Chestnut Parfait

Brand: Fujiya

Cost: 115

Found At: Family Mart

            The image depicted on this box is that of the mont blanc, the single worst confection for sale here in Japan. It’s a tower of mediocre, dry frosting, dispensed in long threads to create a mountain of sweet string. It is as if someone dropped a handful of rubber-bands onto the counter and the kitchen staff just rolled with it. It looks cool, but it tastes just awful. And now, as fall has arrived, they have put chestnuts on it and called it a “seasonal treat.” Do not be fooled. It is still inedible – it just has a chestnut on top.

So now, to celebrate the end of summer, it’s been repurposed as a chocolate. And in fairness, it is much better this way. It’s as if the mont blanc has finally found its true form – as something other than a mont blanc. It tastes like a chestnut cream chocolate, with a little extra touch of smokiness that gives it an extra level of depth. I may hate the mont blanc, but I can just about accept the mont blanc chocolate. Emil, on the other hand, loves it. I suppose you can’t account for taste.