3.5 stars.
I've been interested in trying the fruit-shaped cakes by French pastry chef Cédric Grolet since they went viral, but had no immediate plans to visit Paris while he was still making them. When I found myself in the vicinity of one of his patisseries this month, I joined the long queue outside which turned out to be a 25-minute wait. Once inside, croissants & other similar pastries had sold out, as it was later in the afternoon. Grolet's famous Flower cakes at 18 € were available, as were his Fruit Diamond Tarts for 25 €.
The Raspberry Pistachio Flower consisted of a pistachio sponge cake, crisp layer of pistachio praline, pistachio cream & paste, molten raspberry center, & raspberry mousse on the outside in his signature piping. I wish I could say the flavors married well but I should have gone with a more traditional flavor like Strawberry Pavlova. It was interesting, but not in a wholly positive way.
My group ordered one Raspberry Tart & one Blackberry Tart. I didn't care for the pastry "basket" but those fruits were the freshest, most plump I've had. The jam, pastry cream, & (I believe) almond cream were a delightful trio.
Beautiful creations, but at that price point & wait time, I'd say one visit is all that's necessary for me. read more