Paris is known as the city of love but it is also known for its amazing food. Many things come to mind when you associate the French with food. You get decadent desserts, Michelin starred restaurants serving the finest meals to quaint little bistros serving classical French food. For me, there was one thing I looked forward to more than the rest when I was there. That is to try their re-known pastries. In particular, the much-talked about classic, the Croissant. In October, I made a short trip to Paris over the weekend and tried some popular bakeries in town.
My first morning before walking through Luxembourg Garden was a stop at Maison Eric Kayser on d’Assas road. This bakery was one of the many others that formed the famous Eric Kayser franchise. To get my morning fuel, I tried three different pastries. Sorry for the really random looking pics! I was too hungry to re-arrange them and present them nicely together :P!
The classic Croissant.
The White Chocolate Brioche
The Raisin & Vanilla Custard Pastry
The pastries were rich, tasty and more-ish. But while the Croissant and Brioche should have been the favourites, they were served a little too cold for my liking. This means it was not as fluffy or airy as they could have been. For that reason alone, my favourite was the Raisin & Vanilla Custard Pastry.
The morning before I went home came seemingly close to being a failure. With most places closed, it was hard to find anything proper. Then there was the marathon which had several main roads close in the Louvre area. Just when my friends were about to settle for McDonald’s I managed to lead the team to Boulangerie Gosselin.
Chocolate Eclair
Croissant
Pistachio Twist? Croissant?
Another moment of decadence in Paris. While I have tasted better Eclairs in life, this was a good one although I felt the need for better balance and that it could be fresher over all. The Croissant here was noticeably airier compared to the one from Maison Eric Kayser. However, it was also less buttery. Alas, my favourite one was the Pistachio Pastry. Crusty, slightly sweet and fragrant, it was a hard one to beat.
The pastries in Paris were consistently good or perhaps I have been to some consistently good bakeries. Controversially enough, I cannot help but feel let down by the croissants. Fortunately, the discovery of some seriously yummy alternatives kept my hopes up. At Maison Eric Kayser, the Raisin and Custard swirl was all the rave. Crispy, creamy and a toned sweetness, it was impeccable. On the other hand, the fragrant of the pistachios from Boulangerie Gosselin still lingers on my palate today. Looking in hindsight though its like going to Italy to buy a Ferrari only to come back with a Citroen. Does not sound very right now does it? =|
WenY
