Reading Time | 4 min 50 sec
That morning I woke up late and didn't do my hair again (2 days straight in Paris, duh!). As I was pretty lazy to do makeup as well, I didn't wear contact lens and put natural make up to save my time. I thought as long as I don't look pale or sick, that was fine.
Stohrer, I didn't know about this patisserie before, all I knew is just Ladurée and Pierre Hermé. My host was the one who recommends this store to us, she is a friendly woman. I'd love to stay at her place again if I visit Paris.
She gave us a list of recommended pastry store in the area of rue Montmartre. All of them favoured by locals, and she said we must try some of them so we could experience a real and fresh pastry taste in Paris once. We didn't think much of it at first, but the first store that we've visited was a grocery store, and it just like what she explained. The store is a bit pricey, but it sells lots of fresh fruits from local farmers, when we tasted them we knew what she had meant.
The second store we've tried was Regis Collins, she said it sells the best pastries in the area, and we must buy the croissant or financier. Turned out that it was a fantastic experience for both of us, my husband loves the croissant a lot!
So let us talk about the history of this store a bit? Stohrer, the oldest patisserie in Paris, was founded in 1730 by King Louis XV's pastry chef, Nicolas Stohrer. The store still located at rue Montorgueil, and now is listed as a historical site in Paris. Its lavish décor was designed by a student of Paul Baudry, who decorated the Opéra Garnier.
Isn't it crazy? A store that has opened for more than two hundred years and still keeps the spirit of the first inventor, Stohrer, by faithful to its tradition, and even selling the Rum babas (invented by Nicolas Stohrer himself).
I wouldn't want to miss this store for sure, it just a few blocks away from our flat.
On our last day in Paris, we had a few hours before our flight. After checked out, we left our luggage at our host's place and went to this store on feet. We were surprised to see what this road has to offer, there're a lot of restaurants, cafes and stores here, even some fresh markets! We didn't have time to explore rue Montorgueil the day before so we felt a bit excited.
And then on our right, we saw the store. It's not too big, so I didn't think we could dine there. The store is dominated with royal blue colour, I love blue so I couldn't help my self to admire the decor.
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| I wanted to try everything! |
The store was quite small in real life-size, and I need to be very quick in choosing all the pastries that I've been wanted. The queue was quite long, and the staff was ready to ask what I wish to in French (yes they understand English but will reply to you with French). I was baffled, I quickly pointed at some cakes I've been eyeing on the website and let them packed everything.
I've got the Rum babas, Cherry petit gateau, some viennoiserie and two macarons (passion fruit and pistachio). My husband and I were excited to try the original Rum babas from Stohrer. I am an amateur patissier my self so I'm curious about the texture and taste.
We walked near St Eustache church to find a table to sit but found none, so we bought a bottle of water in Marche and sat down to enjoy our cake. Luckily, it was early before lunchtime, so we could get a table and chair quickly.
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| Rum Babas, the one that brought the curiosity inside me. |
After I know that this little weird-shaped cake is the one that still got the soul from the original maker, I couldn't wait to try it. As you expect from the name, Rum Babas is a Baba pastry (initially: Babka) soaked in a delicate rum syrup, usually with candied fruit. Mine didn't come with candied fruit but chantilly cream.
Because this cake is soaked with rum, it is moist, and the texture is a bit... unusual. The rum is sweetened with aromatised sugar syrup, but surprisingly it isn't that sweet, I was afraid that it'd be too sweet for my taste. At the first bite, it felt juicy in my mouth but melted instantly with the rum dominating. I wouldn't say this is my favourite, but it makes me wonder about the taste again and again.
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| Cerise Petite Gateau (I'm not really sure of the name) |
This petit gâteau contains cherry liqueur, it is rich and yummy. The texture is creamy and soft. The dark chocolate blended so well with the liquor, my favourite combination! The cherry gives a blast to everything.
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| Look at those layers! |
What should I say about this? It's perfect! Those layers are irresistible. It's light, crispy-fluffy at the same time and I can feel that the sheets are made carefully. If you ask me which one I like best, Collins or Stohrer, I couldn't decide.
I'll choose Collins for the taste (the butter is heaven!) and Stohrer for the texture.
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| Lime Tart, I want more! |
Before our journey to the airport, we bought two more stuff from Stohrer. One of them was the Lime Tart (pic above). The reason why I chose that flower-shaped lime cream on the top of a torte was that I've never tried any tart with lime before. I was excited to taste it and wondered about how they make it.
The lime tart is, of course; tangy, creamy and crunchy. There is some creme patisserie below the lime cream, believe me, if you love sweet-tangy-fresh thing, you'll love this tart like me. The base isn't hard but isn't soft either, but it is a bit crunchy, makes me think that the chef just made them this morning.
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| Pain au lait, husband's favourite. |
If you asked me what my favourite viennoiserie is, it's a croissant, but my husband loves pain au chocolate a lot. Mainly because it has chocolate. This one from Stohrer isn't the best, but they use a few chunks of dark chocolate that made them extra special. My husband loves milk chocolate more than dark chocolate, so he would prefer if they used milk instead of dark. While me, I prefer the dark one of course! ;)
We didn't take a picture of the macarons because we ate them immediately, it was passion fruit and pistachio. They are quite good, but not my favourite, the shell of the macarons are a bit thick and hard. There is this high hollow that made the macaron shell isn't that enjoyable for me, I think it's because of the meringue and the baking temperature. A macaron is a tricky little pastry. The filling is delicious, though.
You could try one from Stohrer if you're curious, the price isn't as high as Piere Herme or Laduree. But I recommend you to try their cakes (rum babas if you dare!) and some viennoiserie to grab while you continue your exploration. Trying pastries in Paris is a must and believe me, you would not regret it. :)
