When we travel, we must find some good desserts/sweets! The best time to consume lots of sugar and calorie is in the morning (in my opinion), so we went to this cute little bakery & cafe serving French pastries, sandwiches, crepes & coffee for breakfast.
We got there quite early in the morning, so there was no one sitting and enjoying the freshly baked goods. There were few people who were getting things to go, instead of dining in, which gave us all the seating options. They had some tables right at the entrance, and then more seating in the back.
Around the mid-way between the entrance and the back, there were two small booth tables, and then more seating behind it. We sat at the small booth, which seats two people comfortably. I haven’t really seen such small booth tables, it was rather cute. The decor was simple, monochromatic with black stencils on the walls. The cafe is located on the corner lot, so it had lots of windows on the front and the side, bringing in bright natural light.
To the left of entrance is where all the goodies live, until they find a new home and make someone (and someone’s tummy) very happy. The kitchen is behind the counter in the back, it is cool to be able to see the pastry chef creating the tasty delights.
Right at the entrance, they had some bread and baked goods, such as croissant, apple turnover, and raisin roll. They all looked good, and I love the aroma of freshly baked bread…it is heavenly.
On the side, they had lots of sweets such as macarons, tartlet, and éclairs. They also had some quiche as well. Since we were there super early, the pasty chef was still working on some items.
One of the sweets we wanted was not yet ready, and we were told to wait for about 15 min or so. We decided to order other items and enjoy them while we wait for that particular one.
We started off with a couple of pastries and cups of coffee. I got a Latte ($3.50/small). The small is really small… The latte came with a little frost on top. They shaped the foam into a fluffy heart. They ground coffee beans at the time of order, which is great. The coffee was quite good, I wish if the mug was a bit bigger, even though I did order small.
My hubby ordered a Cappuccino ($3.50), they didn’t have any choice of size, it came in a mug that is similar to the latte mug, but a bit shorter and wider. Again, they ground coffee bean at time of order. Fresh coffee with great aroma, tasty and went great with the pastries. Just wished if it was a bit bigger here too…
The first pastry we tried was Sugared Chouquette ($5). It was like a cream puff, with chocolate whipped cream. The chioux was very light, almost fragile, holding great amount of whipped cream. The chocolate whipped cream was awesome, it was airy and light, whipped to the point of turning itself into a fluffy cloud, yet has good weight to it. Very elegant, nice sweetness without being overly sweet. Really enjoyed it!
The second one was Napoleon ($5.50). It was very different from the Napoleon that I am used to, which has a few layers of custard cream and puff pastries. Their version, however, had one layer of custard cream, sandwiched by puff pastries. It was delicate and light, with good amount of cream in the middle. I love the shape, they put “love” into their offerings to match their name of the cafe. It is a bit difficult to eat though, once you either bite into it or cut into it with a knife, the cream get squeezed out of it. Regardless, it was very good, the chioux was light and flaky, the cream was elegantly sweet and velvety. Sophisticated dessert.
We wanted more than just chioux and cream, so we ordered one of their French crêpes. We went with French Jam Crêpe ($5). This one, you get to choose from the French Bonne Maman Jams they have on the wall display. We chose Raspberry Jam.
Of course they are made to order, brought to our table nice and warm. It had a dab of the jam on the side, and in the inside the crêpe. The cêpe was nice and thin without being too thin, fluffy and comforting. Good amount of jam in the inside, but not too much. Jam was quite tasty too, it was simple yet satisfying.
The last but not least, the item that we were waiting for – Paris Philadelphia ($6). The name of this pastry intrigued me, since I did enjoy the pastry named Paris-Tokyo from Dominique Ansel Ginza (you can read about it here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/dominique-ansel-bakery-ginza/). When it came out, I was surprised of the size, it was big!
It looked like a Paris baguette sandwich. It was a chioux with hazelnut cream, and almond slices on top. The cream had real hazelnut flavor, very rich and much more dense than whipped cream. Almond added extra flavor and texture, making it extra nutty. Chioux was more sturdy to hold the dense cream, but still light and airy. I am glad we waited for this one to come out!
Their bathroom is all the way in the back, one uni-sex bathroom. It is spacious and bright, clean and well maintained.
It had some interesting and French-inspired decoration on the wall. The most intriguing one was the Polaroid photos with the notes attached to it.
It got me curious enough to see what the notes says. And guess what? They are some interesting facts about bathroom, toilet, and toilet paper! How odd but how clever and creative! I did learn some useless yet interesting facts for sure…
It was a fun and tasty visit, we did get loaded up with sugar and calorie, but we were ready to walk them off (at least some of it…). The service was ok, not overly friendly but efficient. Their sweets were elegant and sophisticated, high quality and satisfying. I didn’t get to try any of their savory dishes, but I bet they are as tasty too.
J’aime French Bakery – 212 S 12th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107