Today I hopped straight on the Metro to get to some more touristy sites which included Jardin de Luxembourg, the Notre Dame, Ile de la Cite and St Louis- didn't I do well! I also found loads of chocolate shops, boulangeries and patisseries today so I feel it has been a very productive day! Unfortunately I don't have time to blog about them all but here are some quick reviews of some of the best.
Poilane: Punitions and Petit Pain de Seigle aux Raisins
Punitions literally translates to 'punishments', although I'm not quite sure why as eating one of these is certainly not a punishment!
These are what they are really- a thin, crisp and buttery biscuit. Rather addictive, and I could easily eat my way through a bag of these so I can see why they sell so many!
Poilane is famous for its bread, and the interior of the tiny shop looks really rustic and just like a bakery. Therefore I thought I ought to try a bread product, although I still had to choose something sweet!
Poilane: Punitions and Petit Pain de Seigle aux Raisins
Punitions literally translates to 'punishments', although I'm not quite sure why as eating one of these is certainly not a punishment!
Poilane is famous for its bread, and the interior of the tiny shop looks really rustic and just like a bakery. Therefore I thought I ought to try a bread product, although I still had to choose something sweet!
The petit pain aux raisins is very dense and chewy- it actually reminds me of the hot cross buns I made a while back which didn't rise! The bread seems to be wholemeal but without a strong wheaty flavour, and is packed with raisins which I like.
Overall, I'm not that impressed as I like my bread really soft and doughy, and I guess French bread just isn't like that! However, the bread here is clearly popular as it is shipped all over the world, and is France's most famous bakery!
Searching for all these patisseries is hard work you know, so I stopped off in a cafe that I had read about in the area. I actually spent quite a while searching for a tea salon called Le Confiturier, only to find that it had infact changed its name to Matteo and Paula! From what I had read, this place serves brioche, butter and jam at any time which sounded perfect to me. However, I was slightly disappointed as when I had got there and was ready to order, I was told that I could not get any brioche-boo! Instead, I just stuck to my 'cafe americain' as I knew I could pick up more treats later on!
I soon came across one of many chocolate shops called La Maison du Chocolat and picked up a praline gianduja- milk chocolate with a soft praline centre. In a word- delicious. Enough said!
Ready for some more? Okay, me too. Now I know this isn't strictly a French patisserie but I just love this shop. La Cure Gourmande is a cute little shop selling biscuits, chocolates and sweets. The smell from outside is always so enticing I just can't help but go inside, and you normally get a free sample upon entering so it's definitely worth it!
I picked up three different filled biscuits: raspberry, orange and chocolate. Each one was as good as I expected and unfortunately I ate them too quickly to take any photos! If you ever come across this shop, I do recommend that you go inside and fill a bag with a selection of biscuits- you won't regret it!
