Aminchi (CLOSED)

Hidden away near Matsubara Station on the Setagaya tram line, Aminchi is the kind of place that requires an effort to get to. Open for only six hours daily, this tiny one-woman operation seats only nine and offers a different experience on every visit. That's because there's no regular menu: the muffins, cookies, quiches, ice creams and other desserts are impeccably seasonal and rotate almost daily. We're especially fond of the cutesy and reasonably priced mini-parfaits; the peach and vacherin cream cake version pictured above comes with peach compote, jasmine tea jelly, homemade ice cream, fresh peach and almond meringue, all for ¥850. If you're going on a weekend, best head over early: they often sell out before 3pm.