I first fell in love with France when I was in the 2nd grade. I was taking an after school French class and went by the name Nicolette. Or maybe it was Colette. So Asian Nicolette/Colette immersed herself in French culture at the age of 7. The most distinct memory was biting into a sweet crepe that was folded on all four corners into a square pouch with melted chocolate. It was warm and gooey and I thought Paris was the coolest place ever. I still think it is.
I’ve been to Paris three times (and so thankful every time I think about that statistic). My most recent trip was two years ago and I went in search of authentic crepes. Not that I didn’t like my crepe pouch filled with Hershey’s chocolate, but I wanted to experience real Parisian crepes. I did my research and discovered Breizh Café.
I’ve read a lot about the French and dining out in Paris mostly through David Lebovitz’s blog and book, but it’s different when you experience it on your own. The first time I walked into Breizh Café I was turned away. It was rather busy but I couldn’t help but analyze that moment trying to figure out why. I did speak in French. Don’t I get bonus points for that? Was it my outfit? Gladiator sandals, cargo pants, blouse and shoulder bag. I mean that doesn’t scream American tourist to me. But maybe it wasn’t cute enough. Or perhaps I should have just made a reservation, which I did before making a second trip.
I wrote earlier about La Bicyclette in Carmel, California having similar decor and possibly getting inspiration from European cafes like Breizh when they designed their place. Breizh Café has wood-paneled walls, wooden seating and handwritten specials listed on the chalkboards hanging in the dining room. It was a drizzly day but the cafe was left open and the cool air wafting through was nice.
I ordered a galette called the compléte au jambon. It had my favorite cheese, gruyere with thinly shaved slices of the best ham and an egg on top. That’s it and it didn’t need anything else. It was perfect. My beverage of choice was Breizh cola, a French version of Coca Cola. I’m not a cola connoisseur so I can’t say how it compares but it was nice. I really should have gotten one of their ciders, which are supposed to be delicious. Mental note for Trip #4 to Paris.
For dessert I decided to go with something simple. I was pretty full just from the galette. I had the caramel au beurre salé which is salted butter caramel. The crepe was folded into a triangle and the caramel drizzled on top. Nothing on the inside. The salted caramel was so amazing, since then it’s been my go-to flavor whenever its an option. Extra salt please. It really enhances the flavor of the caramel and I like when the caramel is cooked longer to give it a deeper caramel, slightly bitter taste to balance the sweetness.
CREPE vs GALETTE:
Savory crepes are called galettes and are traditionally made with buckwheat flour. They are made on a very hot cast-iron griddle with lots of butter so they become crisp. Sweet crepes are called just that and the batter is made with wheat flour. This is the more common crepe that you find.
Here is a great post from David Lebovitz on his experience making crepes at Le Breizh (ahh I’d love to do that!).
Breizh Café
109 rue Vieille du Temple, 3ème
Tel: 01 42 72 13 77