Chewing the Rusk

     Manor residents have no worries in the selection of boulangeries. Stroll down the zaka (hill), cross the dori (avenue) and follow the aroma into the Juban (think Greenwich Village) to find the delicacies of Pointage. A glassed-in kitchen with shoes lined up at the threshold allows passers-by to watch bakers in slippers produce one exquisite baguette after another at Y 285 a pop (about $3). English bread (i.e. sliced) is another specialty, and there is seating for those who can't wait to get the goodies home. Take a left at Shoe & Shoo Repair, the lone cobbler with a pet bunny in the window. Or turn right and see what's on offer at the newly reopened Allez France. As of March 25, an auspicious opening day, it has been keeping the ovens churning to lure in customers with its crispier variety of baguette. However, the shelves are often bare, which is either a sign of healthy sales or an unhealthy output.  

     Deeper into the Juban Chou a La Creme (http://azabuchou.com) started out as a takeaway for lovers of cream puffs. Now expanded into the next shop it offers stools for three (four is unlucky, pls remember). At Y 160 (about $2) for the basic puff, it's a local bargain with the catchy slogan: "Cafe: eat in or take out?" Undaunted, Le Pommier Patisserie Salon de The (www.lepommier-patisserie.com) opened kitty corner beside Naniwaya, the supa (supermarket).  Very posh with three tables, the tartes begin at Y 400. Continue to Azabu Juban shopping street (think High Street) for Mont Thabor, which seems to pump out cinnamon perfume but produces inferior breads, kitty corner from Starbucks.

     Well-positioned on the corner of the Juban piazza is cool Tokyo Rusk, "baked with love"  and with a pretty logo and carrier bag. While American mothers associate rusks with the Zwiebacks given to teething infants, Tokyoites seem to find the sweetened twice-baked bread to be a choice dessert. Y 450 (about $6) buys a box of six packets at this exclusive rusk outlet, each containing two flavored crusts. Maple is quite popular nowadays. Just to utter the Spanish word "rusk" is a challenge in a language that interchanges L and R, and ends every word with a vowel. Yet these funny bits of bread are sold in the finer food stores around town to satiate the appetite of anyone who fancies a rusk.