A Patisserie and Fruit Shop in One
The French phrase “Qu'il fait bon” is said to mean “what wonderful weather!”
Japanese readers likely already know, but this is not just simply an exclamation or praise, but also the name of an enormously popular cake shop. Aside from Tokyo, they have stores in Osaka, Kyoto, Shizuoka, and other locations all over Japan, and they are famous for their fruit tarts. What’s more, they even have fruit tarts unique to each restaurant as well as seasonal ones. Currently melon, peach, and mango summer seasonal tarts are being sold.
Qu'il fait bon has several locations in Tokyo, but when I looked at the shop information on their website, I learned that the single Kyoto location is the only store located along a river, the Takase River on Kiyamachi-sanjo. The Takase River today is a famous cherry blossom location, and it is the same location that my co-worker made a blog post about in spring regarding Kiyamachi cherry blossoms.
This river played an important role in Kyoto history. During the Edo period it was constructed as a canal for the transportation of goods for wealthy merchants, and it connects the heart of Kyoto with Fushimi, flowing from Kamo River to Uji River. People used this river for carrying things such as sake and vegetables. It was used for water transportation for approximately 300 years until 1920, supporting the daily lives of many. It is a river with a great atmosphere and has made appearances in a novel by Ogai Mori and countless others.
Some Qu'il fait bon locations are take-out only while others offer in-shop café space (the Kyoto location has both options), and it’s very common to have to wait for a seat. During weekends and holidays, it gets even more crowded, and there’s almost always about a thirty minute wait. When I happened to pass by the Osaka location on a weekend not too long ago, there were roughly twenty to thirty people waiting in line….
The other day when I visited the Kyoto location, perhaps because it was a little early, there was a seat available. Plus, I got a window seat where I could gaze out at Takase River while enjoying my sweets. Even though I had just sat down, I could see people already lining up outside waiting for seats.
Before ordering, I looked over the various fruit tarts in the showcase and couldn’t decide which to choose…. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I circled the showcase five or six times. After about ten minutes of indecision, I finally made up my mind. I’ll go with a seasonal item since the fruits in season are sure to be the most delicious, and the melon looks so good, I thought, but the price of one slice was about \1400! This location’s unique item was not my favorite fruit either… so I ended up choosing the classic menu item made with berries, which I love: the “Red Fruit Tart”.
There are various different red colored fruits, but this tart was actually made with six types of different berries. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc. made for a sweet and sour deliciousness. And since it’s so full of berries, it feels like you’re eating just fruit rather than dessert, so if you’re a sweets fan who is conscious of your health, then this is a treat to be grateful for!
株式会社KINSHA