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Posted

Hi,

I'm planning a trip to Japan sometime in April to look for ideas and inspiration for our chocolate business in Bangkok and was hoping to get some advice on places worth visiting.

Purpose of visit:

(1) Dessert/Pastry ideas (Both eastern and western or anywhere else!)

(2) Presentation ideas

(3) Interior design and architecture ideas

(4) New trends and fusions

To date, I'll be defo visiting La Maison du chocolat, Toraya, Meiji Chocolate Cafe, Mont St Clair (Hironobu Tsujiguchi), Hidemi Sugino's Patisserie, Pierre Herme and Shunju.

Any other good recommendations on places to visit whilst I'm there?

Thanks!

Posted

I think you have a great list there. Instead of just targeting specific stores, you should walk around certain areas that are known for socialite hangouts! La Maison du Chocolat is located on Omotesando and that strip has several nice cafes but try and go to the small side streets, you'll find "gems" you will never expect to be there. Also very close to Omotesando is Aoyama area. There are TONS of stylish places that would probably inspire you. If you're limited with time and you want to see lots of desserts from various reputable patisseries I would suggest going to depachika (basement level of department stores). You'll find local favourites, internationally renouned names will also pop up (Lenotre, Hediard etc...).

ahh where's the button for the fries?

Posted
Hi,

I'm planning a trip to Japan sometime in April to look for ideas and inspiration for our chocolate business in Bangkok and was hoping to get some advice on places worth visiting.

Purpose of visit:

(1) Dessert/Pastry ideas (Both eastern and western or anywhere else!)

(2) Presentation ideas

(3) Interior design and architecture ideas

(4) New trends and fusions

To date, I'll be defo visiting La Maison du chocolat, Toraya, Meiji Chocolate Cafe, Mont St Clair (Hironobu Tsujiguchi), Hidemi Sugino's Patisserie, Pierre Herme and Shunju.

Any other good recommendations on places to visit whilst I'm there?

Thanks!

We'll be in Japan in April too - and chocolate is high on my list of activities as well. Could I volunteer to be one of your tasters :smile: ? If you need to calibrate my palate :smile: - my favorite is Maison du Chocolate (which I have to order on line and have delivered by fedex to my house). I've never tried many other high end brands - like Pierre Herme - but am looking forward to it :biggrin: .

Would you be so kind as to tell me the sections of Tokyo where these places are located (or if they're in a city other than Tokyo). No need for the precise address - I will ask the concierge for maps if we'll be in those parts of the city.

Also - here's an article in Gridskipper you might find interesting.

If you're interested in design - you might take a look at Mocoloco. I've not used the Tokyo part of the website before - but I have used other parts in other cities and found some interesting things. Gridskipper also has some interesting design commentary. If I run across anything else - I will let you know (I've been spending time doing more mundane trip planning - like figuring out how to get an ATM card that works in Japan!).

There seems to be some interesting contemporary architecture in Tokyo - but some of it - like Omotesando Hills - has not received very favorable reviews. Guess there's only so much you can do with a shopping mall even if you're a famous architect.

By the way - if you will be alone - and would like some company to pound a lot of pavement and explore these things - please PM or email me. We will be in Tokyo 4/12-4/18. Robyn

Posted

Thanks everyone!

I dunno how you guys can come up with such gems of links using the search option....I always get generic responses whilst doing the search!

Anyway, Robyn, I will give you the addresses of the few that I'm going to in a bit.

Just finished a mad day of equipment shopping in Singapore and will give you the addresses later when I'm back in Bangkok.

Cheers!

Posted

Crazy as it sounds, whenever I go to Tokyo and have a hankering for artisan chocolates and top-quality desserts, I visit the basement level of the Ginza Mitsukoshi. I have never seen so many incredible sweets, chocolates, and pastries in one enormous area, everything from delicate French macarons to hardcrafted artisan chocolates.

Check it out.

www.josephmallozzi.wordpress.com

Posted

Ok, here are the addresses of a few good places and their websites.

Hidemi Sugino's Patisserie - 3-6-17 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku (Daiei Building near the bridge.....should be near Kyobashi bridge, not Nihonbashi bridge!) tel: 03-3538-6780

Toraya - http://www.toraya-group.co.jp/english/shops/index.html

Pierre Herme - 1st floor, Laporte Aoyama, 5-51-8, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku....there's no map on Laporte's website, but its near omotesando! Pretty big building so should be quite easy to find!

Mont St Clair - Translated from the website on babelfish, http://www.ms-clair.co.jp/

Address:The Tokyo Meguro Ku freedom the hill 2-22-4 business 11:00 - 19:00 fixed holiday every week Wednesday, 3rd Tuesday

Shunju: http://www.shunju.com/ja/restaurants/ Do a translate on babel fish to get the one closest to you. The original Shunju is pretty far out. Was supposed to go for Xmas dinner there last year.......but my ex broke up with me :( Peeved me off....coz I was really looking forward to looking at the designs there!

Meiji 100% chocoalte cafe: http://open.meiji.co.jp/sweets/choco-cafe/shop.html

The address ison the website and more importantly....the only website with a map! If you have a Japanese mobile, you can just send a skymail to a service using the shop's landline and you will get a map sent to you to guide you there. Ahahah was banking on using that service coz I got a Japanese phone.....so......all the best in finding the place!

And Robyn, if I'm there same time as you, will defo make arrangements to meet up. However.....my plans have taken a swing for the worst.....late April, Food Hotel Asia in Singapore.....before that, Commodities Fair in Guangzhou. Will make it to Japan, but have to work around those fairs.

Cheers!

Posted

A cake shop near my house was having a special sale for their 16th anniversary, all cakes were 250yen ($2.10).

The line was down the street almsot all day long!

We chose these

gallery_6134_2590_14535.jpg

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Posted
A cake shop near my house was having a special sale for their 16th anniversary, all cakes were 250yen ($2.10).

The line was down the street almsot all day long!

How much are they normally - was that a significant discount?

Cutting the lemon/the knife/leaves a little cathedral:/alcoves unguessed by the eye/that open acidulous glass/to the light; topazes/riding the droplets,/altars,/aromatic facades. - Ode to a Lemon, Pablo Neruda

Posted
A cake shop near my house was having a special sale for their 16th anniversary, all cakes were 250yen ($2.10).

The line was down the street almsot all day long!

How much are they normally - was that a significant discount?

Yes it is a pretty good discount as they tend to average about 400 yen a piece.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

  • 5 months later...
Posted

Doing research for my Tokyo trip in December and came across this excellent thread.

Please, tell me the Jiyugaoka Sweet Forest is still open.

LB

This just in - Asahi.com reports that a new "pastry theme park" will open in Jiyugaoka.

Game publisher Namco will open the Jiyugaoka Sweet Forest on Nov. 21. It will feature the pastries of 12 of the best known pastry shops in Japan. The shops have chefs that have won international awards or have apprenticed in Europe.

Admission is free.

http://www.asahi.com/national/update/1120/011.html (in Japanese)

Cool ...

Some info on this place in English, with a link to their Japanese homepage

http://www.tcvb.or.jp/en/hot/sizzling/sizzling_ind.html

edit:

you need to scroll to the bottom and click on index and then on Pastry theme park

I found a nice article about Jiyugaoka Sweet Forest, with listing of some of the stores and their offerings:

http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/508/dining.asp

www.josephmallozzi.wordpress.com

Posted
Doing research for my Tokyo trip in December and came across this excellent thread.

Please, tell me the Jiyugaoka Sweet Forest is still open.

LB

Yes, they are!

Their homepage

I was on the Oimachi line 4 times 2 weeks ago and ever time we passed Jiyugaoka and I saw the sign for Sweets Forest, I kept thinking someday, someday....

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Posted

Many thanks, Tokakris. This one is at the top of my to-do list when my wife and I come a-visiting.

Oh, and if you do feel like checking it out sometime around early December, let us know...

LB

Doing research for my Tokyo trip in December and came across this excellent thread.

Please, tell me the Jiyugaoka Sweet Forest is still open.

LB

Yes, they are!

Their homepage

I was on the Oimachi line 4 times 2 weeks ago and ever time we passed Jiyugaoka and I saw the sign for Sweets Forest, I kept thinking someday, someday....

www.josephmallozzi.wordpress.com

  • 5 months later...
Posted

I just recently placed an order for 245 people at a French pastry shop owned by a friend of mine, the next day my friend stopped by with a little thank you present from here shop. :biggrin:

gallery_6134_4148_223411.jpg

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Posted

This was one of the most incredible things I have ever eaten! :biggrin:

gallery_6134_4148_350010.jpg

Sakura Shu-cream (cream puff)

It was a regular cream puff filled with a delicious vanilla custard cream and one dark sweet cherry, it was then dusted with sakura powder and wrapped in a briny leaf. The filling was reminiscent of cherry vanilla ice cream and the sakura powder add the just the perfect accent of sakura while the leaf added the most subtle but perfectly complementary flavor. (I removed the leaf before eating)

I am going to be headed back once a week for this until they are gone....

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

  • 1 month later...
Posted

OOOh. I loved La Terre in Shibuya... they had this orange chocolate cake that was the most amazing thing ever. One layer of dark chocolate decorated with a mandarin orange, one layer of orange with little bits of candied orange... oh dear.

Posted
It was a regular cream puff filled with a delicious vanilla custard cream and one dark sweet cherry, it was then dusted with sakura powder and wrapped in a briny leaf. The filling was reminiscent of cherry vanilla ice cream and the sakura powder add the just the perfect accent of sakura while the leaf added the most subtle but perfectly complementary flavor. (I removed the leaf before eating)

Kristin, this looks fantastic. Could you tell me more about the sakura powder? Is it widely available in Japan, and is it sweetened? Any info would be appreciated.

Baker of "impaired" cakes...
Posted

I had never seen this sakura powder before, so I don't think it is widely available. I wish I could remember more about the powder now but I am pretty sure it wasn't sweetened.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Posted (edited)

^^^Thanks for replying, Kristin. I guess I'll have to go hunting around some Japanese pastry sites for this mystery sakura powder.

Edited by sanrensho (log)
Baker of "impaired" cakes...
Posted

Wonder if this is similar to sakura shio and ume shio that was served with tempura while I was in Japan in March. Sakura shio had a nice taste of sakura leaf and ume shio had taste of umeboshi.

Posted

This has me wondering about the taste of sakura. What is it? Not cherry. Taste of preserved sakura leaves and flowers? Has anyone ever preserved leaves or flowers before? It's definately Japanese taste.

  • 5 months later...
Posted

Can someone tell me why Pierre Herme has a gazillion outlets in Tokyo, yet none in the Kansai area? I was considering ordering some macarons online, but I think they choose the flavours, rather than letting you choose them yourself.

Does anyone know if they'll be opening in Kansai in the future? I tried to find the info on their website, but my reading is limited, so I didn't get very far.

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