I think I died and went to cake heaven.
It was our anniversary this weekend - nothing special and not even a landmark number, but in our household we love any excuse to gorge ourselves on sweet treats. Satoshi was working late on Friday night so the only place that was open on the way home was a local chain store with its generic strawberry shortcakes (which, by the way are plenty delicious). But being the perfectionist he is, he was so cute about this little shortcake and got all embarrassed like "I want to buy you something better", so on Saturday as well as regular cake I also got whisked away on a spontaneous post-dinner dessert hunt to the Ebisu branch of the infamous Toshi Yoroizuka, one of Japan's best patissiers. Talk about going from one extreme to the other.
It was my first time and I didn't quite know what to expect, but I was told to prepare myself for all my favourite goodies under one roof. The Ebisu branch itself is nothing special - there are a few tables outside but it's basically a small take-away cake shop housed amongst a long line of conservative eateries in uptown Ebisu. As you walk in, there is a small counter containing tastefully arranged cakes and treats, each with a neatly written description. Nothing new there. But the desserts themselves really took the cake (...ok, that was awful, forgive me).
There were all the classics - chocolate gateau, shu-creams, roll cake - as well as some more inventive concoctions like orange liquor cheesecake and chestnut mousse. I got a very adult impression from the selection - it's not the kind of place I can imagine your kids wanting to go on the weekends, since the taste palette is very rich and not at all sickly sweet. But as the sweet-but-not-too-sweet dessert foodie I am, it was the perfect balance and therefore impossible to choose just one. So, in a stroke of genius we got two each instead. We both ended up going for the cheese soufflé cheesecake, but I opted for chocolate gateau (when I heard the base was made with walnuts I was instantly taken), whereas Satoshi went for a shu-cream.
We hopped in a taxi home and shared our little feast with a cup of houji-cha and iced coffee. The cheese soufflé cheesecake was just as fluffy and airy as I'd expected, with a mouse-like texture that melted in the mouth. I know some people don't like it when you can taste the cheese in cheesecake, but I'm one of the weirdos that does, and this one delivered that perfect little tinge of cheesiness to balance out the sweet egg whites. The chocolate gateau was obviously amazing - I mean come on just look at that picture. In a slight Japanese twist, anzu (apricot) jelly was spread in the top layer, adding an extra texture to the mix that was just lush. And of course not to mention the shu-cream. The shell seemed almost like filo pastry - once you bite into it it just crumbles and melts on the tongue, and the cream inside was a luscious, thick vanilla.
Toshi Yoroizuka is located at 1-32-6 Ebisu and open from 11am-8pm (every day except Tuesdays). There's also a swanky bar version in Midtown where you can enjoy dessert over a cocktail - defo going next time!
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