Croissants are undoubtedly one of my favourite parts of French culture. One of the viennoiserie typically eaten for breakfast, they are made by layering butter and dough and laminating it (as anyone who has seen Bakeoff Creme de la Creme will know). As such, I thought it only right that I begin my search for le best croissant.
Au Pavé du Roy
Despite the lovely interior of the boulangerie-patisserie, this croissant did not look very promising. It cost €1.10 while being smaller than your average croissant. The raised middle of the croissant was slightly burnt, and was generally quite roughly shaped. In contrast to the slightly singed top, the dough directly underneath it was much paler, suggesting that the dough mix included too much butter which caught a little in the oven. The top flakes of pastry were quite dry, yet the inside texture of the croissant was more moist. In places there was a good amount of holeyness, in others the dough had squashed to the side and left a tunnel (due to the weight of so much butter). I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the taste. The croissant was indeed very buttery and melted away in my mouth.
Overall I give it
- 2/5 appearance
- 3/5 texture
- 4/5 taste
- 3/5 value for money
It was nice enough, but there are definitely better croissants out there that will give both me and my bank account greater satisfaction.
Casino
A supermarket mass-produced croissant is made and priced precisely to meet their customers’ needs. You want a croissant? Bien sûr, bonne journée. You need part with no more than €0.85 for this one. A golden colour with slightly darker tips on the ends and paler dough visible, it looks like your average expected croissant.
Let the image not deceive you, it is decidedly bigger than my previous one. The top flakes were crisp without being too dry, and the dough inside was moist enough – clearly this recipe called for less butter. The flavour was that of your average croissant.
Overall I give it
- 3/5 appearance
- 3/5 texture
- 3/5 taste
- 4/5 value for money
This is the perfect average croissant – exactly what I expect from the bakery counter at Casino. Nothing fancy, but does the job just right.
Pâtisserie Béchard
I dived into this bakery on Cours Mirabeau and was prepared to potentially have to pay extortionate prices for the croissant in here – it is clearly a boulangerie-patisserie for tourists, with only the subtlest shade of bright shiny gold over every surface to scream premium quality at you. In the end, I only had to pay €1.20 for my croissant, which I sat and ate by Fontaine la Rotonde. Contrasting the previous two croissants, this one hadn’t opted for the curvy look; instead for the more straight, uniform approach. I suppose this allows for maximum storage and presentation combined on display and thus to maximise tourist sales.
Yet, for all my cynical commentary on the tourist bakery, the texture of this croissant was immaculate. Layers of pastry flaked perfectly with a crispness, rather than a dryness. When I took my first bite, there was a crunch and a softening which followed. The golden aesthetic followed through on its texture. The flavour, though, did not match, and remained on the Casino level.
Overall I give it
- 4/5 appearance
- 5/5 texture
- 3/5 taste
- 4/5 value for money
I would pay for this croissant again happily, as its texture is far superior to most croissants I have tried. It appears that some bakeries are not mere tourist traps!
There remain a number of other bakeries bookmarked on Google Maps which I’m looking forward to exploring when I have a free morning. And of course, from which I intend to sample their croissants!
A plus,
Zoe x
An Aixpat-en-Provence 