It was a regular night, so most of the cakes were sold out. I had a cake with matcha flavor and macaron topping. I couldn't taste the nice aroma of matcha or the luxurious flavor of the cream at all. It is made by a Belgian manufacturer, which I think is quite famous, but I was disappointed. I wonder if it would taste better in its home country..! I also tried a mousse cake, but the taste was just okay.

I wanted to thank my always helpful sister, so I was looking for a gift for her on Valentine's Day. Since she loves chocolate, I decided to check out the annual chocolate festival "Amour du Chocolate!" that Takashimaya is currently hosting. It's a full-color A5 booklet with 120 pages. This year, there seems to be a trend of animal-themed chocolates, especially featuring cats. There are also colorful options and classic milk chocolates. I found a Takashimaya exclusive chocolate called "Shokora-Fure Houjicha" for 2484 yen. It's a limited edition chocolate that can only be found in certain Takashimaya stores. I couldn't find it locally, so I bought it when I happened to visit the Shinjuku store. It's a richly roasted houjicha-flavored chocolate with a hint of sweetness and a pleasant bitterness. It's described as having a deep flavor that can be enjoyed like savoring tea. I hope my sister will enjoy it.

<Revisit> Recommended for macadamia nut lovers. There is also a dark version. Be careful not to eat too much because it's too delicious. Macadamia Chocolate (Milk) 5 pieces for 702 yen <Crunchy sablé baked with macadamia nuts and almonds, coated with milk chocolate.>

Located at the far end of Takashimaya, Macadamia Chocolat (Milk) is a must-try. Priced at 680 yen for a pack of 5, these cookies are baked to a crispy texture with macadamia nuts and almonds on top, coated in milk chocolate. I love the balance between macadamia nuts and chocolate, with the milk flavor being my favorite. While they have a good shelf life, they tend to melt easily.

I love this Western confectionery shop in the department store basement, and it had been a while since I last visited. Despite having limited time, I wandered around but ended up coming back here. Since my son has allergies, I had to narrow down the cakes he could eat. With spring being the season for strawberries, I selected a strawberry cake. The petit gateau on the right was reliably delicious. The flan on the left, being from a specialty shop, had exceptional chocolate flavor. The balance between the sweet and sour strawberry cream was just right. The strawberry cream was so delicious that I wanted to have more of it.

I tried buying some cakes at Vita Mail for the first time in a while. - Shortcake: ★★★★★, $520 Fluffy sponge cake with plenty of cream and sweet-sour strawberries. Its round shape is a bit unique, but it was so delicious that I could eat it over and over again! - Mont Blanc: ★★★★, $500 Beautifully covered with Mont Blanc paste in a dome shape, with sponge cake, custard, and moist base. The hint of liquor gives it an adult-like flavor. - Cream Puff: $200 Very large and crispy puff-like choux pastry filled with light custard. A dish to savor the custard. - Paris Chocolate: Sweet & Caramel Salt, $1000, ★★★★☆ Delicate and thin crispy chocolate with a rich caramel sauce made with Guerande salt. Such a delicate and delicious taste. I instantly became a fan.

I tried Vitameal's chocolate snack Macadamia Chocola (milk) and it was delicious! It has a crispy texture with a sablé dough base, topped with macadamia nuts and almond crunch, coated in chocolate. The combination of nuts and chocolate is just perfect, and it goes well with milk. I'm hooked on this! Thank you for the meal! :)

Yesterday, I bought a cake in Shinjuku at Vitameal in Takashimaya's basement. They are famous for their chocolate, but they also sell cakes. This strawberry Frais de Vitameal cake is so cute and delicious. The cream is fluffy and the cake is amazing. I also bought a chocolate cake with rich chocolate on top, which was also delicious.

First Visit 202103 (No.2498) This time, I did some food hunting in the Shinjuku area, but I didn't have much time, so I focused on exploring the basement floor of Shinjuku Takashimaya. This is a chocolate shop that was founded in 1910 in the capital of Belgium, Brussels, and is a purveyor to the Belgian royal family (^O^)／ The operations in Japan are managed by VITAMEAL JAPAN, but the roots go back to "Edelweiss Co., Ltd." founded in 1966, a major confectionery manufacturer with an annual revenue of 15.97 billion yen (fiscal year ending March 2020), producing chocolates as OEM products. Macadamia Chocolate (Matcha) [3 pieces] 540 yen Since the Macadamia Chocolate itself is ready-to-eat, I bought the above product to change things up a bit. It's a delicious snack with a crispy sablé base, topped with macadamia nuts and almonds, coated in chocolate. The ready-to-eat item used milk chocolate couverture, so I assume this product has matcha added to it (laughs). Couverture standards differ between domestic and international markets, but I hope they use international standard couverture. Thank you for the meal.

I stopped by the cake shop on Saturday at 6:00 PM to buy a souvenir for my home. This shop is known for its cakes with a smooth texture using mousse. - Tart au Rouge (702 yen including tax): A rich chocolate cookie dough with chocolate ganache, topped with red fruit mousse for a refreshing taste. - Ruby Pistachio (756 yen including tax): A smooth dessert with ruby chocolate and strawberry mousse, pistachio cream brulee, and cherry jelly as accents. - Charlotte Lesan (627 yen including tax): A dessert with a creamy rare cheese mousse, topped with seasonal grapes (Kyoho and Muscat) and a sweet and sour cassis cream accent.

Christmas Eve. In the evening, I decided to buy a cake in Shinjuku and headed to the basement floor of Takashimaya. I took a walk around and decided to buy cakes here. I purchased a strawberry shortcake and two types of chocolate cakes. The taste was pretty good, maybe because it's Christmas. I still feel like I need to earn more before I can shop at Takashimaya regularly...

When I'm looking for sweets in the department store basement (for snacks at work haha), I usually end up using a different department store in Shinjuku. But once in a while, I decided to try out Takashimaya, a department store I don't usually go to. The sweets section is in the basement. I usually look for cookies or chocolates that can be stored for a while, as I tend to buy in bulk lately and share with everyone. In that case, it's better to get something reliable and stable rather than something risky. So, I went for the trustworthy "Vitameal" cookies. I really like the perfect balance of cookies and chocolate in these. They're not too dry like THE cookies or too sweet like THE chocolates. The cookies are crumbly and the chocolate is melty, which I really enjoy. This series has milk and dark chocolate, and I prefer the dark one. The cocoa-flavored cookies and bitter chocolate make a slightly bitter but not too much taste, making it easy to eat alone and also pairs well with coffee. The melty chocolate feels even more delicious in winter. It's a sweet treat that I always want to have on hand.

Belgian royal family's favorite, VITAMEAL's new autumn creation. A 4-layer cake adorned with gold leaf, featuring chestnuts and pears (reminiscent of Shibust). Unfortunately, I forgot the name, but it had an elegant sweetness and different flavors in each layer that were delicious. Next up, the classic VITAMEAL phrase. The cream was delicious and the sponge was fluffy, like snow melting in your mouth. However, it might be a bit heavy for a late-night snack... (then don't eat it at midnight). There's more. The luxurious VITAMEAL chocolate cake, which I suddenly had a craving for and made a detour to the shop for (completely forgot about that). The soft chocolate cream was enchanting. I didn't know this, but if you spend a certain amount in the afternoon (was it over 1050 yen?), you also get a baked good as a gift (why didn't you tell me earlier, I came all this way). This time, the bonus was a chocolate financiers. Financiers have a rich buttery flavor and are easy to snack on, making them one of my favorite sweets. They also keep well, making them perfect for souvenirs. Oh, just so you know, I didn't devour everything at once. I did try to pace myself, enjoying them in the morning and evening, showing some level of self-control (maybe?).

I took out a chocolate roll cake and shared it with my husband. It's not too sweet and delicious. The chocolate coating is nice.

I love the rich chocolate flavor of the chocolate cake.

In my opinion, chocolate cake is famous, but this time I will go with the classic choices of shortcake and Mont Blanc.

On a certain day in April, I visited this place to get some energy supply because work was tough. I first tried Vita Mail's brownie a few years ago in Nagoya. It was delicious, so I started buying it occasionally. By the way, my junior from university loves their chocolate cake (which I tried and it was delicious too). So, I bought the Vita Mail brownie for 1,296 yen. I used Rakuten Edy and gift certificates. The box was filled with brownies, which made me happy. The brownie had a crunchy texture with a strong almond flavor. The taste was rich. This brownie has become the standard for me. I prefer rich and chewy brownies, so this has become my benchmark. It may be a bit pricey as it is often found in department stores, but I think it is more cost-effective than buying from a bakery. You can also earn d points, so I will come back to buy again. I always get the brownie, but I might try something else next time.