Pâtisserie Espérance エスペランス (Fujikawaguchiko, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

As we continue to circle around Lake Kawaguchiko, I started messaging my friends for advice. I was hoping to get answers on whether they think the clouds would finally clear in front of Mount Fuji. Or if they have any ideas to increase our chances to see Mount Fuji. Most of them who took the time to reply, preached patience. In order to find the patience and strength for us to stick around, I knew we needed a place to sit down and relax. And I remembered having this French patisserie and tea salon pinned on my map!

When I told my team that we would go look for this French pastry shop, they all thought I was crazy. A French patisserie in the middle of nowhere. I must be joking. 

Well, no I wasn't......😁

Pâtisserie Espérance (エスペランス) showed up on my radar screen when I was doing my due diligence on restaurants and cafes near Lake Kawaguchiko. They used to have a tea salon before the pandemic and it was shut down thanks to the dining restrictions a while ago. 

While Jelloman was parking the car outside, I went in for a quick look and came out pretty impressed. 

I thought their pastries easily outdueled the ones we had at Wako Annex (和光 別館) and a couple other places in Ginza. That's how good their French pastries are!

It didn't take long before everyone decided on what they wanted for afternoon snacks.

While the staff was busy preparing our pastries and tea, we took time to check out their homemade cookies and bakery goods. For a small shop like this, they certainly offered quite a fine selection of products.

Mont Blanc (590 yen) – A pretty easy choice for mom who's a diehard fan of marron. The marron cream was delicate and not sweetened too much to preserve its natural flavors. 

Mont Fuji (530 yen) – A trip to Mount Fuji is not complete without Espérance's signature Mont Fuji cake. Underneath the soft and fluffy meringue was in-season peach cream and compote. A very refreshing dessert for the summer.

Mille feuille praline (560 yen) – A very authentically French dessert highlighted by the buttery puff pastry that was airy and flaky. The delicious custard cream was made with hazelnut praline giving the dessert a creamy and nutty finish. A very elegant dessert for an afternoon snack.

Flan (460 yen) – Initially thought of as a Basque cheesecake, this turned out to be an egg flan which little nugget thought was a real nice snack for him to go with his juice.

While the tea salon no longer existed, they did have two tables at the terrace for us to enjoy our sweet treats. 

The terrace overlooks the mountains and grassland. Yes what we referred to as no man's land.

After a break in action, we were finally ready to go back towards the lake and look what we found. Mount Fuji without most of the clouds out of the way. Patience, that's always an important attribute but it's particularly important for the postcard worthy view of Mount Fuji.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2303 Kawaguchi, Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru, Yamanashi 401-0304, Japan

Tel: +81 555-73-8416

Website: https://esperance20.base.shop

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm (Thu - Tue)