Patisserie Potager

I love the concept at Patisserie Potager, a whimsical bakery in Nakameguro, one of my favorite areas in Tokyo - vegetable cakes and desserts, from carrot-chocolate flan to edamame cheesecake to asparagus swiss roll cake. It's so different, so strange, so uniquely Japan! The patisserie has garnered a loyal following, not surprisingly consisting mostly of the female variety.

While I love the concept, I think the veggie flavors in the form of dessert confused my tastebuds. The asparagus swiss roll cake was a spongy, grain-flavored cake which was subtle and moist, but the asparagus cream filling tasted very much like cold asparagus cream soup. However, I admire the chef for keeping true to the flavors of the vegetables instead of trying to mask them with sugar, chocolate or spices (for example, American style carrot cake tastes delicious mostly because of the cinnamon in the cake and the sugary cream cheese frosting, whereas Potager's carrot desserts actually taste like carrots)!

Though vegetable cakes aren't necessarily my cup of tea, I highly recommend a visit to Patisserie Potager for a truly unique dessert experience!

Kabocha squash chiffon cake

Tomato Mont Blanc

Avocado layer cheese cake

Asparagus swiss roll cake

Tomato chiffon cake

Food rating: ***
Bang for buck rating: 4

The essentials:
http://www.potager.co.jp/
Location: 2-44-9 Kamimeguro
Average price of dessert for two: 1000 yen (~$12)