Items Selected:
Custard Brioche…read moreBaba Au Rhum
Liege Waffle
Pain aux Raisin
Canele
Almond Croissant
Triple Chocolate Sourdough
Profitterole St. Honore
Éclair Brest
Located at Rue Vanderkindere 377 in Uccle, another store at Fort Jaco with the 1986 original in in Ixelles, Le Saint Aulaye features the baking history of Gerard Marciquet plus the current team of Chefs Gregoire, Barre and Dupont, the results a downright mesmerizing collection of fifty or more Viennoiserie, Breads, Waffles, Pastries and Tarts.
Opening at 7h00, early by Belgian Standards but clearly welcomed by locals given the continuous flow of traffic throughout the earl day, Le Saint Aulaye is a sizable space compared to almost every other Bolangerie in the city surrounding and making the most of its footprint with a clean layout fully loaded with glass cases the biggest difficulty for patrons seems to be deciding where to begin and how to focus as temptation beckons no matter where one rests their gaze.
Truly an impressive display, the craftsmanship and time invested in each creation easy to see, suffice it to say that "biting off more than one can chew" is likely for all but the most restrained, an order of nine items for just one person assuredly leaving leftovers, though not as much as many would think.
Comparable to others in cost, the order just €27.10 all-inclusive, first tastes began with items still warm from the oven and although the Liege Waffle did not feature as much crystallized sugar as those made fresh elsewhere the laminated pastry showed evidence of great leavening, the Almond Croissant slightly compromised by a bit too much Frangipane filling while the Pain aux Raisin placed a picture perfect shatter atop curls of fruit and butter.
Slightly overcooking the canele, interior sill smooth but just past custard, breads proved a strong point for the shop as both the Chocolate-studded Sourdough and Brioche Donut dazzled with their respective textures, the Baba au Rhum taking the route of customization by way of a pipette filled with liquor while the cake itself was a delicate sponge fully soaked in simple syrup.
Ending with Choux, both selections taking a modern look at French classics, there is little doubt the chocolate dipped Profitteroles comprising a St. Honore warrant "must-order" accolades, the linear Brest a la Éclair equally noteworthy with the handmade hazelnut cream some of the lightest seen as of this writing.
