Paris - Supersized Croissants

Care for a super-sized croissant with your cafe au lait?

Before going to Paris I had seen videos of influencers going to a French cafe and ordering a massive croissant with their (relatively tiny) cup of cafe au lait.

They gingerly held the super-sized pastry so that one of the horns could be dunked into the milky coffee. 

These XXL-sized croissants are 35 euros each

Was this for real?

It was, because we stepped into Galeries Lafayette Gourmet (a whole building just dedicated to food), and one of the stalls for pastry chef Philippe Conticni had these giant croissants priced at 35 euros. A regular sized one is 3 euros.

The XXL-sized croissant was sitting nonchalantly on the counter, though there were signs telling people not to touch it. And yes it was massive.

Behind the glass showcase were regular-sized pastries next to "big pain au chocolat" which was almost 15 euros, while the "big croissant" was almost 13 euros. They both said "big" in English so there was no mistake.

These weren't as large as the super-sized ones, but still three times the size of a regular pastry.

"Big" croissants and pain au chocolat for sale too

During our short visit to this stall there were more curious onlookers than buyers...

A Quiet Downtown Cafe

Latte, ham and cheese scroll, and chausson aux pommes

Bakery cafes seem to be the new hangout in Metro Vancouver, as fewer people are willing or able to shell out to dine in restaurants. Instead they turn to cafes to meet up with friends over a coffee and a croissant, cookie or slice of cake.

Or so I thought.

The other day I tried the Japanese-style egg salad sandwich at 7-Eleven downtown, but it left me unsatisfied (and still hungry).

Across the street was Beaucoup Bakery in the St Regis Hotel on Dunsmuir and Seymour. I walked in just before noon and there was just one other customer in there who couldn't make up her mind.

I ordered a latte, a savoury ham and cheese scroll, and a chausson aux pommes for dessert for just under $20.

For about 20 minutes I sat in the small dining space and had my pastries with a bitter latte, but no one else came in even though it was lunchtime on Wednesday.

The ham and cheese scroll was impossible to cut with a wooden fork and spoon, and I had to eat it like a sandwich; it would also have tasted better heated up.

The leaf-shaped chausson aux pommes had a vibrant burgundy filling of apple puree mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. 

As I sat there, the staff chatted amongst themselves; seems they are used to business being really slow.

It was pretty sad to see this cafe pretty dead -- meanwhile two bakery cafes in my neighbourhood have a steady stream of customers.

Is this a sign that office workers still aren't coming back to the office full time? If that's the case, downtown Vancouver is going to hollow out even further...

Finally Trying the Viral Croissant

The biscotti flavour spiral croissant

In the summer of 2023, a friend and I went downtown in a bid to get some viral spiral croissant at a place called Little Cafe on Robson.

They are large pastries that are rolled up like thick coins and they've become so popular because there are videos of people slicing them in half to reveal creamy coloured fillings that tempt others to come and try for themselves, which resulted in massive lines when the cafe first opened.

So when we went inside, there was a queue, and we could see the staff were overwhelmed by the number of orders. By the time we got to the front of the line, the staff said they had just run out of spiral croissants and that we'd have to wait at least half an hour. Unwilling to wait, we gave up and left.

The cafe is actually a small space, with not many tables and seats; those who managed to get seats were not in a rush to leave...

Fast forward to yesterday late morning and I walked by the cafe and saw no line! Should I finally find out if these "supreme croissants" really are good? 

I went in and at first it was hard to decide which flavour to try: there was chocolate Oreo, coffee, Mont Blanc, matcha and biscotti, and I picked the last option for takeaway.

The staff placed it in a large takeaway box and I brought it home. When I opened the box I was impressed the croissant kept its shape, and the "biscotti" filling on top didn't spread all over the container.

With a serrated knife I sliced the croissant in half and was pleased to see it didn't cave in and kept its shape, though the cream filling inside bulged out. Nevertheless, the outside was crispy and the filling was not sweet (while the filling on top was).

It's a good thing three of us shared it because the croissant roll is too much for one person to eat! There's a bit too much cream filling for me, but impressed by the shape of the spiral croissant and the intricate layers.

Little Cafe on Robson

1258 Robson Street

Vancouver, BC

(604) 258 2658

Picture of the Day: Canele

Caneles are the Mt Everest of pastry baking

Caneles. They are a small slightly sweet treat made from vanilla, rum, egg, flour, butter and sugar. They are mixed together, then the batter is left to rest for a few days in the refrigerator for the flour to fully absorb the ingredients before it is poured into small, round copper molds and baked.

The end result is a deep brown colour on the outside, and a knife should be able to make a pretty clean cut, revealing a bubble interior that is almost like custard, slightly soft, yellow and have a hint of alcohol.

Apparently making caneles is not easy -- one food blogger gave the analogy that if making panettone is the Mt Everest of baking, then making caneles is the Mt Everest of pastry baking.

The word canele means "fluted", and this pastry dates back to sometime between the 15th and 18th centuries in Bordeaux, France. Back then winemakers used egg whites to clarify their wine, and the leftover egg yolks giving to nuns to feed impoverished children, while other yolks were used to make caneles.

About a month ago, a new bakery opened in Vancouver called Tona and the caneles there are impressive.

The exterior is slightly crunchy thanks to the caramelised, slightly sweet exterior, while the inside is a fantastic contrast that is not pillowy soft, but rather a moist softness with hints of vanilla and rum, making the taste and texture so complex and beguiling.

While they're a bit expensive at C$4.50 each at Tona, a lot of skill and technique is involved in making these, and the caneles here are irresistible!