Laurent Duchêne

Croissants = French. French = Croissants.

They seem synonymous, no?

If not for their various desserts and breads, Laurent Duchêne demands a visit by virtue of winning the title of the best croissant in Paris in 2011 and 2012.

I visited the outlet at Rue Wurtz, and my single and largest complaint is that they do not have a sit-in option. So friends and I had to look for nearby cafes, and grab a cuppa there in order to use their tables.

My sole purpose of visiting them was to try these famed croissants of theirs; but of course when ever do I stop at one? With the array of sweets and vennoisseries on display resistence is futile.

10 minutes of hopping about on each foot and nail-biting, we decided on a few vennoisseries and pastries to share amongst the 3 of us.

Croissant (€1.05)

Lightly browned, the beautifully caramelized glaze was such a teaser. It tore easily with a slightly audible crackle, revealing a pale yellow, airy and absolutely fluffy interior. Buttery yet not greasy; soft yet crisp; fluffy yet substantial; I understand why this was voted best twice. Can’t say I’m the expert but LD’s croissant is really the best I’ve ever tasted.

Kouign Amann (€2.20)

Think of it as a cross between a croissant and a butter cake. Essentially bread dough and puff pastry rolled with butter and sugar, Kouign Amann is a unique gâteau that promises perfectly caramelised exteriors for a maximum dose of caramel. With Tiong Bahru Bakery’s as my only other basis of comparison, I’m definitely not one to judge this pastry. I can say though that it is without doubt addictive and packed full with yumminess. One thing: the pastry dough was a little soggy and hard to bite through.

Paris-Brest (€4.00)

Good choux pastry, decadent praline creme patisserie and a generous sprinkle of crushed almonds make this a very pleasing pastry. The very first Paris-Brest I had in France and I must say it lived up to expectations.

Millefeuille (€3.20)

Perhaps our visit to Jacques Genin was too early, cause every millefeuille we had after paled in comparison. LD’s wasn’t too bad. The puff pastry was decent, crisp enough. The creme patisserie however was a let down. I would call it whipped cream instead. It didn’t help that it had alcohol in it, which was not stated previously.

Financier (€2.80)

This was surprisingly good. It was moist and had a nutty fragrance from the browned butter, without being overly sweet.

It’s hard to judge with the limited items we’ve tried. One thing for certain, is that LD makes hands down wonderfully delicious croissants. And for that, just for that, I’ll definitely return.

2 Rue Wurtz
75013 Paris
Tél/Fax : 33 (0) 1 45 65 00 77
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 0700-2000

238 Rue de la Convention
75015 Paris
Tél: 33 (0) 1 45 33 85 09
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday mornings, 0700-2000