Pastry: Caramelised, buttery and flakey 10/10
Presentation: Beautiful presentation, first ever gold leaf 10/10
Value for money: $8 -Medium portion, indulgent and delicious 9/10
Overall score: 9.6/10
Indeed that was the case. We ordered the pain au chocolat and almond croissant to go and ate those later and if truth be told, we would have been hard pushed to tell the difference between Chouquettes and the Parisian Baker’s. There and then we also ordered a savoury ham and cheese croissant, two lattes and a beautifully arranged Mille-feuille. It’s great to see a business sticking to its intentions of baking using traditional methods with authentic, imported ingredients from France. I’ve encountered so many imposters in my 6 years of blogging.
I’ve always stated that price is often overlooked based on the overall quality and value for money of each individual item. The Mille-feuille was an expensive $8, but the croissants and other items cheaper than their counterparts back in Melbourne. To be honest the quality and attention to detail that had gone into the vanilla slice was outstanding. The pastry was caramelised, buttery and intensely rich, while the vanilla cream custard had been beautifully piped and assembled between the pastry, topped with a very thin layer of vanilla icing and dark chocolate fondant…and a cheeky gold leaf corner for finishing. At first I thought the slice could have been bigger for its price, but after finishing it with my coffee I was suitably full and satisfied. I docked the custard half a point based on its overall lack of sweetness, and if not eaten with the layer of icing the slice was a little muted.
I can 100% guarantee that I will be back with Mrs B in tow for our nostalgic Melbourne morning teas at Chouquette - regularly.