Ble Sucre – My Paris No.1 for Croissants, Madeleines and Financiers

If readers are getting bored of the ‘best this and best that’, thats too bad, because so often in Paris, just because IT IS PARISIAN does not make it oh so damn delicious and awesome.  The search for this ‘No.1 List of Stuff’ is a personal benchmark as references for my own stuff, and as the adage goes, one man’s tea is another’s poison.

Thats how I came across Ble Sucre, owned by Chef Fabrice Le Bourdat, who took some time out to have a chat and reminisce about the hawker food in Singapore.  He spent 3 months at the Oriental Hotel in Singapore and remembers his time there fondly.

Yes, I was in Paris searching for the perfect Croissant, which up till now, had the top spot taken by the croissants we used to make at Pasteleria Totel in Spain.  Here at Ble Sucre, they had 3…hmmm no, maybe 4 items that occupy top positions in ‘The List of Best Stuff’.  It is all thanks to this man, Chef Fabrice Le Bourdat.

Best Baguette? Philippe Gosselin makes my list.

Philippe Gosselin………..who?  Yes yes, another one of these lame introductions.  Philippe Gosselin, he of the delayed cold fermentation Baguette a l’Ancienne.  Thin, knobbly baguette sticks with huge airy holes that tastes and feels in the mouth unlike any other baguette I have eaten.  What is cold fermentation you ask?  And how the devil do I know so much about his methods?  First, we have to start from the beginning.