Believe it or not, I still have a couple of Paris posts to share with you. Sorry for the disjointed time line daaaahlings. Moi just gets easily sidetracked.
One of the places I couldn’t wait to try in Paris was the Rose Bakery. Why? Well, their cookbook, Breakfast, Lunch and Tea is one of my absolute favorites, and also because of all the amazing stuff I’ve heard about the place. But things didn’t start off on the right foot. When we got to the Rose Bakery on the Rue Martyrs, I was a bit surprised by the way it looked. It was incredibly cramped and a bit shabby (though I know most would describe it as “shabby chic”, to me it looked more like someone’s basement). There was a long line for the a table, and many of the tables were of the communal type (which I am not a fan of, because I feel that it makes having a proper conversation with the person you are with somewhat uncomfortable). It was muggy and cold outside. Inside felt a little damp (cause I was already slightly wet from the drizzle outside). There were some yummy looking treats to look at while waiting though.
Anyway, Moi was waiting on line, and Moi was getting tres cranky!!! Well finally we got offered a table, but it was with other people. Moi was not amused. I felt so frustrated. This was not living up to my expectations at all. I was getting ready to leave, but Hubby wouldn’t let me. Sometimes he knows me better than I know myself. He told me later that if we left, he knew I would get even more upset later and I would end up regretting it. I am so glad I listened to him. We continued to wait until we got our own little table, and the food that followed was super!
First we got some bread. It was a sour dough of some sort, and in all honesty, it was one of the best breads I have ever tasted. I consider myself quite a connoisseur of the free bread baskets, and I assure you, this was incredible. The textures were absolutely perfect. The crust was crunchy with the slightest bit of chew. The interior had the sourdough tang and a soft and billowy texture. Heaven! At this point, my naughty frowning has subsided. Greed and happiness had set in. More of this yummy bread was requested once finished (I was the one who wanted it, but of course I made Mr P order it).
Alright, time for the main courses. The menu is quite limited, but I feel that if a restaurant does a few things well, it’s better than doing a lot of things that are average. I chose a mushroom quiche with a side of potato salad and a side of pasta salad. The quiche was served warm. It was truly yummy. It had the teeniest hint of something sweet in it. I am guessing nutmeg? I loved it. The potato salad was fab, and the pasta salad was okay (kinda average).
Hubby ordered a pizzette (a baby pizza thingy) and the same potato salad that I had. The pizzette was really lovely, and made for a nice light lunch. The base was very crispy and all the ingredients on top were beautiful. The recipe for this is in their book, so I might have a go at it. If I do, I’ll post the result.
On to the deserts. I was super excited to try their famed carrot cake. It is their number one best seller. It’s supposed to be awesome. Maybe it was because of all the hype, but it did not meet my expectations. It was certainly good, and I loved the way it looked. I couldn’t fault it. But I have tried better. In fact, I have a recipe for carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that I feel whoops the Rose Bakery’s version. I hope to post that for you guys soon. It’s a total winner!
Hubby got the fruit crumble with creme anglais. It was way too tart for mine and Mr P’s tastes. I don’t think they used sugar. I think they were relying on the sweetness of the fruit, but it really did need the sugar. The crumble texture and the creme angalais were excellent though. I don’t know if you can see it in the picture, but you could see loads of the little vanilla seeds in the creme anglais. I liked that.
So, some things were winners, and some things weren’t. But for those items that I liked, I REALLY liked them. I now have an even greater love for my cookbook of theirs and can’t wait to try baking some of those delicious loaf cakes pictured above. This was my favourite place for having lunch in Paris. It was a wonderful experience (initial crankiness aside). Funny thing, by the time I left, Rose Bakery looked decidedly “rustique” rather than basementy. Indeed, it was now tres charmant! Odd how a good meal changes my mood. Mr P and I both look forward to trying out some of their other goodies on our next trip to Paris.
