Last Saturday, I went on a drive to the YATSUDOKI Seikadai store, the only high-end Chateraise store in Kyoto for the first time. I used the navigation system to find my way there and when I spotted the store sign from the car, I thought the town of Seikadai was similar to Mita in Kobe, so I said, "It's like Escuyama." However, the store itself was surprisingly small and completely different. I bought a strawberry shortcake for ¥529, a cheesecake for ¥345, a premium apple pie for ¥399, as well as some small tarts and madeleines, and also two bags of cookies. The shortcake had more cream and strawberries than the regular Chateraise cakes. The cheesecake had a rich cheese flavor. The apple pie had a crispy and light crust and was quite large, so my wife and I split it in half, but it was so good that I could have easily eaten a whole one. I haven't tried the other items yet, but I thought the apple pie was the most delicious. However, my wife mentioned, "Isn't this the same as the premium apple pie you bought for your mom from the Chateraise near our house the other day?" After checking, I found out that the regular Chateraise store also sells the premium apple pie. Well, the drive was the main purpose of this trip, and the lunch at Momofuku was great, so I'll let it slide.

The store lives up to its name, offering a high-end selection of Chateraise products. I enjoyed soft serve ice cream on the spot and bought an apple pie and financiers to take home. While it seems like they use higher quality ingredients, there wasn't a significant difference compared to regular Chateraise products. Despite being labeled as premium, the prices were actually quite affordable.

I missed the timing to post in the series. I saw a premium Shatoreze shop on TV and was interested. When it was broadcast on TV, it was only in the Tokyo area, but when I checked again, it was in Kyoto! So I went there. It was a cold time of year, so the menu for fresh cakes was probably different. For now, I was impressed that you can buy as many baked goods as you want. But the prices are Shatoreze. If it was near my house, I might go there every day. Chocolate cake, shortcake, strawberry pie cake - are they slightly more luxurious than Shatoreze? But it's more affordable than department stores, so it's worth it.

Shatoreze also sells bread! My wife and I stopped by after leaving the hospital. My wife seemed to be on a mission to buy bread and ended up purchasing various items. As I looked into the showcase, the bread looked delicious, but I decided to pass and instead noticed the Milk Bar (Coffee) Ice Cream and a Baumkuchen that reminded me of Parnassus from my childhood. I bought these two items. I had the ice cream in the car and tried the Baumkuchen later. The ice cream was tasty, but the coffee flavor was a bit weak. The Baumkuchen had a hint of cinnamon, which I enjoyed as it reminded me of the nostalgic taste I loved as a child. My wife bought some bread, which we enjoyed as a family later on. The bread here is delicious. I don't often praise bread, but everything we bought was tasty. We tried all four types of bread my wife bought and they were all delicious. Thank you for the meal.

I finished my work early and had some time before lunch. It's been a while since I've been around here. Let's see if there's a good restaurant nearby. I searched and found "Chateraise Premium". What's that? Anyway, I went to the store. The store was called YATSUDOKI. It seemed to be a snack time place. I entered the store and saw a variety of baked goods and gift sets. The packaging was nice, so it would make a good gift. Since I was buying for home, I chose some individually. I wondered if the baked goods were similar to regular Chateraise products. I selected a few items, including some recommended by Yatsudoki. There were so many choices that I couldn't decide. I looked around the store and noticed a cake showcase. They looked delicious, but I couldn't take them with me as I was heading to Osaka. I gave up and looked to the side. Oh, there were freshly baked pies! They were the first time I saw Chateraise pies. Croissants and leaf pies looked delicious! I wanted to buy them all, but I had lunch plans later. I bought the seasonal recommended sweet potato pie, chestnut pie, premium apple pie, and vanilla caramel cookies. I also bought some individually wrapped baked goods, butter dorayaki, Baumkuchen, Vizintine, and strawberry florentine. The pies were put directly in a paper bag, so be careful as the oil may seep through. When I got back to the car, my partner offered me an iced coffee. I had to resist as we were having a big lunch, but I had a sip. It was delicious, but I think regular Chateraise has it too. In the evening, we shared the pies as a snack. I enjoyed each one slowly. The apple pie had a simple filling of just apples with a light spice and a soft, moist texture. The chestnut pie had a sweet coating on the surface, making it a bit tricky to eat. The sweet potato pie was packed with sweet potatoes and had a balanced sweetness. All the pies used high-quality ingredients and were satisfying. I thought they were a bit pricey for Chateraise, but the quality justified it. I would buy them all again. The cookies were crumbly with a rich buttery taste and a hint of vanilla caramel. I loved them and would consider them as gifts, although the oil stains on the bag may be a concern. The individually wrapped baked goods were reasonably priced and would make great gifts. I might use the box as a gift package. I would bring the pies for friends who don't mind the oil stains. Of course, I would buy some for myself too. I really want to have a whole chestnut pie all to myself.

Today's second post is here, it seems to have opened recently. I always thought that the cakes at Chateraise were delicious, but the ice cream was also good! My partner suggested going to the recently opened Chateraise, so we visited. I didn't have much money on me, but I found a relatively affordable whole cake for 972 yen (I think). While my partner was paying at the register, I wandered around and found ice cream for only 64 yen each! It was incredibly delicious. I didn't know they had such reasonably priced items. We left feeling like we could use it as a gift for someone. Thank you!

On the opening day in the evening, as I passed by, the parking lot had cars coming in and out constantly, and there were about 10 people lined up outside, but I decided to just walk past. A week later, as I passed by again, there were parking spaces available. I decided to go in! I picked up some baked goods and ice cream, and for cakes and such displayed in the showcase, you had to order, take a number tag, then wait in line at the register to pay. It reminded me of Chateraise, so I expected the prices to be on the higher side. I got a strawberry shortcake for 583 yen. It was about 6x6x7cm in size, with two layers of strawberries on top of the sponge cake, making it look luxurious. When I tried it, it was delicious! But it somehow lacked a distinctive feature or impact. The freshly baked sugar croissant had sugar chunks on top, was about 10cm in size, and cost 129 yen. The freshly squeezed rich cream puff was 270 yen. The milk rusk and chocolate bars were Chateraise products. It seemed like they were made in-store. The highly recommended apple pie was sold out. The soft-serve ice cream was also sold out, which might have changed my impression if I had tried it. The prices were a bit high, and while the items were delicious, they were just average. It would have been perfect if the prices were a bit lower for this quality, but high prices for delicious items are to be expected. I wonder if my impression would have changed if I had tried the apple pie?