Au Pain Bien Cuit
Lovers of well-cooked baguettes will find a haven in this Paris boulangerie - where ‘pain bien cuit’ is not a request. It’s a given
I love baguettes. The Eiffel Tower. Burned Toast. A trifecta of desires that can, I am happy to attest, be enjoyed tout ensemble. And not in the way you would expect. In a nowhere stretch of Boulevard Haussman between the Arc de Triomphe and Galeries Lafayette is Au Pain Bien Cuit – a boulangerie where burned, amusingly-shaped baguettes are a specialty. The well-cooked Eiffel Tower is an obvious winner, though slightly blackened baguette rabbits also make for interesting dinner party conversation starters. And might I suggest a well-done palmier cookie? The boulangerie has a huge fan base, as the always-full salle will attest. Jean-Pierre Cohier may have snared top honours at this year’s Grand Prix de la Baguette Parisien for his baguette Tradition, but can they be bought in the shape of Paris’ most recognizable landmark? I rest my case.
Details:
111, boulevard Haussmann, 8eme. 01 42 65 06 25. Metro Richelieu Drouot
Open 7.30am to 7.30pm Mon-Sat