Category Archives: Pastries

PIERRE MARCOLINI Chocolatier

by Bianca

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I could not wait to share my newfound haven of chocolate dwellings. Pierre Marcolini is a tiny chocolate shop in one of the back streets of Ginza. I have passed it many times and simply dismissed it as a glamorous little chocolatier you go to when in need of gifts. I had no idea they had a small cafe on the second floor where you could order an array of heavenly chocolate desserts and pastries. Thank God I went in the other day and found the tiny cafe on the second floor.

These are the desserts we tried :

The chocolate gateau

The chocolate gateau

Now this was good but somewhat heavy. I would recommend trying something else like the salty caramel eclair pictured below. This was exquisite.

The salty caramel eclair

The salty caramel eclair

The star of the show in my opinion was this Marcolini salty caramel waffle and caramel ice cream. This little waffle was absolutely heavenly, soft on the inside, slightly crunchy on the outside with the perfect amount of sweetness to it. And the sizing was just right. Not too big nor too small.

The Marcolini salt caramel waffle with caramel ice cream

The Marcolini salt caramel waffle with caramel ice cream

I can’t wait to go back and try the chocolate eclairs and chocolate fondue. Will update !

Price: $

PIERRE MARCOLINI GINZA. 5-5-8 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Phone : 03-55370015.

HENRI CHARPENTIER : The best mille feuille in town

by Bianca

Ok, I have definitely found the winner for best mille feuille in town and the award goes to Henri Charpentier’s caramel mille feuille stack. Pierre Herme used to hold the prize for the best mille feuille in my book before I stumbled upon this lovely pastry shop in Ginza, but today I pass the award along.

The mille feuille

The mille feuille

Not to mix things up, it is not a mille feuille you buy at the pastry shop but one you have to order from the menu at their cafe in the basement of their Ginza shop. If you get confused, there are pictures in the menu. Just pick the one pictured above. It is so heavenly delicious I am having trouble picking out the words to describe it. I am speechless. The mille feuille combines the perfect amount of crunchiness of the puffs with some lovely hazelnut cream and a touch of caramel syrup. I was so afraid that this is only a seasonal menu, I didn’t even dare ask.

Enough raving about the mille feuille, now we may move on to some more dainty delights that Henri Charpentier has to offer. Although disputed by some, Henri Charpentier, a french chef, was known as the creator of the crepes suzette. Of course, I had to try some. Ordering the crepe suzette here brings a waitress with a trolley who cooks the crepes right in front of you.

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I have never been a fan of crepes suzette (or any dessert that has an orangey taste to it), so my review might be biased. Lets just say, it wasn’t bad.

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Another pastry I found absolutely delectable was their caramel bon-bon.

The caramel bon bon

The caramel bon-bon

I am sure all the other mouth-watering pastries on display are absolutely delicious as well.

The pastry display

The pastry display

Well, I’ll just have to go back and find out. The coffee is also good and it is better to pay them a visit in the late afternoon. There are always lines at lunch hour and a little bit after. Around 5 pm would be the perfect time to visit and I will be doing so again very soon. Before I leave, some pictures of their interior and exterior.

The interior

The interior

The exterior

The exterior

Prize : $$ (for pastries)

HENRI CHARPENTIER GINZA. Address : 2-8-20 Ginza Chuo-ku. Tel : 03-3562-2721.


			

	




	

		
MATSUMOTORO’s Golden View

				

			
				
			
						
			by Bianca			
					

			

		

		
IMG_2579The building that houses this cafe in Hibiya Park is so bland and unassuming, I would have walked straight by if I did not notice its lovely terrace. It was during the turning of the autumn leaves a few days ago and Matsumatoro’s terrace had amazing  unobstructed views of the magnificent old ginkgo trees that adorn Hibiya Park. The glittering afternoon sun that illuminated the golden leaves when I visited created such a magical view, I decided to brave the cold and sit outside.


I wasn’t expecting too much in terms of food quality but I was pleasantly surprised. Later on I heard that Matsumotoro is very well-known for their curry buffet lunches but in the afternoon, the serve a  mouth-watering cake set.


You are presented with a tray of dazzling pastries to choose from. It comes with regular coffee or tea but you need to pay extra if you want a latte or cafe au lait.


IMG_2583Picking out my pastry of choice from all the wonderful options presented wasn’t an easy task. I finally decided on the irresistible strawberry short-cake while my friend opted for the coffee jelly.


Heavenly delight
Heavenly delight


The strawberry short-cake was heavenly as the picture above clearly illustrates. Soft and moist with just the right amount of sugar, it simply melts away in your mouth.


IMG_2585If coffee jellies are your thing then this one is absolutely gratifying. Bittersweet in all the right ways.


Finally, I leave you with a lovely picture of the Hibiya pond just around the corner. Matsumotoro is definitely an oasis amidst Tokyo’s chaos. I’m so glad I stumbled upon it.


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MATSUMATORO Hibiya


Hibiya Park 1-2 Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo


03-3503-1451


 


Price : $

			

	




	

		
Alluring Qu’il Fait Bon

				

			
				
			
						
			by Bianca			
					

			

		

		


Like a dangerous sirens serenade, I was lured into this pastry shop/cafe in a Ginza back alley one afternoon by its enchanting display of colorful tarts illuminated in a soothing yellow light. I simply could not resist the temptation and allowed myself to be shipwrecked into their cosy basement cafe, even enduring the 30 minute wait.




Their extensive menu made it difficult to decide what to get.




But I finally decided on the banana choco tart which looked absolutely mouth-watering, while my friends chose the nut caramel tart and the cream cheese cake.


The banana choco tart


The nut caramel tart




At the end, we ended up adding a 4th slice which was the pear fruit tart, and let me tell you, all those slices were definitely worth the calories I will have to burn off tomorrow.


Address/phone :  2-4-5 Ginza/ 03-51590605


Price : $

			

	




	

		
Paper Moon

				

			
				
			
						
			by Bianca			
					

			

		

		
No, it’s not a branch of the famous Milan Italian restaurant, it’s a pastry shop and the pastries in this cute cozy cake shop will definitely take you over the moon.




As you enter, you will find a small non smoking section with an array of rattan chairs and a wonderful display of pastries to choose from. Everything looks delicious.






Unfortunately, it is the large smoking section in the back that is most comfortable to sit in. A variety of sofa sets adorn the dark interior and this pastry shop suddenly looks more like a bar. A huge baccarat crystal lamp hangs inside a glass box as decoration in the middle of the cafe. This would definitely be the best way to display a very expensive baccarat lamp when you don’t have a high ceiling.




Paper moon also has some simple lunch menus like lasagna and pasta, but we were there for the pastries. We chose five different kinds from the wonderful display : the famous mille feuille  (absolutely and undeniably heavenly), the strawberry shortcake (delicious), the chocolate sponge cake (so-so), the cream roll cake (delicious) and the thin apple pie (to die for).


The mille feuille and strawberry cake


The apple pie


The cream roll cake


There you go, some of the best pastries in Tokyo. You should give it a try ….
























Paper Moon


3448-1676


Minami-Azabu 4-12-26. Open 11:30am-1:30am (LO) daily.