walking toward chinatown, this little french pâtisserie on the corner of queen st west and mccaul…read morecaught my eye. the black and white decor, french lettering and, most of all, that absolutely gorgeous chandelier were enough to pull me inside. the enormous crystal chandelier is almost theatrical, with layers of sparkling drops and ornate gold toned arms hanging in the centre of the store, over the pastry counter. between the marble like counters, glass display cases and big front windows looking out onto queen street, the whole space has a polished, old world french pâtisserie feel.
no matcha here, so i switched things up with an oat milk latte instead, which was actually a nice change of pace.
for the pastry, i went with the chocolate almond croissant. it looked every bit as tempting as the setting, with icing sugar and topped with a generous scattering of slivered almonds.
after finding a table, i could also see an artisan baker working behind the glass, making what looked like raisin scones, which added a nice sense of theatre to the experience. aux merveilleux de fred is a french artisan pâtisserie known for its signature merveilleux, along with cramiques, waffles, meringues and viennoiseries, with the pastries made on site using traditional methods.
texture wise, though, this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. there wasn't much lamination, and it lacked the crisp, flaky exterior i look for in a really good croissant. the slivered almonds also weren't toasted enough to give that extra nutty crunch. on the plus side, the chocolate and almond filling was generous, so there was no shortage of flavour in the middle. it just needed more of that buttery, layered pastry texture and a little more toasted almond flavour to really bring everything together.
there was no cutlery provided, so this was very much a pastry you eat with your hands situation. fortunately, the icing sugar and filling were manageable with a few big bites and some paper napkins . sometimes you just have to commit.
overall, this is a beautiful little stop on queen street west, especially if you're drawn in by aesthetic pâtisseries and elaborate interiors. the chandelier alone is worth looking up from the pastry case for, and being able to watch the bakers working behind the glass adds to the charm. i enjoyed the generous chocolate and almond filling, but for me, the croissant needed more layers, more crispness and more toasted almond flavour to make it truly memorable.
