When it comes to macarons, Pierre Herme is the man I love. But when it comes to Japanese-inspired French pastries, I’m going to pledge my allegiance to Sadaharu Aoki, the Japanese-born Parisian wizard who’s a fusion master at melding Japanese art with French tradition.
There are only 7 Sadaharu Aoki shops in the world now: 3 in Paris, 3 in Tokyo, and 1 in Taipei (so unfair, why can’t it come to Singapore!). I went to the one at Lafayette Gourmet (the food hall of Paris’ premier department store Galeries Lafayette) and it’s the perfect excuse to take a break from all the shopping.
Every single artisan pastry is delicately made, picture perfect and of course, priced accordingly. Each one is a work of art, and of such geometric precision that I knew that I had a problem: what will I choose?? Naturally, I wanted to buy everything, but I already had a box of Ladurée macarons waiting for me. Sadly, there is a limit to the amount of sugar I can take in one day. A very unfortunate fact, so I only chose 2 to go.
I picked the Matcha Mille-feuille almost immediately cuz I’ve read that Chef Aoki is particularly talented in the mille-feuille department and there was only one left on the shelf. Past painful experience has taught me to snatch up the last cake fast before someone else gets it.
Wow I think this is really outstanding cuz of the contrasting textures. The thin puff pastry is flaky and crunchy, and bitter green tea powder is whipped into cream so light and smooth. No wonder this is one of his most popular items!
I know that Sadaharu Aoki will always have a special place in my heart when I saw the Black Sesame éclair. I don’t fancy classic eclairs usually cuz of the custard filling. But a black sesame one? I was sold.
Dressed in an ivory sheath dotted with sprinkles of black, the avant-garde elcair looks so elegant! Taste-wise, this is my favourite cuz I love the bold nutty flavour of all the sesamey goodness in the creamy filling.
I was still thinking of the pastries when I woke up the next day and I couldn’t get over how good they are. So I decided to drop by the original branch on Rue Vaugirard after making a stop at Pierre Herme. Like PH, the sleek boutique shop is very small and posh. But if PH’s image is “dark and sexy”, I’d say that SA goes for the “white and pure” look.
I think that in my excitement to get my hands on the pastries, I absolutely forgot to snap a shot of the Sadaharu showroom! Oh well. Just trust me, it’s a heaven for dessert lovers.
I was thrilled when I saw Bamboo, the Matcha Tea Opéra that’s been on my mind since yesterday (scroll up and look at the 2nd pic haha). The design looks lika a forest, doesn’t it?
Sadaharu Aoki’s take on the classic opéra is the most perfect one I’ve ever tried. Nice parallel layers of green tea genoise, chocolate ganache, and green tea buttercream. The rich and bittersweet chocolate is complemented by a not-too-subtle green tea aroma, which is very clean and sharp in a good way.
Then I saw Zen and I went gaga over it (actually, I go gaga over anything black sesame). It’s a concoction of sesame paste, matcha macaron shell, generously cognac infused hazelnut biscuit, sesame creme and ivory chocolate. And like all the previous pastries, this didn’t disappoint and merely reinforce my belief that Sadaharu Aoki is a genius when it comes to fusing classic Japanese flavours with traditional French pastries.
Note to self: Try caramel tart, matcha macaron, yuzu tartlet, macha-azuki duomo next time. Or even better, get one of everything I see!
It seems that my list of places to revisit when in Paris is getting longer and longer…
totally agreed! His flavours are strong and pack a punch typical of french desserts, nothing subtle or boring. The coolest part is they are japanese inspired, best of both worlds (:
Had his sakura eclair in japan and the sakura filling inside the crisp choux pastry was amazing.
I truly think his eclairs are one of the world’s finest!
Look damn gd..dun even need to taste LOL…How envy..
I’m going to check out his macarons in Taipei!