Monthly Archive September 2012
Today’s Sweet
How I have missed this little delight from my local boulangerie downstairs. Heaven on a plate!
Sunday Brunch
If you’re in the mood for a good and yummy Sunday brunch Les Fous de L’Ile is a great place for just that. As if the brunch isn’t enough, the restaurant is located on Île Saint Louis in Paris, which couldn’t be better for a cozy Sunday stroll.
On Instagram
You can find me under the name “ParisInFourMonths” or simply click on that little camera icon at the top of the website to find me on Instagram.
Favourite Time
I have two favourite times of the day. The first time that I can’t get enough of are the really early mornings. Especially in big cities. When the city and all the people are still asleep and when you can wonder the streets all by yourself. The morning even have a special scent… And of course it’s a plus when the sun is there and shining. It’s almost worth to wake up really really early and drag yourself out of bed not to miss it.
In Between
I love the neighbourhood that connects île Saint Louis with Le Marais. It’s calm, cozy and filled with cute boulangeries and other shops.
Want to Taste
La Pâtisserie des Rêves in Paris
I’ve tried a few places during my time in Paris, both savoury and sweet but I still have so so many places left that I can’t wait to try out when I go to Paris the next time. I have a list that I just keep adding and adding to… I guess I have to move to Paris for good if I’m ever going to finish it!
A couple of pastry/sweet shops I would love to try are: La Chocolaterie de Jacques Génin, Un Dimanche à Paris, La Pâtisserie des Rêves, Gérard Mulot and Carette. Have you tried any of these? And if so, please tell me all about it so that I can continue to drool over my keyboard over here.
My Top Three
Where to look for sweets and pastries in Paris you might wonder? Well, you probably don’t if you’ve read this blog before… But I thought I’d sum it up for you in case you missed out on my favourite spots for a sweet treat in the city of light. So here comes my top three pastry shops in Paris. I could really make this list go on and on for several pages but I’ll try my best to limit myself to picking three favourites. Although this will be hard. Here we go, drumroll please…
1. Café Pouchkine
I didn’t know about this café until after I’ve spent a few weeks in Paris. When I look back I think that was fortunate for me because otherwise I would have gained x kg more in weight. Although Café Pouchkine is super small and doesn’t really offer any good seating (except for a few chairs at the bar) it still makes it to the top on my list. For several reasons. First, because of all the yummy sweets and treats they offer, bien sur. Their macarons are just heavenly and their croissants, other tarts, sweets an pastries are just as good.
Secondly, the staff is also very kind and helpful and are, in my experience, more than happy to explain the meaning behind all the confusing French/Russians pastry names for you. My third reason for loving this café is how it looks. It’s so adorable and looks like somebody dipped the whole café in a gold paint bucket. You can not come her and leave empty handed. It’s just not possible.
2. Hugo & Victor
If my experience with the Café Pouchkine staff was good, my experience with the staff at Hugo & Victor has been fantastic. They’re so sweet and helpful, and if you’re lucky they’ll sometimes even treat you to a little piece of chocolate while you think about what to pick up. Could it get any better than that? I think not… Well it does. Since their sweets are just perfect. Their macarons are in my opinion the very best, together with the ones from Café Pouchkine. And their chocolates and other pastries are not to forget about! I’d say: “skip the line outside Ladurée and pick up your sweet fix over at Hugo & Victor instead”.
I just had a little peek on their website and apparently they also offers sorbets at the moment. This makes me even more eager to visit next time!
3. Pierre Hermé
Although I’m not the biggest fan of their macarons, I adore their other pastries. Don’t get me wrong, I like the macarons, I’m just not in loove with them. A plus for Pierre Hermé is that they are located in quite a few places and most often you can get to one, not too far away. I could drool over their display for ages while deciding on what to get. Another thing that I really like is their professionalism. Even though there’s a line all the way out on the street you don’t have to wait that long and they are usually pretty fast. Although one I got the wrong order… Which didn’t really make me that happy but in the end it all worked out since it was soo delicious (yes, I know I should have gone back to restrung it for the right order but it was too cold outside and too comfy inside).
I still have these pastries on my mind that I really have to pick up at my next visit; the Ispahan (which I was supposed to have gotten when I got the wrong order), the croissant Ispahan and the Millefeuille vanille! Mmm…
Runner up: Your local boulangerie
Even though all these fancy pastry shop are unbelievable delicious you can’t deny that your local boulangerie has quite a few goodies as well. I’ve eaten some of the yummiest sweets from my boulangeries downstairs! I suggest trying the ones closest to you to find your own personal favourite. Now I know where to go to get the best chocolate cake, the best baguette and the best framboise crumble.
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You can also find my top three restaurants here, and my top three sweets in Paris here.