Another acclaimed patisserie just outside the centre of Tokyo beckoned and amidst the confusion of figuring out the damn Chuo Line at Shinjuku station, I found myself at Nishi-Ogikubo station and quite bloody lost. Thank the heavens for googlemaps and the iphone, as it was quite a trek away from the station.
Hideki Kawamura is the Chef/Owner of the curiously named A Tes Soushaits! Bless him, for you can look into the kitchens from his delightful shop. Busy pastry cooks scuttered around as Chef Kawamura talked business outside, first with a bunch of French guys and their translator, and later on, a middle aged man in a ‘power-suit’ to whom the Chef seems to owe a debt of gratitude to.
In a failed attempt at anonymity, I drew suspicious stares from a pudgy, what-looks-to-be Sous Chef in the kitchen. I’d have done the same had a dodgy looking chinese guy who speaks English, carries a camera and asks so many damn annoying questions about their seasonal cakes walked into my shop.
However, the Chef was full of graciousness and figured I was here to visit and tasted and whilst occupied with his benefactor, gave me a smile and acknowledging wink before disappearing into a back office. I pray to god he has a girlfriend.
So what are his cakes like? Imagine a bit of Mont St Clair and a bit of Hidemi Sugino. Continue reading
