The millefeuille mission - Part 1

For many a first timer’s trip to Paris, there are usually a few must-see sights on the list. Eiffel Tower. Check. Notre Dame. Check. The Louvre. Check. Champs Elysees. Check. But this last October, being my 5th time in the city I love, I was armed with a must-see list of a different kind. I will call it the “SBS” list. Sights by Stomach. It goes something like this. Laduree. Check. Gerard Mulot. Check. Poilane. Check. La Grande Epicerie. Check. And so on. I once asked Tiff how many patisseries one can consume in a day. The answer: It depends on the quality. Well, due to the sheer quantity of QUALITY Parisian patisseries, foodie emporiums and the like, one cannot restrict oneself to merely 1 sweet little treat per day. We’re talking at least 3 or 4…. multiply that by a 5-day visit & that comes to….whatever. And of course, this doesn’t count the dessert following dinner….or the souvenir treats to take home. Why? Don’t know, they just don’t count.

And this is where we come to Pierre Herme. The darling of the Parisian patisserie world, Pierre Herme designs desserts like designing fashion. Apart from the “classic” treats, we’re talking seasonal collections here. We’re talking queues each day that run outside his jewellery-like boutique in the St-Germain area. We’re talking immaculately presented salespeople in black suits. If Armani had a patisserie, it would look like this. For many years, I have been on the hunt for the perfect millefeuille (“1000 leaves”). The hunt came to a halt a couple of years ago when Tiff had a millefeuille epiphany (and several since!) at PH. The best ever I was told.

Finally I was here…..on entering the queue-less (!) store one Tuesday morning, the PH collections glistened before me. But I managed to stay focused enough to order what I was looking for. The friendly man behind the counter placed my millefeuille in a white box, into a bag along with a napkin and two clear plastic spoons. They must know that we patisserie-hunters can’t wait and must consume right away. So thoughtful. And so, off the patient hubbie & I went to the nearby Luxembourg Gardens to devour our treat. Well…Tiff was spot on. Imagine layers of crispy flaky pastry layered with the most sublimely smooth crème patissiere (vanilla pastry cream), with one layer consisting of crunchy praline bits and the top, a layer of caramelised pastry. Such tasty textural perfection. Yummo. Much licking of box and fingers followed. It was sooo hard to share, and there’s a reason I had to….but we’ll save that for another time… N

Pierre Herme
72 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
Metro: St-Sulpice
Open: Tues-Sun 10am-7pm (Sat til 7.30pm)