlée topping, and layer after ever-so-thin layer of cream and crepe. The whole thing holds together well... at least, long enough to get from fork to mouth, where, without a lot of effort on your part, it dissolves, wonderfully.

Trying this for the first time today, I found the texture satisfying, (it fulfilled the 'peanut butter test'  - ie. an appropriate film of fat was left to coat the inside of the mouth. But the flavour?... Well to be honest there wasn't anything I could actually identify in there, apart from the slightly smoky taste of the sugar topping. Personally, after looking at it intently for a moment before attacking it with the cake fork, I had hoped for something a bit more overtly 'vanilla'... 'ish.' Even a hint of lemon would have been nice... with a small twist of candied lemon peel? (I dream...)


Today, being a still chilly early spring day, I also chose another Tully's special, Honey Milk Latte... ホット('hotto' or, in English, 'hot'). Taste?  OK...(could have been stronger).  Foam topping?  MMmmm... Thick, firm, moist, and pleasantly spoonable. With the swirl of honey syrup, it is enough to satisfy even the most demanding sugarphile. I found myself sucking happily on my spoon, then absentmindedly scraping the bottom of the paper cup with an unexpected determination. It was a pity to come to the end of it. 

オレンジのタルト (Orange Tart)

パパス パティスリー (or 'Papas Patisserie') on Route 56, near Onoba, Akita city, was a serendipitous find.

Returning home from an afternoon trip to the beach along this busy link road, and ignoring most of the small, rather unattractive, commercial enterprises en route, I suddenly noticed an inconspicuous sign, with simple blue lettering, that read ケーキ (cake), so I quickly pulled over into one of the two parks outside the tiny store to take a closer look.

The shop itself was small and the space for customers rather narrow, much like many home-based businesses on a busy thoroughfare anywhere, with a couple of cane tables and matching chairs in the window, some 'cutsie' decorations and little potted plants, and a long glass cabinet containing a colourful array of home-baked goods.

A mini polar bear, with an equally mini cake fork, awaits his turn for afternoon tea.

The open space between the counter area and the kitchen beyond was filled with a tall wobbly pile of empty white cardboard cake boxes, and the shop assistant, who was on her own, could barely squeeze past to get close enough to serve me.

She greeted me with a friendly いらっしゃいませ (welcome) and a slightly nervous smile. (The mild alarm I often notice crossing the faces of shopkeepers in small businesses further away from the busier parts of the city, is not something unusual. Since I am not Japanese, and it is probably very unlikely for a foreigner to be shopping for cake, or anything else, for that matter, in this particular part of town, the arrival of a 外国人  or 'gaikokujin' (sometimes translated 'alien') often creates a stir, and often no small amount of nervous giggling.)

There was no coffee for sale, since this was a specialty cake shop, which I thought was a pity, since the shop was located back from the road and the tables were well placed for a sit-down afternoon tea. A choice of drinks to go with the baking would probably entice a few more customers inside.

The time being around 2.30, I would have expected most cakes to have been sold, and not much left to choose from, but I was the only customer, and the cabinet was still very well-stocked.

My choice for the day was the Orange Tart. This turned out to be a nicely balanced culinary creation, and in its small takeaway box, with a mini cake fork wrapped in layers of napkin and a wide strip of rose-patterned paper, was artfully presented.

A buttery shell of shortcake provided a firm, but 'biteable' casing for a delightfully sweet almond cream cake filling, the overall effect of which was moist, and deliciously dense.

On top was an arrangement of layered orange slices, (skins still on), set in a clear glaze above a singed cake crust, and edged with small rosettes of piped cream. The slight bitterness of the orange peel and the dark brown crust provided just the right foil to the shortcake and sweet filling.


At 300 Yen a slice, it was well priced, and definitely worth the stop, and the wait  (in order to get home) to have it with a coffee...

I'm hoping it will be fine again next weekend... perhaps I'll make another trip to the beach...

Link

For a Japanese language page about this Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Cake, please visit the link provided here.

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/newmoonidea/31671397.html?fb_action_ids=586582018028084%2C585660124786940&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%22586582018028084%22%3A462581120476638%2C%22585660124786940%22%3A557840037588893%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22586582018028084%22%3A%22og.likes%22%2C%22585660124786940%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

チョコレートロール (Chocolate Roll)

Today's delights were savoured at the Onoba Nagahama Coffee Shop on route 61 in Akita-shi. 

The Chocolate Roll was to die for... rich, flavorsome, and filled with... wait for it... 

fresh strawberries and... REAL CREAM!!! 

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Excellent presentation and the coffee is perfect!

Bite after bite of pure chocolate heaven! 

(With a few tangy strawberries... REAL ones... just in case the chocolate and cream 

aren't quite enough for you.)

Detail of the plate... Nagahama knows how to present its products with STYLE!

Even though they were really busy, we got great service, with a smile, 

and the smartly attired waiting staff are very happy to take your photo too.

I'll definitely be back!

Green Tea Ice-cream Cake

'Noel Joyeux,' a rather cluttered establishment on Route 13, just out of Akita City, was an experience in confusion and kitsch. The name, though festive, gives no indication of what is inside. Is it a bar... a cafe... a restaurant... a bottle-store... a tatami-floored teahouse, or an 'eclectic-advertising-posters-of-the-80's' emporium?

The service is efficient enough, but completely lacking in grace, (which, in my experience, is unusual in Japan). One can taste when food is prepared with love and this day's fare clearly was not. 'Noel Joyeux' seems to be haunted by the 'Ghost of Christmas Past,' and, though it appears clean, is in dire need of some TLC (and a determined 'declutter'). First up should be some new glass tops on the tables. My spot had a huge crack across it.

1. The coffee?... An oily, bitter stew.

2. The cake?...  A hard and frozen filling that set the teeth on edge.

 3. The sponge?... Squeaky green bubbly stuff, with the consistency of styrofoam. Really!

4.  The 'cream?'... Spewed straight from an aerosol can.

5. The 'milk?'... the usual potted, palm-oil-based concoction one normally gets with a cup of instant coffee on a cheap aeroplane flight. EEEeeeeewwwwhhh!

6. The sugar?  A long slim paper pack of your usual white refined granules.

Total flavour (for each of the above, 1 - 6)? ... Sadly, I have to say... ZERO! 

(Though I sincerely attempted to savour each mouthful slowly, and waited... hopefully, for some kind of response from my tastebuds, I was, in the end, disappointed.  

Truly, honestly, 100% completely... 

not one hint of any kind of known flavour, real or artificial, could be detected. 

I don't think I have ever eaten anything before that did not taste of anything at all.)

HOWEVER...

7. The fruit?... THAT was real. (And fresh, thankfully. I guess seven is, after all, a lucky number.)

It was the one redeeming feature of the entire afternoon tea!

Chestnut Cake and Midori White Chocolate Layered Cake

Back at 'Worl Bon Bon' in Goshono, Akita. This being spring in Akita, the first choice, モンブラン(otherwise known as 'Mont Blanc' or Chestnut Cake), was a little unseasonal, since chestnuts are more commonly eaten in the autumn. This 'cake,' was mostly a soft piped 'whorl' of chestnut flavoured cream, with the surprise of a real candied chestnut inside, sitting on a base of soft yellow sponge. Though chestnuts on their own can feel a little dry, this had the full flavour of the nut, and was moist and sweet, with only the slightest trace of  'chalkiness' normally associated with chestnuts.

The ホットコーヒー (hot coffee) comes black. 'Cream' (not real) arrives in a small basket in 

tiny foil-topped pots with long thin paper sachets of white sugar, to be added, or not, at the 

drinker's discretion. Each table has a small, white china sugar bowl with a 

fitted lid, which provides cubed brown sugar for those who prefer it.

The cubes are less sweet than the packaged sugar, and 

offer a very pleasant gritty texture as they dissolve.

This cake was a layered delight. Starting from the bottom, maccha (green tea) whip, then a similar layer of a light milk-chocolate flavour, then another layer, this time vanilla. The firm lime icing spooned over the three tiers held it all together, and was actually melted white chocolate with 'midori' colouring. The two 'wings' are peanut brittle, and the 'crown' was a fresh raspberry. Angelic!

Special Occasion Cakes

 

A birthday cake provided by a Mexican restaurant in Miyazaki, Kyushu. (Green Tea Sponge Roll, filled with cream and topped with strawberries)...

...and a Banana Loaf, lovingly created by my young son in the family 'combo' microwave/toast/baking oven (we had no access to a full-sized baking oven here in Japan) for Mother's Day.

日本のカップケーキ Nihon No Kappu Keki - Japanese Cupcakes.

Strictly speaking, these are not 'Japanese' cakes, since they were made in New Zealand. They formed part of a 'Bring and Buy' cake stall, organised by The University of Otago International Students' Association, to raise money to help people living in Tohuku, the area most affected by the tragic triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident) in March, 2011. The characters iced onto the top of the cakes (頑張れ日本  - Ganbare Nihon), roughly translated, mean 'Good Luck Japan.' 

Two years after these sad events, I post this image as a reminder of those who passed away, and the fact that people in this part of northern Japan are still struggling to rebuild their lives. For more information about how to help, please visit the following site.  http://www.icrc.org/eng/where-we-work/asia-pacific/japan/index.jsp

Fig Tart and Grand Marnier Fruit Cake

Sampling of 'Nagahama Coffee' treats. There are five Nagahama Coffee shops in Akita. These photos are from the branch a little to the north of the city station, on route 41. After a leisurely hour or so of browsing in the hardware and gardening sections of nearby 'HomeAc,'  it's nice to nip across the street and finish the afternoon with a chat over coffee and おいしいケーキ (oishii keki - delicious cake). 'Nagahama Coffee' is also well-known for its Italian style gelato, which I have yet to sample.

Cute (かわいい - kawaii) cappucino.  Akita is an area where there are bears living in the forest. I'd much rather encounter this one, than the real thing...

Butter Cake, infused with Grand Marnier liqueur, and topped with dried citrus peel, raisins and a glacé cherry. Yum!

A glazed Fig Tart. The short pastry base was wonderfully buttery, but the figs lacked a bit of ... oomph!

Berry Berry Cake - Strawberries, Blackcurrants and Chocolate.

This amazing cake, heaped high with a wonderfully fruity blend of strawberries and blackcurrants (cassis), comes from a treasure of a place a friend and I discovered, quite by accident, when driving through Kakunodate, a quaint town, and a popular spring tourist destination, not far from Akita City. The cafe/gallery is called 'Pukapukan' ぷかぷ館 , and is run by photographer Hitomi Komatsu, and her sister (whose name, I am sorry to say, I do not know). Komatsu-san's works, which are on display, sensitively capture the beauty of local flora and make for a gentle artistic experience, and the service, and quality of the coffee and cake, are 100% excellent!

A graceful hand-made glass bowl contains the creamer. 

Komatsu-san's cafe/gallery also showcases other such works by local artists. 

Maccha (Green Tea) Roll Cake

Maccha (Green Tea) Roll Cake. 

I snapped this while taking afternoon tea in the cafe of 'The Adachi Museum of Art' near Matsue, in Shimane Prefecture.  

The cafe setting was unforgettable, with tall, wide windows overlooking a calm pond and an exquisite traditional Japanese garden. 

The art museum, and Matsue city itself, are not the most accessible places, and though this cafe was 'off the beaten track,' the coffee and cake, with its green maccha-flavored sponge and filling were well worth the effort. (The pink filling is a red-bean (azuki) cream, and the barely visible, darker inner ring was a thin layer of red-bean paste. the two round shapes in the maccha filling are sweet, crystallized red and green beans.) 

The cake was a welcome treat after wandering, all afternoon, through the long corridors of the art museum. One day, I think I'll go all the way back there, not just to enjoy the garden, which is famous throughout Japan, and the art collection which was... 'interesting,' but simply to enjoy the cake again!