Croissants and chausson aux pommes at Poilâne
Our favourite Parisian bakery, for a morning over coffee
A Parisian morning, starting with pastry.
Poilâne is the sort of place that makes an ordinary morning feel worth getting up for. Start with coffee and something from the morning bake, take a little time at the counter, then leave with a loaf of the bakery's famous sourdough for later. Autumn mornings are made for this particular combination of pastry, coffee and a little time before the city gets going.
The chausson aux pommes is the one to order.
Flaky pastry wrapped around apple compote, with just the right balance between sweetness and acidity. The croissant is equally worthy of attention, but the chausson has become our reason for coming back. Simple ingredients, handled with the kind of precision that makes them memorable.
Coffee, pastry, then wherever the day takes you.
No occasion is needed. Find a few minutes for coffee and something warm from the bake, then continue into the city with a little less urgency. A loaf to take home is worth making room for too, Poilâne's bread is every bit as distinctive as its pastries.
Come early for the first of the morning.
The bakery is at its most atmospheric early in the day, when the counters are full and the smell of fresh baking reaches the pavement outside. Arriving ahead of the rush gives you the best choice of the morning's pastries, as well as a glimpse of the bakery before the day's rhythm takes over.
