50 SHADES OF TOKYO DESSERTS | SHADE 1
First and foremost, I am super excited to launch my new blog series – 50 Shades of Tokyo Desserts. The challenge is simple: 50 desserts over 12 months and 1 food & travel blogger in pursuit of her next best sweet treat around Tokyo.
I am a firm believer that when it comes to cross-cultural experiences, one of the best ways to fully immerse into foreign cultures and customs is to discover varied and vibrant flavors of our travel destinations. In regards to outstanding Japanese cuisine the world has heard way too much about the freshest sushi, scrumptious wagyu steak and soul warming bowl of tonkatsu ramen. However, as I continue to explore local food scene I want to feature the sweeter side of Tokyo, something that I find to be unfairly underrepresented. I believe that desserts are one of the best ways to bring cultures together. Who doesn’t enjoy sampling sweet treats from around the world? With an itinerary that includes the crème de la crème of luxurious patisseries and refined historic confectioneries I plan to taste and tell you the story of Tokyo’s most sublime and iconic desserts. So, make sure to subscribe to my blog and follow 50 Shades of Tokyo Desserts on Facebook to stay abreast of my enticing and sugar high adventures of 2016!
For my first afternoon tea mission I headed to the upscale department store Tokyo Midtown, adjacent to The Ritz-Carlton in the Roppongi district.
Macarons are one of his many specialties which he creates using flavors such as yuzu (citrus), momo (peach), genmaicha (brown rice tea), wasabi and kurogome (black sesame).
It’s certainly hard to make a choice with so many tempting treats. However, I was pleasantly surprised that along with single desserts, Sadaharu Aoki offers a degustation cake sampler if you dine in – a perfect way to savor a little bit of everything.
Sensuel: This 6-tier entremet consists of alternating layers of nutty daqcuoise, almond-flavored chocolate sponge, feuilletine praline, milk chocolate mousse and thin yet prevailing raspberry gelée. This was one of my favorites among all the samples I tasted. Flavors of chocolate and raspberry created a delectable combination. What really elevated this marriage further for me is the dominant hazelnut flavor. The piece is crowned with incredibly flavorful Macaron Framboise. I was delighted with the crisp shell and tangy raspberry confiture filling.
Valencia: This gorgeous cake celebrates the mélange of citrusy orange with exuberance of chocolate. The composition of layers is almost similar to that of Sensuel with an exception of delicate orange crème. Dacquoise base provides a nice crunch to the overall smooth texture of the cake, while the presence of hazelnuts are enhanced by the two halves of roasted nuts as décor perched on top.
Bamboo: With Christmas right around the corner the design of the cake beautifully incorporated the festive theme of the season. This cake is also Aoki’s famed matcha rendition of the classic opéra. It is beautifully layered with matcha joconde biscuit, chocolate ganache, and matcha buttercream. And I adored the artful bamboo motif! As expected, the aroma of matcha really cuts through giving it a bitter taste. I’m afraid I am not a lover of matcha so this cake was my least favorite.
All of Aoki’s creations boast with simple yet sophisticated flavors and are perfectly executed. Aoki applies the Japanese sense of intricacy and perfectionist attitude to the rich history of French pastry-making, producing strikingly beautiful works of art using premium ingredients. He is a true virtuoso producing desserts that are as delicious as they are exquisitely beautiful.
“Creating something delicious. To achieve this goal, it is essential to maintain simplicity. I like to create simple things, but it is the most difficult thing to do, since simple things cannot be manipulated.” – Sadaharu Aoki
On my way out I made sure I got couple of treats for Mr. B as well. Plus, I couldn’t leave without buying one of my favorite and Aoki’s highly praised desserts – éclair.
Domo arigato gozaimasu Aoki-san for setting the bar high for my future sweet adventures.
Boutique in Tokyo Midtown Shop
- 9-7-4 Akasaka Minato-ku Tokyo Midtown B1F
- 3 minutes walking from Roppongi’s station (Tokyo Subway/ Oedo line)
- Open : Monday to Sunday 11:00 – 21:00
Shinjuku Isetan Shop
- 3-14-1 Shinjuku shinjuku-ku Tokyo
- 3 minutes walk from Shinjukusanchôme station (Tokyo Subway)
- Open : Monday to Sunday 10:00 – 20:00
Marunouchi shop
- 3-4-1 Shinkokusai BLD RDC Marunouchi,chiyoda-ku Tokyo
- 3 minutes walk from Yurakuchô station(JR lines/Tokyo Subway)
- Open : Monday to Sunday 11:00 – 20:00
Shibuya Hikarie ShinQs shop
- Shibuya Hikarie ShinQs B2F
- 2-21-1 Shibuya Shibuya-ku Tokyo
- Open : Monday to Sunday 10:00 – 21:00
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