Pierre Hermé

Add: 72 rue Bonaparte 75006 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77
Hours: 10am~7pm (7:30pm on Thu-Fri, 8pm on Sat)
Website: www.pierreherme.com
Price: €4.50~7.30/individual dessert
Visited on: May 2013

From May 7 to June 30, Pierre Hermé reinterprets the classic Saint-Honoré in five flavors: traditional, Montebello (strawberry + pistachio), Ispahan (rose + raspberry + litchi), citron, and chocolate. Here’s Saint-Honoré Carrément Chocolat (€6.90), composed of puff pastry, caramelized choux pastry,  chocolate mascarpone cream, and dark chocolate crisp.

Personally thought the caramel was too thick and instead of giving the Saint-Honoré a good crunch, it sticks to the teeth…c’est dommage.

Of course I couldn’t have walked away with just one pastry. Here’s Tarte Infiniment Vanille (€6.90), one of my favorite items at Pierre Hermé, and it’s composed of shortcrust pastry, white chocolate ganache with vanilla, tender biscuit moistened with vanilla, and vanilla-flavoured mascarpone cream. Pierre Hermé combines vanilla from Mexico, Tahiti and Madagascar to develop a “house vanilla”, and the whole tart is just bursting with this lovely flavor.

Tarte Infiniment Café (€6.90), shortcrust pastry, tender biscuit moistened with coffee, ganache and chantilly flavoured with Pierre Hermé’s special coffee blend. I decided to try this because we used the same recipe during our tarts week at Ferrandi (read about it here), but I’m not a huge fan of coffee desserts in general and wasn’t blown away by this one.

Plénitude (€6.90), chocolate macaron, dark chocolate chips with fleur de sel, bittersweet chocolate mousse, bittersweet chocolate ganache, crunchy caramel. This one is a bit monotonous in terms of texture (tasted the caramel, but didn’t feel the crunch) and wasn’t very memorable.

Macarons! This time I tried the Jardin d’Ambre (rose + ambergris), Arabesque (apricot + pistachio), and jasmine + rose. Jardin d’Ambre (bottom left) is part of Pierre Hermé’s garden series, and is amber paired with a light caramel cream, counterbalanced by rose-flavoured cream. Interesting…

If you like Pierre Hermé‘s Ispahan, then Croissant Ispahan (€1.80) is a must try. It’s a croissant with rose-flavored almond paste, raspberry litchi compote, then topped off with rosewater glaze and a sprinkling of small raspberry pieces. It’s quite sweet and is more like a dessert rather than a breakfast item, but hear me, it’s good.

If you don’t particularly like the flavors of Ispahan, the classic Croissant (€1.50) is also very well done. It appearance is not as beautiful as the ones from Des Gateaux et Du Pain, but in terms of texture and taste, it is very satisfying.

Kouign-Amann aux Fruits Rouges (€2.70), buttered and caramelized puff pastry filled with red berry marmalade. Like!

4 petits gateaux, 3 macarons, and 3 viennoiseries after, I think I’m ready for a (short) break from Pierre Hermé.

Du Pain et Des Idées

Add: 34 Rue Yves Toudic, 75010 Paris
Tel: 01 42 40 44 52
Hours: 6:45am~8pm (closed Sat & Sun)
Website: dupainetdesidees.com
Price: €2~6
Visited on: May 2013

Back at Du Pain et Des Idées to pick up some bread (read about this charming corner bakery in this previous post). Slightly disappointed by the viennoiseries which I loved so much on my first visit, but happy to have discovered a heavenly brioche called mouna. Details below.

Du Pain et Des Idées’ croissant (€1.30) is small in stature and not particularly pretty. Taste-wise, it’s soft and buttery – quite delicious, but I personally prefer the crunchy kind from Des Gateaux et Du Pain, Blé Sucré, or Mori Yoshida.

I was also slightly disappointed by chausson à la pomme fraîche (€2), fresh apple turnover, which really impressed me last time. It seems like they changed the type of apple used for this pastry, and I found it to be a lot less fragrant than the old one. Plus, the chausson I got was very burnt at the bottom…

Escargot chocolat pistache (€2.5), chocolate pistachio snail. It is soft and doughy instead of crunchy and flaky as I remembered…could it be because I went in the late afternoon this time instead of in the morning?

Escargot aux fruits rouges bio & cream cheese (€2.8), red fruit & cream cheese snail. Love the acidity of the red fruits, but in terms of texture, same comment as above.

My happiest discovery on this trip was mouna (€3.80), a soft brioche perfumed with orange blossoms. One bite and I was in love with the texture, which is tight-knit and soft. Kind of in-between a sponge and a fluffy pillow, if you can imagine.

Also took home a few mini-pavés (€1.30 each).

Tomates sechees bio & chevres frais (€1.30), organic sun-dried tomatoes and fresh chevres cheese.

Pruneaux & lardons fermiers (€1.30), prunes & bacon.

Lardons fermiers & Reblochon (€1.3), bacon & Reblochon cheese.

Not so happy with the viennoiseries from Du Pain et Des Idées this time, but mouna, loved loved loved! Will definitely pick up another loaf when in the Canal St. Martin area.

Day 3 in Prague, it’s finally (kind of) sunny!

Breakfast: more trdelník. Crispy skin and fluffy underneath…couldn’t get enough of this!

Chocolate crepe.

Hot wine.

Pizza? It’s fried dough with grated cheese and ketchup.

Not set itinerary for our last day in Prague, just mindless wandering.

On Charles Bridge. “I don’t care if you are a famous statue. I’m going to sit on your head and poop on it too.”

Lesser Town (Malá Strana).

Last meal in Prague, home-cooked Czech food by some lovely friends, who also happen to be amazing musicians. We passed the evening eating, drinking, and making good music. Did I mention this was December 24th? What a way to spend Christmas eve.

Next up, Budapest.

Day 2 in Prague, woke up to the rain. Our morning walk led us to David Cerny’s giant crawling babies outside Kampa Museum, which effectively enhanced the eerie mood. A little disturbing, yes.

Then, The Disappearing Man, a memory of what it was like to live under Communism.

Thankfully, the gloominess was wiped away by a sunny breakfast at Cafe Savoy.

Savoy breakfast (178 czk): toast, prague ham, organic Emmenthal cheese, lightly boiled egg, housemade bread, farm butter, housemade jam, nut marble cake, hot chocolate savoy.

Vltava River in winter rain: melancholy and beautiful.

Night falls. Yes, already! Day light is that short-lived here in wintry Prague.

Old Town Square, again.

Yet another installation art by David Cerny, titled “Love”. It’s a 5-meter-long golden bone suspended in air at the intersection of Dlouhá and Rybná streets. Read more about it here.

Day 2 ended with dinner at La Degustation, a one Michelin Star restaurant featuring new interpretations of Czech specialties. The 6-course dinner menu (not including a flurry of amuse bouche) is 2150 czk. An 11-course menu is also available for 3150 czk. Here are some snapshots.

Lužické hory snails, pumpkin, garlic.

Straw soup, duck, lokus wine.

Třeboň catfish, beetroot, celery.

Beef tougue, yellow pea, apple.

Dobrá Vinice Blanc de Blancs 2009.

Sea buckthorn, beer.

Day 3, coming up.

It’s a little bizarre to be blogging about winter in Prague during Paris’s gorgeous spring time, but what needs to be done needs to be done. Without further ado (….it’s been 5 months already), here are some snapshots of snowy Prague from back in December 2012.

On our way to Old Town Square, we came across “Man Hanging Out”, a sculpture by David Cerny depicting Sigmund Freud hanging by a hand and pondering whether to hold on or let go. Read more about it here.

Arrving at Old Town Square and greeted by a lively christmas market. What a dramatic contrast between Prague’s melancholy winter sky and the warm buzz beneath it!

It was on this very first day in Prague when I discovered trdelník, is a traditional sweet pastry in Czech Republic (as well as Slovakia and Hungary). It is a rolled dough wrapped around a stick, grilled, and topped with sugar and spice. It smells heavenly, and tastes heavenly too.

We went for a late lunch at Klub Architektu, a restaurant tucked into the alcoves of a 12th-century cellar. The decor of this renovated stone dungeon is certainly interesting, with exposed air ducts and hovering industrial lights, but the food was just ok.

Prague goulash with assorted “dumplings” (192,000 czk).

Pan-fried turkey schnitzel with tartar sauce and fries (186,000 czk).

Up on the clock tower. This short climb will offer you a good birds eye view of the Old Town Square, just get ready for the crowd up there.

Meandering paths in Old Town.

Hot chocolate at Choco Cafe, a popular spot among locals and tourists alike. We tried a hot chocolate with sea salt and a hot chocolate with chili, but I actually didn’t like either…the hot chocolate was very dense and probably better for dipping rather than drinking.

So we ordered a cake.

And dipped it in hot chocolate. Frankly, not bad.

After that, we attempted to burn off some calories by walking around the city.

Crossing Charles Bridge to the castle ground.

A lone guitarist.

Swan lake?

The first of the many cups of hot wine we consumed on this trip. A godsend on a freezing winter night.

Prague in winter, melancholy yet beautiful. Day 2, coming up.

Spring has finally settled in Paris, and the city is back to its charming self again after months of melancholy. Sunshine, blue sky, light breeze, flowers in full bloom…’Tis the season for picnics!

Parc Monceau.

Jardin du Luxembourg.

Ballerinas, finally.

La Seine.

Canal St. Martin.

Flowers, in full bloom.

Couldn’t be happier at this moment :)

La Pâtisserie des Rêves

Add: 93 rue du Bac, 75007 Paris
Tel: 01 42 84 00 82
Hours: [Tue-Sat] 9am-8pm [Sun] 9am-4pm (closed on Mon)
Website: www.lapatisseriedesreves.com
Price: [individual desserts] €5.50~6.90
Visited on: May 2013

Dropped by La Pâtisserie des Rêves yesterday to try the supposedly very delicious tarte mangue-ananas, only to find out that the item is already off the shelf. What?! Devastated and unwilling to leave empty-handed, I picked up a tarte aux framboise instead.

The tarte aux framboises (€6.90) looks simple and straight forward – just a tart piled with raspberries – but it’s a bit more than that. The cross-section below shows you the layers: sweet tart shell, almond cream, rhubarb confit, vanilla cream, then fresh raspberries. It’s overall a very pleasant tart – the acidity of the raspberries and rhubarb well-balanced by the vanilla cream – though it doesn’t quite blow the mind.

Also, madeleine and brioche feuilletée.

Last time I proclaimed my love for Pâtisserie des Rêves’ madeleine (€2.20), but recently we’ve been making madeleines at work and (all bias aside!) ours are even tastier – softer, more delicate, and a more pronounced vanilla flavor. But of course, Pâtisserie des Rêves’ madeleines are still very good and perhaps one of the best you can find in Paris.

Puffy, voluminous, buttery brioche feuilletée au sucre (€2.40), slightly sweetened. Simple goodness.

On a previous visit, I also tried a tarte orange (€5), which is sweet tart shell filled with orange confit, orange cream, and orange juice glaze. Ok.

Grand Cru (€6.90), on another hand, is a chocoholic’s dream. At the base is crunchy chocolate biscuit seasoned with sea salt, topped with chocolate ganache, enveloped by a light chocolate mousse, and lastly finished with chocolate glaze. The sea salt really does magic in elevating the chocolate flavors, and the whole ensemble – despite being chocolate all over – is not overwhelming at all.

As for the tarte mangue-ananas, I guess I will have to wait till next year…

Des Gateaux et Du Pain

Add: 63 boulevard Pasteur, 75015 Paris
Tel: 01 45 38 94 16
Hours: [Wed-Mon] 8am-8pm (closed Tue)
Website: www.desgateauxetdupain.com
Price: €5~6/pastry
Visited on: Apr 2013

Once again, back at Claire Damon’s impeccable Des Gateaux et Du Pain for a good dose of patisseries and viennoiseries.

It must be strawberry season, because all I see is fraise fraise everywhere. Tarte aux fraises à l’ eau de fleur d’oranger (€6.20) is shortcrust pastry topped with almond cream, orange flower water cream, fresh strawberries, and transparent cubes of orange flower water.

Orange flower water, a perfumed distillation of fresh orange blossoms, is traditionally used in pastries as an aromatizer for its distinctive citrus-flora scent.

Baton de Rhubarbe (€6.20), a new addition to the pastry lineup at Des Gateaux et Du Pain. Almond cream, white chocolate, rhubarb coulis, rhubarb vanilla jelly. The acidity of rhubarb is rounded by the smooth flavors of almond cream, white chocolate, and vanilla.

Des Gateaux et du Pain also makes some seriously tasty viennoiseries. Its croissant (€1.30) is beautiful in form and flavor: the crust is golden brown and crunchy, the center lightly moist, not greasy at all but each bite is a mouthful of fresh butter flavor.

Chausson citron (€2.50), caramelized puff pastry filled with lemon cream. A fun variation on the traditional chausson aux pommes.

Pain perdu vanille (€2.30), vanilla french toast. The dense texture reminds me of a British bread pudding rather than a fluffy French toast, but it’s delicious nonetheless.

Also tried a pain aux noix, not bad.

Des Gateaux et Du Pain will be closed from May 6 to May 14, so if you are planning get your dose of patisseries and viennoseries, wait another week before you head over.

Les Fines Gueules

Add: 43, rue Croix des Petits Champs, 75001 Paris
Tel: 01 42 61 35 41
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 12~2:30pm, 7:30~10:30pm [Sat-Sun] 7:30~11pm
Website: www.lesfinesgueules.fr
Price: €40~50/person
Tasted on: Apr 2013

Had a quick and very pleasant dinner at Les Fines Gueules, 2 months after my first visit to this wine bar/bistro. Love this place for its casual atmosphere, tasty dishes, lovely wine, friendly service, and the fact that last minute dinner reservations actually work here.

Velouté de petits pois, eclats de chèvres (€10), soup of green peas with bits of chèvres.

Duo de burrata et bufula, tranches de San Daniele (€14), burrata and buffalo mozzarella with San Daniele ham.

Fameuse tartare d’Arbac”au couteau”, Parmesan, pommes grenailles et salade verte (€18), the famous hand-cut steak tartare with Parmesan, roasted potatoes, and green salad.

Content :)