如月 来夏
Heading to Mitsukoshi in Nihonbashi directly connected to the metro. With a station name like Mitsukoshimae and the convenience of being able to go directly to B1F without exiting the subway floor, the usability is just too good. The first thing that catches your eye when looking around the floor is the line at "Noix de Boule." But compared to the insane long lines at Shinjuku Isetan, this line has only about 10 people. I'm so numb that I reflexively join the line. Of course, I'm aiming for the freshly baked financiers. I missed out on buying them in Shinjuku, so I'm here to make up for it in Nihonbashi. I managed to avoid a sudden thunderstorm and hopped on the train to get here. Maybe because of that, it feels like there are fewer people than usual. Here, there are still some baked sweets other than financiers in stock. I bought the following items: freshly baked financiers @220 x2, pistachio financiers @350, lemon cake @300, banana pound cake @398, totaling 4 items. The pistachio financiers, available until the end of August, were a limited-time offer. There were two types of pound cakes, and you could buy a whole one, but they also offered to cut and sell them by weight. This meticulous weighing and selling by weight is typical of department store basements. As an original brand of Mitsukoshi Isetan, these sweets are only available at Shinjuku Isetan and Ginza Mitsukoshi, making them a slightly rare treat. I heard a story somewhere before about a French person visiting Japan who said they came because the sweets in Japan are far more delicious than those in their home country. They passionately talked about how delicate and beautiful Japanese sweets are, and how they are truly the best in the world. When someone from one of the world's leading dessert countries says that, it must be true. Japan has an abundance of sweets that can make even that French person jealous and enthusiastic. Finally, I got my hands on the freshly baked financiers I've been longing for. They can be packed in a box, and of course, you can buy just one. I felt embarrassed to buy only one, so I bought two, but it didn't make much of a difference. The appearance is almost indistinguishable from the pre-baked financiers, but I feel like there's a slightly stronger scent of butter and a slightly burnt aroma. To be honest, my unsophisticated palate couldn't really tell the difference between freshly baked and pre-baked. If I had eaten the freshly baked one on the spot, I might have had a different opinion. Oh, and since the freshly baked financiers came in a red paper bag, I seem to still be confusing them with "Isigny" as usual. The limited-time pistachio financiers, with pistachios kneaded into them, are delicious. It's like a combination of the flavor of nut-filled pound cake and financiers, and I wish they would make it a regular item instead of limited-time. The banana pound cake didn't have a noticeable banana flavor. Still, the moist and rich buttery and caramel aroma, with occasional hints of walnuts, make it tempting to buy a whole one. I tried the lemon cake a few days later unintentionally. It seems that letting it sit for a while allows the flavors to settle into the dough and mature, making it even more delicious. My habit of saving enjoyment for later paid off. The sweet and sour lemon flavor hits you right from the first bite, and the crispy caramelized skin texture is enjoyable. There are plenty of lemon cakes in name only, but I felt like I had found the real deal.