If you are heading to Studio Ghibli in Mitaka, you might want to make a detour to Patisserie Ma Priere before hopping back on the JR train. This is one of my favourite pastry shop in Tokyo because the individual cakes here win points on originality. I have been a fan of the chef, Hideaki Sarudate, who is also a highly skilled chocolatier. 
Artemis (Madagascar Chocolate and Framboise)
Born in 1974, Chef Hideaki Sarudate has clinched the top award for Year 2004 in the chocolate section of Gastronomique Dijon Concours, a prestigious international culinary competition in France. He has also worked previously under my another favourite shop, La Vie Douce in Shinjuku, before moving to France to train under renowned chocolatier Michel Chaudun.
So his chocolate creations must be really fantastic huh? I think the answer depends on personal preference on the kind of chocolate texture. Most of his chocolate works tend to fall under the dense and fudgy spectrum. For instance, the Pepa de Oro is considered hefty at 486 yen for such a small cut. But this cake deserves to be called a chocolate cake in its purest form because it showcased the brilliance of organic Kaoka Pepa de Oro 80% chocolate.
So his chocolate creations must be really fantastic huh? I think the answer depends on personal preference on the kind of chocolate texture. Most of his chocolate works tend to fall under the dense and fudgy spectrum. For instance, the Pepa de Oro is considered hefty at 486 yen for such a small cut. But this cake deserves to be called a chocolate cake in its purest form because it showcased the brilliance of organic Kaoka Pepa de Oro 80% chocolate.
Now I know why each slice is so small, because every layer of ganache and sponge fused tightly together, creating an incredibly rich bittersweet aftertaste. It was the first time I had to surrender my fork for a moment after proceeding into 1/6 of the slice , and savour each inch of decadence at another time.
The Titan (see also top pic), is to me a dormant chocolate volcano like the Mount Fuji. The buttery tart shell filled with thick chocolate ganache can already form one single creation--ie. chocolate tart. But Chef Hideaki did not stop there. Within the dense pyramid of chocolate mousse piled on the base is an even darker pool of 55% chocolate lava sauce and chunks of bananas. This is another cake not for the faint-hearted.
The Cherir (521 yen) is certainly a cake of affection because the chocolate here has been well-tempered to produce a perfect chocolate dome with a glossy finish. It consists of Ceylon Tea Chocolate mousse, orange ganache, lemon tea cream and bergamot cream.
Jacqueline (Framboise and Chocolate Tart)
Few chefs in Tokyo would include green tea cakes as one of their regular items. Here, the Gateau The Vert (486 yen) is a very straightforward item with the usual suspects of green tea and red bean. The matcha mousse taste as good as those by matcha specialists but the sponge was utterly dry.
The same problem occurred for the sponge base made with Pistachio flour in Fleur (561 yen), a spring creation of white chocolate mousse, Sakura mousse, sakura sponge and griottine. But overall, it was a lovely cake with an exceptionally crunchy Sakura leaves blended white chocolate crispie at the base.
Instead of the main outlet which is quite far away, one can head to Takashimaya Shinjuku Basement where Ma Priere is featured every Mon, Tues, Wed and Friday.
Ma Priere マ・プリエール
2-1-11 Nishikubo, Musashino City, Tōkyō
10am-8pm Daily
Access: 7-min walk from JR Mitaka Station North Exit
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