Patisserie Cacahouete Tokyo : The Floating Macaron

You may have heard of the angel food cake (light eggless version of chiffon) but have you seen angel cake with wings before? This is one of the creation at another patisserie located in the serene neighborhood of Naka-Meguro. 

Opened in 2006, this shop is similar to Le Pommier in Kagurazaka as it is also run by a French Patissier Chef Jerome Quesnel. He has several accolades under his belt and trained under renowned brands such as Pierre Herme, Laduree etc. While there is an emphasis on classic French techniques in his works, I admire the way he pushed the boundaries by presenting them in an interesting way that grabs the attention of customers. But he is not alone. 

This shop is also a collaboration with Japanese Chef Kabasawa Takano. Both them have garnered a loyal group of fans and the signature item reported widely in media is the choux square cream bun. 

Returning back to the cakes, Angelo did not send my flying in delight with its vanilla-strawberry mousse and sponge base. The taste was meek and the strawberry chocolate nuts coating could be sturdier. 

Fortunately, the problem did not appear in Brasil, which had a similar chocolate coating structure like Angelo. In fact, this was one of my favourites despite the use of bananas. A rich dark layer of silky chocolate mousse sat below the sweet banana compote whose temperamental character was under controlled by the chef. This wasn't the most elaborate chocolate creation by Chef Jerome but everything fell in the right place.
 

During it's special appearance at the weekly sweets fair at Ginza Mitsubishi depato, Chef Jerome came up with a Pineapple Verrine. I must confessed I tried it because I was curious to know if there was anything hidden within the mousse tower. However, it was simply a milky panna cotta with some tart pineapple gelee; good but not outstanding compared to his other works like the Mac Tiramisu below.

THE MAC TIRAMISU:ザ　マック　ティラミス」

マカロンカフェにマスカルポーネクリームがたっぷりと入り、カフェ黒糖のムースがのったヴェリンヌです。

The apricot-filled coffee macaron was literally sitting in a vacuum space, or you can say the mascarpone mousse beneath the kokutou (black sugar黒糖) cafe dome was sitting in mid-air. This was the first sweet I tried from Cacahouete back in 2010 and of course, I thought I was eating magic. Moreover, it was actually a re-interpretation of Tiramisu; what's there not to love

I haven't had a chance to visit his main shop at Naka-Meguro. Yet I know I will, having browsed through pictures of much more sophisticated cakes online.

Patisserie Cacahouete 
1 Chome-9-6 Higashiyama, Meguro, Tokyo 153-0043, Japan
Daily 10am-8pm
http://www.cacahouete-paris.jp/
http://www.facebook.com/patisserie.cacahouete.paris