Paul Boulangerie Patisserie
391A Orchard Road
#03-16 Ngee Ann City
10 Collyer Quay
#01-01 Ocean Financial Centre
163 Tanglin Road
#01-16 Tanglin Mall
3 Gateway Drive
#01-05 Westgate
8A Marina Boulevard
#B2-07 Marina Bay Link Mall
http://www.paul-singapore.com/
Authentic French Casual Bakery Cafe
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $50 per person.
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Paul Boulangerie Patisserie, more commonly known as PAUL, is a French franchise bakery cafe. Established in 1889 in Croix, within the Nord-Pas-De-Calais region, France, Paul Boulangerie Patisserie specialises in homemade baked goods and confectioneries, including breads, crepes, sandwiches, pastries, cakes, macarons, and more. Paul Boulangerie Patisserie opened its doors in Singapore in March 2012, staying close to the original French / France recipes for their menu.
Ambience at Paul Boulangerie Patisserie is consistent worldwide, a simple, non-descript, black against white visual aesthetic. Furniture resembles those found in typical Paris / Parisian street cafes, featuring small round wooden tables, and either hard wooden chairs or soft comfy sofas. Lighting is typically dim, although Paul Boulangerie Patisserie does get quite a bit of natural light. They also have both indoor and outdoor seating.
Service at Paul Boulangerie Patisserie is efficient and proactive. Staff take notice of diners, checking if you're ready to order, and are able to carry a conversation. Most are also knowledgable on the various items in their extensive menu, able to advise accordingly if questioned. Very good service, but not truly outstanding yet.
Food at Paul Boulangerie Patisserie revolves around traditional French favourites. They have an extensive list of baked goods, breads, pastries, and dessert confectioneries, most of which I find to be very good! They've also got a small selection of main courses, salads, and sandwiches. Ingredients used in dishes are very fresh, bursting with flavour. Portion sizes are decent for one, although prices are slightly high as befits their premium status. Budget about SGD $50 per person for a full meal, or about SGD $15 per person for pastries and desserts.
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The Grand Café Crème (SGD $5.40) is a classic French coffee, sold in nearly all Paris / Parisian cafes. It consists of regular coffee that is typically pulled longer than an espresso, made from coarse ground coffee beans. Despite its name, it actually doesn't contain cream, rather, a small amount of milk and foam are added.
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| Grand Café Crème |
The Hot Chocolate (SGD $6.90) here is among the best I've tasted, rich, thick, and deep with chocolate flavour, but not overly sweet. Hot and satisfiying!
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| Hot Chocolate |
The Café Miel (SGD $7.50) is coffee with a thin layer of milk froth, sprinkled with cinnamon. A side of honey is provided for mixing. This is undoubtedly a sweet drink, and I find that you don't need to add honey, as each mouthful has a hint of sweetness from the cinnamon.
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| Café Miel |
They do pretty good bread here, made according to traditional French recipes. The Croissant (SGD $2.80) is fluffy and bread-like in texture, but I miss the flaky, crisp outer crust that other places have. The Baguette (SGD $2.80) had a crisp exterior, but was soft and spongy within, tearing apart easily, and not tough to eat. Great!
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| Croissant |
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| Baguette |
The Benoîton 2 Olives (SGD $2.50) has a nice, soft, chewy texture to the bread, and is studded through with savoury black olives and green olives. Taste is savoury, with a hint of salty, but it's still pleasant. Good!
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| Benoîton 2 Olives |
The Tarte Sucre (SGD $3.80) is a round bun, made of brioche bread, which has a soft, chewy texture. It's sprinkled with sugar, and the bottom has pockets of cheese, giving it a balanced sweet, savoury taste. I quite like it!
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| Tarte Sucre |
The Éclair Paris Brest (SGD $7.50) marries 2 classic French pastries, the Éclair, and the Paris-Brest. A soft, oblong choux pastry, filled with smooth, sweet hazelnut cream and candied hazelnuts, this excellent albeit decadent dessert isn't too sweet or heavy. Highly recommended!
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| Éclair Paris Brest 01 |
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| Éclair Paris Brest 02 |
The Éclair Chocolat (SGD $7.50) has a soft, oblong choux pastry, filled with smooth, creamy milk chocolate. Not too sweet, not too cloying, it's light enough that you don't feel it weigh you down. Pretty good!
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| Éclair Chocolat 01 |
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| Éclair Chocolat 02 |
The Crêpe Chocolat Et Chantilly (SGD $8.50) features lovely, thin French style pancakes, soft and tearable, topped with a rich chocolate sauce and fluffy whipped cream. Pretty good as a dessert, though unassuming in presentation.
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| Crêpe Chocolat Et Chantilly |
The Café Surprise Set (SGD $12.90) is like a sampler platter of desserts. Choose from any coffee, and it's served with several mini portions of confectioneries. The Crème Brûlée Mini has a smooth, eggy, almost creamy like texture to the soft custard, and the caramelised sugar on top is thick enough that you'll need to strike it to shatter. The Moelleux Chocolat Mini has a dense, rich flavour of chocolate, but was let down by the somewhat dry texture of the cake. The Macarons Mini Vanille & Chocolat, while somewhat plain in looks, are actually pretty good, with a chewy texture, a distinct separation between the crust and the filling, and isn't too sweet.
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| Café Surprise Set |
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| Crème Brûlée Mini 01 |
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| Crème Brûlée Mini 02 |
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| Moelleux Chocolat Mini |
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| Macarons Mini Vanille & Chocolat |
The Anglaise Pomme (SGD $4.10) is a classic French style apple tart on a crisp puff pastry base. The version here has slightly burnt edges, but the puff pastry is properly crisp, without being too thin, and still able to hold the weight of the apple slices. The apples are fresh, nicely sweet with a caramelised taste, and very fresh and juicy. Very good!
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| Anglaise Pomme |
The pretty Millefeuille Fraise (SGD $7.80), or Strawberry Millefeuille / Strawberry Napoleon Cake, features crisp layers of puff pastry encasing fluffy, decadent custard, and fresh, tart strawberries. Each mouthful is creamy, smooth, and sweet... So good!
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| Millefeuille Fraise |
The Tartelette Citron (SGD $6.80), or lemon curd tart / lemon tart, is a decent sized French dessert pastry that is very good. The lemon curd is properly thick, almost creamy with a texture similar to pudding, and the taste of sweet, tangy / zesty, and sour is nicely balanced. The crust, while thick, crumbles easily, and has a buttery biscuit flavour. Pleasant to eat!
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| Tartelette Citron |
The Longe De Thon (SGD $29.90), or Seasoned Tuna Loin, features a thick, fresh, fillet of tuna fish loin, quickly seared under high heat such that the outside is cooked, but the inside remains pink. An acquired taste, I loved the crunch of the sesame seeds and the flavour of the cooked meat, but the thick cut meant that the raw tuna was chunky, which I didn't quite like. Served with a delightful medley of roasted vegetables / ratatouille including carrots, zucchini, and summer squash, with grilled asparagus, and a seasonal sweet cranberry sauce on the side.
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| Longe De Thon 01 |
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| Longe De Thon 02 |
The Confit De Canard (SGD $28.90) is a signature dish from the Périgord region of France. The version here features a slow roasted, herb marinated duck leg, served on soft root vegetables (carrots, zucchini, summer squash), and a seasonal cranberry sauce. While I loved the savoury, salty flavour of the duck skin and meat, and I liked how easy the duck fat was to remove, the dish was let down by the dry texture of the duck meat. Overall, an average dish, there are much better versions elsewhere.
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| Confit De Canard 01 |
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| Confit De Canard 02 |
Update Oct-2015: Love the tub of butter that they serve you upon request! Has a smooth, creamy flavour.
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| Butter |
Update Oct-2015: The Sésame Canard Fumé (SGD $19.90) features savoury smoked duck breast, juicy sliced tomatoes and romaine lettuce, orange mayonnaise spread, sandwiched between a sesame dusted bread flute. The smokiness of the tender duck slices pairs well with the freshness of the vegetables, and the tangy, citrus zest of the spread. Excellent!
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| Sésame Canard Fumé 01 |
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| Sésame Canard Fumé 02 |
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| Sésame Canard Fumé 03 |
Update Oct-2015: The Paillasson Champignons (SGD $19.90) is an earthy dish of sauteed wild button mushrooms, shallots, and parsley, on a pomme paillasson / potato pancake, which is soft and fluffy, with good potato flavour. Decent enough as a dish, though the earthy flavour becomes rather one-note the more you eat. The name of this dish actually means 'doormat' in French, so named because of its resemblance to a traditional France style woven straw doormat!
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| Paillasson Champignons 01 |
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| Paillasson Champignons 02 |
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CONVERSATION