Paris has a bakery and patisserie on just about every corner, with fresh bread, croissants and pastries baked directly on site. If that wasn’t enough, several pastry shops in recent years have introduced one or two specialty items. With so many options available, finding the right one can be a bit daunting. Here are two of our favorite spots.
Aux Merveilleux de Fred
Merveilleux means "wonderful" in French and is the perfect name for the pastries at Aux Merveilleux de Fred. In 1997, Frédéric Vaucamps reimagined a lighter version of a beloved 18th century pastry, le merveilleux. Fred’s staff takes small and medium meringue shells, smothers them with whipped cream and then rolls them in either dark and white shaved chocolate or tiny cherry, lemon, caramel and coffee bits. The result is a lighter-than-air, delicious pastry that is addictive. Lines form outside the door of every location with customers anxiously waiting for their Aux Merveilleux fix.
Although the meringue treats are the staple of the shop, it makes a few other unmissable treats, such as plain meringues, dried waffles filled with vanilla and coffee cream, and large brioche breads studded with chocolate chips or raisins.
The cult following of Aux Merveilleux de Fred has now spread around the globe with locations in Paris and throughout France, as well as in New York, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Canada, Spain and Switzerland. Each shop has the identical, gorgeous interior with a crystal chandelier, stone floors and red marble counter tops.
All the products at Aux Merveilleux de Fred are prepared and baked on the premises, so when you enter the shop or look in the window, the workers are either methodically piping freshly whipped meringue onto cookie sheets, working the waffle iron, slathering the meringues with whipped cream or restocking the quickly selling inventory.
For more information, visit www.auxmerveilleux.com.
Fu Castella
The castella cake has a fascinating history. Its origins are traced to the 1600s when a Portuguese sponge cake, pão de castela, was brought to Japan by merchants and became so popular, the first shop opened in Fukusaya. Its success spread throughout Asia and soon it became a hit in Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea.
Pão de Castela is now being introduced to Paris with Fu Castella. It’s first shop opened in the 13th arrondissement, but the latest shop is in the Marais district.
The impeccably designed shop has beautiful, blue-green wood-framed doors at the entrance. Massive loaves of sponge cake line the glass showcase in different flavors such as traditional vanilla, chocolate, coffee and pecan, banana (gluten free) and matcha tea with red bean. In a refrigerated case on the left side of the shop there are seasonal specialty flavors such as strawberry and cream, Black Forest, and, for gay pride, layers of colored sponge cake filled with whipped cream in between.
In the rear of the shop is a tea salon decorated with shiny white table tops and chairs, geometric patterned carpet in beige and taupe, and dramatic wood beams going from the table to the ceiling. They serve the cakes plus iced and hot tea, coffee and bubble tea.
Fu Castella also makes homemade ice cream in sesame, mango, pistachio, yuzu and chocolate.
Visit www.fucastella.com.