Japan Mar 2011 Day 4 – 京都 晨の雪

2nd day in Kyoto, we woke up to a pleasant surprise. it had been snowing the night before and the neighbourhood was enshrouded in a white veil. barely 6 am in the morning but the sky’s already quite lit but the air was chilly and dense. the neighbourhood was still in slumbers, quiet and peaceful saved for an occasional but infrequent bark. probably an Akita. clouds ominous and grey brood in the distant mountains foreboding a storm making its way down the hills. True enough, it began to snow again.

view from our hotel room at Kyoto International (Kokusai) Hotel located directly opposite Nijo Castle. a room facing the castle costs more so we opted for a “street view” instead, giving us a glimpse of the residential quarters of northern kyoto.

then it began to snow again, specks of white manovuering in the air. Couldn’t resist the temptation to open the windows. proved to be a bad move as the frost-biting winds slithered through the slightest crevices as the window yielded a small gap when the latch was undone. Still asleep, J twitched in bed, ruffling the blanket tugging it even closer and let out some sound in disgruntlement. That was some fast instincts, I chuckled. It felt like I was the only one awake in the whole world and the snowflakes danced in the air just for me…

then it began to pour more copiously and the mysterious mountains disappeared behind the the white curtain, as if it had revealed to me too many of its secrets.

Enjoying the 銀のモンブランMont Blanc d’ Argent from Patisserie Henri Charpentier for breakfast. couldnt have been more apt as itself was afterall, named after the great mountain.

a look at the insides – a roll cake base with chestnut flavoured whip cream filling embellished with huge chunks of candied chestnuts. More whipped cream over the roll cake slice as it was covered with spaghetti-like strands of chestnut purée. The whole piece was then crowned with half of a  Japanese chestnut, i.e. a cotyledon, roasted with its pellicle intact and finally speckles of edible silver.
the sweetness was very well-balanced, making it one of the more palatable mont blancs I’d ever tasted. the roll cake also remained soft and light despite a night in the mini-fridgem while the cream still exudes a wonderful aroma, presumably from chestnut liqueur.

The mini mess we created, from the previous night’s dinner, dessert sampling and photo taking. And yes, that’s a yutaka we’d used as table cloth. Well, that’s what room service is for isn’t it? 🙂