Thursday, November 14, 2013

Arnaud Larher

 

Métro:Mabillon (line 10) or Odéon (line 4)
Address: 93 rue de Seine, 75006 Paris
Other Locations: Here
Hours:  10:00 am to 7:30 pm Tuesday-Thursday
             10:00 am to 8:00 pm Friday-Saturday
             Closed on Monday
Cost: 5 to 7 euros for a pastry
Website: www.arnaud-larher.com


When I entered in this pastry shop, I was not sure if I was in a museum or in an origami store. Everything is immaculate and you feel like your very presence is disturbing the perfect ecosystem of this place. Of course, you are greeted like a VIP by the staff, professional but distant. We are far from grandma's kitchen. I was not sure what to choose. I love when there is a little creativity when it comes to presenting the classics. Arnaud Lahrer is one of the "Meilleur Ouvrier de France" aka is one of the best of France. And it shows, his pastries are perfection on the eyes and intriguing to the mind.


I picked the Tatin. Tarte Tatin is usually an upside down caramel apple pie but Arnaud Lahrer's variation is made with Peach or apricot. The base is streusel with a kind of  thick vanilla mousse. It's an original twist but I have to say that I was expecting a little more out it. Don't get me wrong it was good but it wasn't as outstanding as it looked. Maybe it was a nice museum after all: for the eyes only.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Dalloyau



Métro: Boucicaut (ligne 8), or Charles Michels (Line 10)
Address: 69, rue de la Convention - 75015 Paris
Other locations: HERE
Hours: everyday from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Website: http://www.dalloyau.fr/


Dalloyau has charmed more than one since 1682 when he was the official caterer of king Louis XIV. With its worldwide fame and more than 300 years of experience, I was not sure what to expect. In fact, I have known about Dalloyau for many years and never went in to try it. When you have an artisan who goes global, there is always a risk of losing the delicacy of its craft along the way but to gain increased prices at the same time. But I went in at my own risk so I can tell you about it.

It's true some things are super expensive and thoughts run through your mind like: Do they take credits cards that are not gold? But I settled on the macarons and since I was with my sister we decided to splurge on a box of 8 little macarons. They had a deal 8 for 8,50 euros which is WAY cheap compared to others. The flavors remain classics, nothing wild and crazy. I did not care much for the raspberry one but everything else was good until I tried the following two: Pistachio and Chocolate. I about died of gustative pleasure especially the chocolate one which is weird because I often favor fruits over chocolate. It was slightly crunchy and yet so soft and moist. It melted in your mouth like a good brownies but without the pasty heaviness of it. Too bad we had waited  a couple hours to try it out because I think we would have been tempted to return just to buy 8 more chocolate macarons! Well I think I can say they haven't lost their artisan craftsmanship. It's delicious.



Friday, November 8, 2013

Rue Tiquetonne


Métro: Etienne Marcel (Line 4)
Address: Rue Tiquetonne, 75002 Paris



There's not really any cool historic anecdote behind this street but as I was discovering the area, I just fell for its architecture and the way it captures light. I thought I'd share it with you. No wait I lied, Alexandre Dumas had his character D'Artagnan live in this street in his book the Three Musketeers. Yes it's a fiction but nevertheless it remains a cool fact.



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