paris | Sugared & Spiced

2015/09/262015/09/26

[Paris] Sadaharu Aoki (4)

Sadaharu Aoki

Add: 35 Rue de Vaugirard, 75006 Paris
Tel: +33 1 45 44 48 90
Hours: [Tue-Sat] 11am~7pm [Sun] 10am~6pm (closed on Mon)
Website: www.sadaharuaoki.com
Price: €5~6/patisserie
Tasted: Jul 2015

Two recent tastings from Sadaharu Aoki, one I absolutely loved, the other one not so much. Let’s start with the one I loved, “Symphonie” (€5.40), violet macarons sandwiching earl grey creme brulee, violet mousseline cream, and fresh raspberries. I’m not usually a fan of violet flavors, but the dosage in this cream was light (perfect for me), and combined amazingly with the earl grey flavor and fresh raspberries. Love at first bite and happily savored each mouthful of this.

R1130998

R1131001

R1131007

Then there was Bamboo (€5.50), Aoki’s famed matcha rendition of the classic opéra, consisting of alternating layers of matcha joconde biscuit, chocolate ganache, and matcha buttercream. I had actually tried this already years ago at Aoki’s Taipei branch – didn’t love it then, don’t like it now…which is quite strange, because I usually enjoy matcha and chocolate flavors. Beautiful visually though.

R1131052

Continue Reading →

2015/09/25

[Paris] La Pâtisserie des Rêves (4)

paris

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] €5.50~7.10
Visited: Aug 2015

It’s been a LONG while since I last posted about La Pâtisserie des Rêves. Without further ado, here are my recent tastings from this pastry shop, starting with this pretty one: Charlotte Vanille Fruits Rouges (€7.10), raspberry bavarois, vanilla cream, red fruits compote, and lime biscuit dusted with matcha powder.

R1131071

R1131072

R1131078

R1131081

Continue Reading →

2015/09/142015/09/23

[Paris] Teatime at Plaza Athénée

paris

Plaza Athénée

Add: 25 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris
Tel: 01 53 67 66 65
Hours: [tea time] 3-6:30pm
Website: www.dorchestercollection.com/en/paris/hotel-plaza-athenee
Price: [tea set] €48 [a la carte pastries] €18-20
Visited: Sep 2015

Having afternoon tea at Plaza Athénée has always been a dream. I remember talking about doing this with Ferrandi classmates when I first arrived in Paris three years ago, all of us in awe by what we’ve heard about chef Christophe Michalak and his fantastic pastry creations. As this luxury 5 star hotel soon went under renovation, I didn’t get to come until very recently…thanks to Carin who suggested that we spend an afternoon here. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get many photos of Le Galerie as there were too many guests around, so you will just have to visit and see this beautiful place for yourself.

L1140971

On this afternoon, we decided on Le Goûter by Michalak (€48 including a hot beverage) to try a selection of the chef’s creations. For tea, I chose the Mélange Plaza, a particularly fruity tea flavored with figs, grapes and quinces, while Carin went with Pouchkine vert, a green tea with bergamot from Calabria, citrus fruit, and peels (included in the set, or €14 a la carte).

L1140900

On to the pastries. Le Goûter by Michalak, inspired by the reopening of Plaza Athénée, is composed of 11~12 sweet bites created by Christophe Michalak and Jean-Marie Hiblot. On the day of our visit, this included: two ice-cream bites (chocolate and lime), fig tart, tropezienne, strawberry macaron, caramel chou, mille feuille, chocolate mousse, lime verbena tiramisu, saffron panna cotta with peaches, and honey sesame financiers.

L1140933

L1140928

Continue Reading →

2015/09/11

[Paris] La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac

paris

La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac

Add: 2 rue de Chaillot, 75016 Paris
Tel: 01 47 20 64 51
Hours: 7am-8pm (open daily)
Website: www.lapatisseriecyrillignac.com
Price: [pastries] €3.50-6
Visited: Sep 2015

As I’m leaving Paris the pastry wonderland soon (direction Shanghai), I’ve been hopping around eating even more pastries than I already do…and for the first time during my three years in Paris, I tried pâtisseries from Cyril Lignac. The celebrity chef has two pastry boutiques in Paris, with production headed by chef Benoit Couvrand. Let’s see what they’ve got for us.

L1140831

L1140825

L1140813

L1140818

Continue Reading →

2015/09/06

[Paris] Honor Cafe

paris

Honor Cafe

Add: 54 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris
Tel: N/A
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 9am-6pm [Sat] 10am-6pm (closed on Sun)
Website: www.honor-cafe.com
Price: [coffee] €3-5, [pastries] €1.5-4.5
Visited: Aug 2015

A coffee stand hidden inside a courtyard on rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Excellent coffee, super friendly service, and pastries supplied by Broken Biscuits. I’m not often in this neighborhood but when I am, I make sure to come here for a cup of coffee.

L1137371

L1140048

L1140043

Latte, lemon poppy seed cake, and lemon cake with blueberries.

L1140031

Continue Reading →

2015/09/052015/09/06

[Paris] Broken Biscuits

paris

Broken Biscuits

Add: 10 Passage Rochebrune, 75011 Paris
Tel: N/A
Hours: [Wed-Fri] 8:30am-7pm [Sat-Sun] 11-7pm (closed Mon & Tue)
Price: [tea/coffee] €3-5 [pastries] €2.5-5
Visited: Sep 2015

For a year or so, Chris and Christina of the Broken Biscuits have been supplying pastries to a few of Paris’ favorite cafes – Fondation, Honor, Steel, Loustic – while baking everything up in their home kitchen. This summer, they finally opened a cozy little shop of their own on a quiet lane in the 11th arrondissement. It’s a small but well-designed space, with an open kitchen, a pastry display, and a corner bar that seats 5 people. Very charming.

L1140840

L1140846

L1140835

I came here on a quiet weekday morning for breakfast, which ended up being black coffee (€3), muffin (€2.5) and a few bites of my friend’s cheesecake (€5). There were a few times when I’ve been disappointed by Broken Biscuit pastries from the above mentioned cafes, but to my pleasant surprise, I was happy with everything I tasted in their shop. Apparently they also do an excellent peanut butter brownie which I will surely have to try on my next visit.

L1140877

Continue Reading →

2015/09/032015/09/03

[Paris] PNY Paris New York

paris

Paris New York

Add: 1 Rue Perrée, 75003 Paris
Hours: 12-3pm, 7-11pm (open daily)
Website: www.pny-hamburgers.fr
Price: [burgers] €11.60 [sides] €3.40-4.60
Visited: Jul 2015

PNY doesn’t serve the best burger I’ve had, but it’s definitely the most stylish burger joint I’ve been to. Their first shop opened back in 2012 in the 10th arrondissement, followed by a second one in the 11th, and the third in the 3rd. The decor for each location is different, and I’d say that the newest addition to the family is quite a stunner. See it for yourself.

L1133831

L1133606

L1133585

“Morning California” (€11.60): Le Ponclet beef patty, 9-month cheddar, fresh avocado, secret sauce.

L1133555

Loaded fries (€4.60): skinny fries topped with 18-month cheddar and bacon.

Continue Reading →

2015/08/312015/08/31

[Paris] Ob-La-Di

paris

Ob-La-Di

Add: 54 Rue de Saintonge, 75003 Paris
Tel: N/A
Hours: [Tue-Sat] 8am-6pm [Sun] 9am-6pm (closed on Mon)
Price: [coffee] €2.50-6 [food] €4-12
Visited: Aug 2015

When Ob-La-Di opened in June 2015, it immediately became the new hot spot in Paris. Named after the popular Beatles song “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, this tiny shoebox of a cafe is styled with all the right decor – funky blue floor tiles, bare concrete wall, marble counter top, fresh flowers, the cutest coffee spoons (so tempted to steal one each time I come)…but most importantly, manning the Marzocco machine is Lloyd (previous at Boot Cafe), and that, my friends, means good coffee.

L1134363

L1134329

L1134334

L1134343

Continue Reading →

2015/08/042015/08/05

[Paros] & Antiparos

paris

When planning our Greece trip, it was rather difficult to choose which islands to visit. Going to Santorini was a no-brainer, but I wanted to spend time on one other island, somewhere that’s less touristy than Santorini. After doing some research and browsing through tons of photos, I decided on Paros and its adjacent Antiparos, and what a good decision this was. These islands, located in central Aegean Sea about 3 hours by ferry from Athens, are quaint and quiet even in July. Perfect for a few days of doing nothing, and a very pleasant contrast from the tourist-packed Santorini.

L1135983

Untitled-1

L1136206

L1136189

Continue Reading →

2015/07/192015/08/05

[Santorini] Oia: Addresses

paris

I had set my eyes on or stumbled upon a few good addresses in Oia, Santorini, and I’m happy to be sharing three of them here with you. #1 Lolita’s Gelato is a nice place to drop by especially when the heat is up high. We tried pistachio and baklava flavors on our first visit (both excellent), then peanut butter and coconut on our second trip (not too bad either).

L1137338

#2 Meteor Cafe, perched high up on the top with a killer view and cool breeze through its window, is an ideal place to cool down. The decor is cute, the light jazz is soothing, and the iced coffee is great. So lovely I wish I owned the place.

L1137349
L1136880

Continue Reading →

Category: paris

[Paris] Sadaharu Aoki (4)

[Paris] La Pâtisserie des Rêves (4)

[Paris] Teatime at Plaza Athénée

[Paris] La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac

[Paris] Honor Cafe

[Paris] Broken Biscuits

[Paris] PNY Paris New York

[Paris] Ob-La-Di

[Paros] & Antiparos

[Santorini] Oia: Addresses

sugarednspiced