Crème de la Crème literally translates to “cream of the cream” which in French means the very best. The shop adhered to its name both literally and figuratively as I even had abundant amounts of delicious cream left when I finished my cream puff. Obviously I left nothing behind as I indulged in the leftover custard cream with my fingers.
This pint-size shop that originated from Kyoto is located on the second floor of Roppongi Hills. The shop specializes in cream puffs and has in stock five to ten different types, ranging from 300 to 600 yen. My friends and I basically filled up the whole shop when we walked in, but there are a number of chairs and tables right outside where you can enjoy your desert. I bought the most popular custard cream puff for 291 yen, which has been sold continuously for 80 years in the original Kyoto branch. The custard cream puff was heavy, dense and very satisfying compared to the ubiquitous cream puffs of a Japanese pastry shop. The other popular cream puff was the osannji puff, which translates as the three o’clock puff. The three o’clock puffs are freshly baked and sold everyday starting from three o’clock. The types of cream puffs you can purchase vary in seasons as they try to incorporate different types of seasonal fruit, when I was there the seasonal special seemed to be strawberry cream puffs.
For anyone that wants a quick fix to their sweet craving that won't break their wallet, Crème de la Crème does it in a luscious, soft and enveloping way. There are plenty of other delicious desert places in Roppongi HIlls with prices over a wide range. But for me Crème’s ever so soft but firm crème puff makes me a regular visitor.
