Note this road, for not only is Pierre Herme there, but Christian Constant, Jean Charles Rochoux and Sadaharu Aoki as well. Such is the concentration of awesomeness here that every visit to Paris brings me to this area at least twice.
Glistening in the cases are his signature cakes, macarons and chocolates, but much overlooked are his other confections. Cue his Viennoiseries, which were relegated to the bottom-est, farthest left shelf, destined to be ignored by the masses wowed by the fancy patisserie.
A perfect croissant, beautifully layered and baked. How these did not fly off the shelves, I will never know, especially since this was almost tea time.
This croissant was ethereally light and flakey, made so by its not-so-buttery dough, which was perfect for a gluttonous pig eating nothing but pastries since the wee hours of the morning. The interior was soft and slightly sweet, all in all a very very good croissant, up there with the best. Of course, my Paris No.1 Croissant is from Ble Sucre, but had I eaten this croissant under similar conditions and mood, this could have easily trumped it.
Put Ispahan on anything and it is bound to sell, especially if you are Pierre Herme, so it is only natural that this would migrate to Croissants.
Covered with a Krispy Kreme like sugar glaze and what tasted like Sosa Raspberry Crispy (Freeze Dried Fruits), this is probably the most unique Croissant I’ve come across.
This croissant is made up with lychees in rose syrup and almond paste flavoured with rose essential oil. The rose flavour was gentle and blended beautifully with the almond paste, which had a hint of bitter almonds in them.
Though this was not as crisp, its floral notes were wonderful and just sweet enough. Would have been great if raspberry and the acidity it brings would’ve been included as the Sosa Crispies didn’t do anything.
Alright, so a Kouign Amann is a Breton speciality, and it is pronounced “Kween Aman” This PH version combined the really sinful, buttery Kouign Amann dough with sharp Blueberry.
This is a heavy heavy pastry, and at its base was a crunchy caramel crust. Dough it was a bit sticky due to hanging around in the shop for too long, biting it was pure pleasure. Flakey, crunchy and oh so buttery, beautiful beautiful butter.
The best part was the Blueberry centre, as after that beautiful fat comes a sharp, tang of Blueberries, livening up the tastebuds with a welcome jolt of acidity. Awesome.
For those who are visiting PH for the first time, go crazy on his signature cakes, and once that is outta your system, try these neglected beauties. Not all Croissants and Kouign Amanns are made equal, and there are lots of horrible ones out there in Paris.
It seems like with PH, you really can never go wrong. How he makes all his stuff so-damn-blood-awesome-a-notch-above-most-others is bewildering indeed.
