Monday 15 March 2010

Paris, Je t'aime

2010! My Spring semester of exchange.

Happily in Paris and with school started only a little more than a week ago, I'm still new to this city and it thrills me. Luckily for me, my three amazing friends visited me last week (they left yesterday) and we visited all the touristy places together. They've inspired me to do a food blog, with specific emphasis on macarons and pastries. Well, actually, just plain good food.

Now, I'm just your normal university girl with no professional culinary knowledge. I'd like to think I bake kick-butt lemon bars but that's my ego speaking. All these reviews are my sole opinion only and I'm flattered if it is at all useful to you, dear reader. Please understand that I am still new at food reviews and will not be sure what to rate them on. Most importantly though, I do love food. And here, without delay, my first review.


La Boulangerie par Veronique Mauclerc
Add: 83 Rue de Crimee, 19th Arr.
Metro: Laumiere
Open Thurs-Mon (closed Tues and Wed) 8am - 8pm

Lemon Tart - Tarte au Citron, 3.90Eur

We stopped by this bakery before dinner because we reached this neighborhood an hour early. It took some finding but little did I know how worth it this trip was. I ordered the lemon tart to go and decided to keep it as a post-dinner treat when I get back to my dorm.

In all honesty, I didn't even think about starting this blog today. Then I bit into this humble-looking tart. What struck me the most is how creamy yet tangy and citrusy this tart was. The filling is silky smooth and melts on the tip of your tongue. Your tongue instinctively curls to the roof of your mouth to taste the last bursts of flavor and your tastebuds are jolted by the intense tang of the tart. The delicate balance between sweet and sour is epitomized here. The juxtaposition of the buttery, almost-crunchy shortbread crust with the creamy, light but weighty citrus filling completes the experience.


Filling: (Apologies for the blurry photo)
Taste: 10/10 - perfect balance between sweet and sour
Texture: 10/10 - smooth, creamy yet tangy, melts on the tip of your tongue, non-sticky, amazing.
Smell: none, I really don't smell anything
Crust:
Taste: 9.5/10 - Slightly buttery,on itself it's obviously a little bland, but it's a perfect complement to the filling. There's a hint of chopped nuts in there too that seems to add to its taste and texture. There is hardly a hint of sweetness.
Texture: 10/10 - slightly crispy and crunch, nuts to enhance different mouth feel. Pairs perfectly with the filling.
Overall Appearance: 8/10 Nothing special. There's a sprinkle of chopped pistachio and a dark chocolate coin on top. However, this humble tart delivers MUCH more than its looks!
Overall Value: 9/10 This tart is simply too mind-blowing to worry about 3.9 Euros. And frankly, that's not a lot. Tarts at chain bakeries I've seen are around 2.8-3.5 Euros anyway, so paying a little more for this one is fine for me. I believe Pierre Herme ones are around 6 Euros.

Overall: 9.5/10. It really is a perfect lemon tart. Really. The only reason I didn't give it full marks was because I think eating is an experience, not just a simple chew and swallow. In terms of appearance and packaging (it was unceremoniously tossed into a brown paper bag), it doesn't complete the experience. Honestly though, this is hands down THE best lemon tart I've ever had.

***Edit: Sorry, I made a mistake about the bakery - I mixed up this bakery with another one (Arnaud Larher). The changes have been duly made.

2 comments:

  1. hello dear nomi <3
    now i'm very curious and partly sad that we did not get to enjoy this wonderful tart of yours before we leave paris =(
    but YAY for the new start of ur food blog!!!
    :D
    certainly looking forward to more of these post coming and making me drool infront of the computer ;)

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