Almond Cafe et Patisserie 銀座店

Almond Cafe et Patisserie Ginza: if you ever watched Yasujiro Ozu's classic post-WWII Japanese family dramas (like "Early Summer" or "Late Spring"), there was invariably a scene set in a Western-style cafe where two characters were talking about the complications of life as they indulged in slices of strawberry shortcake. This French-style dessert cafe reminded me of those settings right down to the upper middle class clientele they were serving. Jamie, in particular, was drawn to the deeply pink interior when we passed by that we returned just to try it.

No surprise that the pastries, petit-fours, and cake slices were demanding our attention in the long display case, but we decided to sit and get served by young, floppy-haired waiters. We ordered a 1,350-JPY cake set of Strawberry Chocolate Layerd Cake (photo: http://bit.ly/2QIaB4F) and Coffee and then added a slice of Mix Berrys Layerd Cake (photo: http://bit.ly/2QP5Ea6). Other than the spell-check errors, who would complain about such sweetly creamy confections? A gorgeous woman in a striking kimono just walked in. She belonged here. Wonder what her story was.

DESSERTS - 4 stars...very Parisian, very tasty
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...classy...if you like pink
SERVICE - 3 stars...try not to look bored
TOTAL - 4 stars...Tokyo meets Paris

RELATED - Traveling in Japan? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2qrUBZo

I've been to this small chained cafe everytime I visit Tokyo. Great for afternoon tea with assorted cakes. It's not too busy and not noisy. Reasonable priced.