French artisan baker Christophe Vasseur’s motto to “do something different, but exceptional” has earned him a reputation as one of the best bakers in Paris (Gault & Millau, 2008), in just six years of opening his popular Du Pain et Des Idées boulangerie. And hand on heart, we speak from experience that his signature wood-fired pain des amis loafs and gorgeous swirls of sweet escargots are some of the best breads ever created.
Pain des amis
Nutty, chewy, wildly fragrant and with a slightly charred crust, it still amazes me how both of us finished a whole loaf of pain des amis in between meals in two to three days – in the hotel and train cabins, pairing bites with the best salty, handcrafted Bordier butter or Comté cheese from Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) fromager Laurent Dubois. Plus with plenty of natural wines, of course. We brought along all of these, together with a butter knife and a wine opener, everywhere with us in Paris – Bliss!
Puff pastries, mini-pavés, croissants, and other delicious breads
The selection of seasonal, flavoured escargots are also a godsend, with our favourite being the classic pistache chocolat – a delicious, flaky puff pastry layered with pistachio and chocolate in between each fold. We enjoyed a hot coffee with few of these and a couple of stuffed, savoury mini-pavés that arrived fresh out of the oven, making it one of the best ways to get by a cold, rainy morning in Paris.
34 Rue Yves Toudic, 75010 Paris, France
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