Hyperlocal Tokyo

On a weekday evening at 6:00 PM, there were already two groups of customers seated inside. It was a good time to arrive, as I was able to order right away. I ordered the half-and-half, Pistachio Raspberry & Earl Grey Apricot, with a small craft ginger ale for ¥1900. After ordering, the mille-feuille was made quickly and was even crispier than I expected! The surface was lightly caramelized, and the pastry remained crispy until the very last bite, never becoming soggy from the cream. The sweet and crispy pastry was delicious, but as I had heard, it was difficult to eat with one hand. More than I expected, crumbs spilled onto my skirt! It's definitely not something you can eat on the go. The cream was also quite loose, so it's best to eat it inside, especially on hot days. The apricot filling was delicious with its pleasant tartness. The raspberry pistachio was a bit underwhelming, with the pistachio flavor being subtle and the raspberry a bit muted. The ginger ale was a refreshing, slightly spicy drink with a low sweetness. It paired well with the mille-feuille, but it might be considered more for adults. The mille-feuille came in a bag, then a box, with a pick inserted. It felt a bit over-packaged, but it's true that it would be a disaster to eat it without the bag. The box also helps to prevent the mille-feuille from shifting, so I recommend eating it with the box. Overall, I was satisfied with my first experience!

Napoleon (¥1,400) The price is the same whether you eat in or take out. If you take out, you get two free ice packs and a paper bag. The pastry stays crispy even after a while, and the custard is just the right sweetness. I devoured it in one sitting. It's a bit pricey, but worth trying at least once. It was delicious.

I visited on Sunday afternoon. The atmosphere was very stylish and lovely! I was too full from lunch to eat anything, but the snacks looked delicious! I definitely want to go back 😊

I finally visited the trendy "zaku zaku" (crispy) sweets shop. It's located on a narrow back street, so it's a bit hard to find. I definitely needed my phone's navigation. I went on a weekday morning, so it was completely empty. I heard that it gets pretty crowded even on weekdays after lunchtime. I was torn between the strawberry galette and the rum raisin, but I ended up choosing the rum raisin to take home. The paper bag had a cool, insulated lining, which was a nice touch. The crispy sweets themselves were delicious. I think it would be great if they had a mini size for around 500 yen.

I visited on a Thursday afternoon. I didn't notice the shop because there was absolutely no one around, and I walked past it several times. I asked people at a nearby cafe and passersby, but no one knew where it was, and I started to get worried. Finally, a beautiful young woman I asked for directions opened her map and led me to the shop. I'm so grateful to her. In the end, I was the only customer. I was expecting a line, so I was lucky. After much deliberation, I decided to get a half-and-half takeout of the Napoleon and a rum raisin-mont blanc style pastry. The Napoleon had a burnt top crust that was bitter, and the strawberries were small, thin, and too sour. I ate it at home, so I removed the strawberries and it was pretty good. I regret not just ordering the plain one. The mont blanc and cassis had such a strong cassis flavor that it was all I could taste. I love mont blanc, so it was a bit disappointing. The rum raisin was delicious. My husband, who ate it with me, agreed. It's a one-handed pastry, so I thought I'd eat it on the go, but that's impossible. It would definitely crumble and the cream would leak out. They said they would put in a cold pack, but it wasn't there, and the top was a little melted. I'd been wanting to try it for so long, and finally got to, but maybe I should have just kept it as a dream. It's stylish and cute, but for the price, I probably won't get it again. The only good memory I have is the kindness of the beautiful young woman.