I purchased chocolate with a caramel banana, gateau chocolat, gateau fromage, and lollipop-like appearance. The caramel banana and gateau chocolat were delicious. I didn't like the chocolate very much.

This day we went to the Asakusa area. "O maiden born at dawn, never lose sight of yourself. You are you, girl, now is the time to break free and stand up!" Yes. It's "NOAKE TOKYO," not "Dawn." As soon as I saw the name of the shop, I couldn't get "A Girl Born at Dawn" out of my head. Oh, Yoko Takahashi is so good, isn't she? Powerful, dynamic, and her strong lyrics are just perfect. She is known as "the Eva person," and that's not wrong, but "A Girl Born at Dawn" from "Shakugan no Shana" or "Aoki Flamme" from "Pumpkin Scissors" are also amazing songs, so please listen to them (evangelizing). Now, here at "NOAKE TOKYO." It's located in Asakusa... but quite far from the center. It's more like the backstreets of Asakusa. Surrounded by residential areas. A bakery specializing in baked sweets with a very elegant atmosphere. They also have a store in Ginza Matsuya. As of March 2021, they have two locations. The shop has a white exterior with glass doors, giving off a clean and sophisticated vibe. The interior is very woody, with all the product displays made of wood. All the staff are women, creating a soft and gentle atmosphere. The sweets on display include cookies, chocolates, and pound cakes. The chocolate bouquets shaped like lollipops are adorable. They also have an eat-in space, but it is currently closed due to the pandemic. Since all the cakes can be stored at room temperature, we decided to take them home to enjoy. Here are the items we tried: - Chestnut Terrine: Steamed chestnuts with a small amount of sugar and chestnut paste, with Italian Piedmont marron inside. Very moist and tender, like a semi-raw sweet. - Caramel Banana Pound Cake: A pound cake with caramel and sautéed bananas, with chunks of banana throughout. Moist and sticky, with a strong caramel flavor. - Bonbon Caramel Pear and Honey: A stick with chocolate at the end, filled with a creamy honey and fresh pear flavor. - Bonbon Caramel Blueberry and Calpis: Blueberry-filled with a refreshing Calpis flavor. - Burdock and White Pepper Baton Cookie: A cookie with a unique flavor of burdock, crispy on the outside and moist inside. A bit hesitant due to the price, but the cute appearance would make it a great gift. Thank you for the meal!

NOAKE TOKYO, a Western confectionery shop in Ura-Asakusa in December 2020. While Lulus is famous for Western sweets in Ura-Asakusa, this place also seems to have a good reputation. Besides Asakusa, they also have a shop in the basement of Matsuya Ginza. The owner chef is said to have been a pastry chef at Beige Alain Ducasse Tokyo. I visited here at the end of the year after passing through Senso-ji Temple and walking a few minutes from Lulus. The exterior is simple with a Japanese-style storefront. I entered through the sliding door. The shop is small, with cakes lined up at the counter and baked goods on the side. Normally, you can eat in, but due to the pandemic, it seems to be closed now. I was planning to buy a slice of pound cake, but the price was quite high at nearly 500 yen per slice. I also gave up on the boxed Forenoir, which looked delicious, as it was over 3,000 yen. This time, I bought the following three types that were available in slices: - Gâteau Fromage (450 yen) - Caramel Banane (480 yen) - Terrine Chocolat (520 yen) They were more like mousse cakes than pound cakes. Gâteau Fromage had a thick texture with a strong cheese scent. Terrine Chocolat and Caramel Banane also had a rich taste of chocolate and caramel, more intense than pound cakes. However, considering the price, the portions were small and seemed a bit expensive. I wondered if my evaluation would change if I could buy Forenoir or Mont Blanc in slices. Thank you for the meal.

In the November 2020 issue of the Nikkei Shimbun Saturday edition, there is a ranking of various things, and this time, the top spot was claimed by a chestnut baked confectionery priced at 5400 yen. The confectionery is from a shop started by a French pastry chef in Omotesando, which now has branches in Asakusa and Ginza. The dough is kneaded with paste made from Japanese chestnuts, and Italian chestnuts called Maroni from the Piedmont region are added inside. When you unwrap the package, you will notice gold leaf. The contrast between the mildly sweet dough and the strongly sweet chestnuts is interesting. The surface is caramelized, adding a bitter taste as an accent. It is delicious, but I felt that the size is small and the cost performance is not very good.

I visited the shop Nokura, which has three locations in Tokyo. This is the shop where Kenshi Yonezu used for the No Side Game treat, the Candy Frappe they make here! It's a bit of a walk from Asakusa Station, but there were no other customers so I could relax and enjoy eating in. The shop is filled with stylish cakes, chocolates, and vegetable cookies that make the space exciting just by looking at them. This time, I tried the following five types of Candy Frappe: - Pione and Creme de Cassis - Apple and Chamomile Tea - Strawberry and Rose scent - White peach and vanilla - Mandarin orange and honey, osmanthus wine Among these, I tried Pione and Strawberry. They look like big apricot sticks. They are cool, cold, and delicious. The texture is smooth and it melts in your mouth. Plus, they are rich in fruit pulp. They are also designed to be frozen and eaten as ice cream, or mixed with carbonated drinks. The baked goods also looked delicious!

I received a Caramel Banane cake from a friend before, and it was rich and incredibly delicious, so I really love it. There is a shop in Matsuya Ginza, but they only sell it as a whole cake, which can be a bit pricey and too much for one person to eat. However, I am grateful that they sell slices here, even though it is more expensive.

I first encountered this shop, famous for its lollipop-shaped chocolates, at Marché Ecute in Ochanomizu. There was a stall set up in the shop, which was very unique and caught my attention. It seems that the stall was the inspiration for starting the shop. The chocolates were made by the owner's pastry chef father. The owner is also interesting and unique, and it was always fun to stop by after work. This shop was what made me start liking stollen. The stollen here has a generous amount of marzipan inside, along with apricots and dried fruits, making it moist and incredibly delicious. I have tried various stollens since then, but this one here is my personal favorite. I also love their dacquoise sandwich. I can't stop eating them once I buy a box of the berry, praline, and coffee flavors! The lollipop chocolates are a bit expensive, so I can't buy them often, but the sauce inside melts so smoothly and deliciously that it's truly enchanting. Lemon flavor is my favorite. I really want to go back there again.

At first glance, it may be difficult to tell what kind of store it is and there is a slightly intimidating atmosphere, but the customer service is extremely polite and the sweets they sell are all elegant and delicious, making it perfect for souvenirs. Of course, not just for souvenirs, but also for when you want to treat yourself. The only downside is that it is not very convenient in terms of transportation for those who rely on trains.

The exterior of the shop is very stylish. I was drawn in and captivated by its unique atmosphere. There are plenty of souvenirs that would make someone happy, and I can't decide what to choose because there are so many options.

It was the best baked good I've ever had. The chestnut one was delicious.

The caramel banana, cheese terrine, and chocolate terrine were all rich and delicious.

I arrived at "NOAKE TOKYO Asakusa Store" about a 5-minute walk from Senso-ji Temple. It's a Japanese modern style cafe. I was intrigued by the pound cake and decided to visit! Instead of a bouquet, they had a Bonbon Caramel Bouquet made of chocolate. It's so cute! Bouquets are a great gift idea, right? They had a variety of pound cakes, all looking delicious. They offer unique and elaborate pound cakes priced around 2,000 yen each. Flavors include strawberry, banana, caramel, hojicha, matcha, and more. You can purchase a slice for about 400 yen each, allowing you to enjoy different flavors. The cakes have a luxurious and elegant taste, moist and rich. The deliciousness of the ingredients used in each cake spreads throughout your mouth.

I tried a banana dessert featured on Gurunavi that caught my attention. The size was moderate and it needed to be thawed from frozen. The banana flavor was noticeable, but there was a somewhat mediocre feeling about it. There was some fruit in it, but it was also subtle. The impact of the banana itself was small, so it couldn't be helped. I wish there was a bit more banana flavor. The sticky texture was good, but I think toning it down a bit overall would make the banana stand out more. It might be difficult to compete with caramel. "Banana comeback" - that's all for now! Thank you for the meal!

NOAKE TOKYO is a sweets shop located quite far from Asakusa Station. It has a stylish exterior with no clear sign, so it can be a bit confusing for first-time visitors. I bought the Caramel Banane and Bonbon Caramel for my snack this time. The caramel and banana pound cake is rich and moist, not too sweet, and it's the kind of treat I occasionally crave. The Bonbon Caramel is more cute than delicious, so I tend to buy it on impulse. I've also used the cafe a few times, but the service is not particularly fast, so it's best to go when you have plenty of time. Overall, this shop gives off a somewhat pricey impression, but their simple yet charming sweets are often well-received as gifts. There are still some sweets I haven't tried yet, so I look forward to visiting patiently.

When you cross the Kotozakai-dori in Asakusa, you will enter a quiet residential area where there are a few intriguing shops. One such shop is Rus Rus Asakusa, which appears to be a beauty salon or cafe from the outside. Once inside, the simple and cafe-like shop sells pound cakes such as Caramel Banane and Daiginjo for 410 yen per slice. The cakes were soft and a bit difficult to eat, but if you enjoy baked goods, it's worth a visit.

I visited this place for the first time last summer, and I occasionally stop by to see if there is anything new. It's usually quiet during weekdays, with only one or two customers dining in, but takeout orders are smooth. - "Fortune Cookie Port Bonheur" for 524 yen each: The cookies come in 5 different shapes, each with a description. The cookies have a gentle crispy texture and crumble in your mouth. The "Toasted Wheat" flavor has a nice almond powder richness and a fragrant nuttiness. The "Nightingale" flavor, however, was overshadowed by the Toasted Wheat. - "Caramel Banane" for 420 yen: The dough is moist and dense, with a delicious balance of caramel and banana sweetness. After a few days, the flavor deepens, making it even more enjoyable. - "Azuki and Mochi Flour" for 420 yen: The texture was not to my liking, being dry and crumbly. The azuki flavor was subtle, and the mochi part was too firm, not worth the price. - "Mont Blanc with Japanese Chestnut" for 504 yen: The graham cracker crust, creamy filling, and elegant Japanese chestnut cream are delicious, but the size is quite small for the price. - "Matcha Cake" for 432 yen: The fluffy matcha-flavored cake with almond praline and milk chocolate was good, but the crispy rice was unexpectedly hard, leaving an unpleasant texture. The size was small for the price. - "Hojicha Cake" for 420 yen: The soft cake with a gentle hojicha flavor and smooth ganache was tasty, but again, the size was small for the price, reducing overall satisfaction. This shop is also available in other locations like Tokyo Station, Matsuya Ginza, and Kanda.

I came across this popular caramel banana cake in magazines and online, and I've always wanted to try it. So, while exploring Asakusa, I decided to stop by the shop. The shop is located about a 10-minute walk from the back of Senso-ji Temple towards the police station direction. It's a cute shop with glass windows, but no sign, making it a bit hard to find. Inside, there are various types of tables and chairs, including some small and low chairs that might be uncomfortable for adults to sit for a long time. The shop smells sweet as they bake cakes on-site. You order at the counter, and pay when you leave. Water is self-service. I planned to take out the caramel banana cake, so I also ordered a strawberry pound cake for around 400 yen and an iced coffee for 500 yen. My friend ordered the caramel banana pound cake for 410 yen and an iced cafe au lait for 550 yen. The staff brought our orders to our table, along with a wooden two-tiered box containing forks, gum syrup, milk, and candy. Very stylish! The strawberry pound cake was topped with strawberry ice cream, while the caramel banana cake had chocolate ice cream. The taste was less sweet than expected, and I personally preferred the banana flavor over the strawberry. On our way out, I also purchased a caramel banana cake for 2,160 yen and an 8-piece bonbon caramel bouquet. I didn't realize it when I had it in the shop, but the pound cake had slices of banana on top. When I shared it with my family, they loved it. If I have the chance, I would definitely buy it again, especially online where it comes frozen.

Continuing the Tokyo sweets trip☆ On May 9, 2014, I visited NOAKE! I saw it on a friend's blog who loves baked goods and decided to check it out♪ It's located about a 15-minute walk from Asakusa Station. Come to think of it, this might have been my first time getting off at Asakusa. The name of the shop was inspired by the outdoor tea ceremonies (nodate) in tea ceremony, where a free style is adopted without being bound by formalities, similar to the outdoor tea ceremonies. Initially, they sold sweets at a food stall in Omotesando, but they now have 4 stores in Tokyo, with the first store in Asakusa having a nostalgic food stall vibe. They make Western-style sweets using traditional Japanese and Western techniques, giving a unique touch to their creations. They seem to have plans to open a restaurant in the future, I wonder what NOAKE's restaurant would be like~ The strawberry cake had a crumbly texture that felt nostalgic♪ They use natural ingredients to create a distinct texture. They also gave a cute candy with the cake☆ There weren't many options for cakes to eat in the store, maybe more people prefer to take them home. I also bought the popular Bonbon Caramel Bouquet to take home! It had strawberry, raspberry, passion fruit, and apricot flavors. I admire their playful approach to making sweets♪ Jorno's Sweets & Wine Diary.