All the bakeries I visited in Paris (and what I ate)

When we think of Paris, the two things that come to mind are pastries and bread. The City of Love is well-known for having some of the best bakeries in the world. Parisians don't take their baked goods lightly, that's for sure.

I had the opportunity to travel to Paris with my family and decided to try some of their bakeries out for ourselves. From delectable croissants to mouth-watering sandwiches, we certainly had our fill on our short trip.

To find out where we went (and what we ate), keep on reading!

Pierre Hermé Paris

If you're in Paris, you are most likely going to give the iconic landmark, the Eiffel Tower, a visit. Located on the second floor of the tower is a little shop selling an assortment of macarons.

These are the famed Pierre Herme Paris macarons. There are seven different flavours, including two that were specially created for the Iron Lady: Jardin sur la Seine, a chocolate and raspberry mix, and Jardin de la Tour Eiffel, which features chocolate and fresh mint.

We got ourselves one flavour of each to try.

Out of all the flavours, Infiniment Pistache was a stand-out. The pistachio flavour was very strong but not to the point that it was overwhelming. It had a nice, nutty flavour that whetted our tastebuds.

Infiniment Rose, on the other hand, was a bit too sweet for us and reminded us of candy. It was also a little difficult to chew due to its hard texture — quite unlike the other macarons.

Of course, we can't leave the two special flavours out of this review.

Jardin sur la Seine was a refreshing take on the classic chocolate and raspberry combo. You could really taste the raspberry in the filling and it went very well with the chocolate flavour.

Jardin de la Tour Eiffel was a shocker. We didn't know what to expect from a chocolate-mint macaron, but this is a must-try, even for mint-chocolate haters.

The mint flavour was just right; it wasn't too in-your-face, but you could still taste a hint of it.

Overall, the macarons weren't overwhelmingly sweet like many you'd find in Singapore, and they also didn't crumble or melt when we held them. And with the added view of the whole of Paris, there's no better way to eat macarons, if you ask us.

All macarons are priced at 2.50 euros (S$3.65) which the exception of Jardin de la Tour Eiffel, which is priced at three euros.

Located at the Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, 5 Av. Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France.

Eric Kayser Paris

If you've decided to visit the Louvre for a day of appreciating the arts, this little Eric Kayser Paris stand is just a short walk away if you are looking for a light snack.

They sell an assortment of food ranging from sandwiches to cookies. Each product comes with a tag that displays the allergens they contain, which is great if you have anything you are looking to keep out of your diet.

Here is what we ordered:

• Cookie chocolate blanc & noix de macadamia (white chocolate cookie with macadamia), 3.50 euros
• Croissant 1.80 euros
• Sandwich poulet avocat (chicken and avocado sandwich), seven euros
• Quiche chèvre & epinards (quiche with cheese and spinach), 5.90 euros

Unfortunately, most of the food we ordered didn't come warm, but it's to be expected since the temperature was about 15 degrees outside.

The cookie had crispy edges with a moist and chewy texture on the inside. There were whole macadamia chunks that added a nice crunch, brought out the nutty flavour, and lent a savoury twist to it.

The cookie was also very big, about the size of a Subway cookie. The bigger the cookie, the better, as we like to think.

The croissant from this stand put many of those we've tried in Singapore to shame. It was insanely buttery and soft, and it was like getting a taste of heaven.

The sandwich made use of chewy baguette. By itself, there was sesame on top, making it delicious even without the filling. The chicken was tender and juicy while the avocado was creamy and smooth.

The sandwich itself was quite big so you can share it with your travel buddies if you are only looking for something light to eat.

Lastly, the quiche was stuffed full of spinach and was very, very cheesy. The pastry wasn't as buttery as we hoped it'd be, but it still gave a nice crunch.

Located at Pl. du Carrousel, 75001 Paris, France.

Pomme de Pain

While looking for a place to rest our feet along Champs-Élysees, we came across this unsuspecting-looking cafe serving madeleines. We had yet to try any so we just couldn't give it a miss.

First up, we ordered ourselves a beignet (0.80 euros) with chocolate hazelnut filling. For the uninitiated, a beignet is a type of deep-fried pastry similar to a doughnut but with a softer texture.

Despite the icing sugar on top, the beignet wasn't overly sweet. But it was definitely full of delicious chocolatey goodness that oozed out when we bit into it.

This next pastry looks like an egg tart, and it is! Pasties De Nata, as it is called, is translated to Portuguese egg custard tart. This particular one cost 1.90 euros, and as egg tart lovers, we were excited to dig in.

However, it tasted different from what we were used to. While the crust was flaky and the filling was smooth, the egg flavour was lost to us. While it wasn't at all like we were expecting, it was still a delicious little treat to have.

Now, for the madeleine. Priced at 1.70 euros for one, this was by far the most buttery madeleine we had ever sunk our teeth into.

With a nice subtle crunch, the small cake gave way to a moist, soft, and airy centre. It seemed to melt on our tongues as we chewed. It was definitely the highlight of this little cafe.

Located at 50 Av. des Champs-Élysees, 75008 Paris, France.

Brioche Doree

With dinner time fast approaching, we decided to make one more stop to have a heavy(ish) meal. Brioche Doree was brimming with customers so we figured it would be a good place to try out. And good thing we did, for the two sandwiches and two pastries we had were so good.

The two sandwiches were:

• Toaste jambon raclette (5,90 euros), a ham and cheese sandwich
• Cuisine Saumon Avocat (6,60 euros), an avocado-salmon sandwich

While the Toaste jambon raclette may not look like anything special, it knocked the ball out of the park. The ham was just slightly salty while the cheese was rich and delicious. It seems like you can never go wrong with ham and cheese, especially not in Paris.

Even though we thoroughly enjoyed the Toaste jambon raclette, it was the Cuisine Saumon Avocat that took the cake for us. Filled to the brim with juicy cucumbers, mayo, and smoked salmon, this sandwich was bursting with flavours.

Even the bread, full of sesame seeds, was tasty by itself. All the vegetables inside were fresh and crunchy, giving us a variety of textures to bite into.

For pastries, we got a Fusette à la fraise (3,60 euros) — a strawberry tart — and an Éclair au chocolat (3.20 euros).

The strawberries on the Fusette à la fraise were glazed in what seemed to be a layer of gelatin, keeping them juicy and sweet.

With how sweet the berry was, we were a little afraid that the other components of the tart would make it too sweet. However, we needn't have worried.

The pastry and cream itself weren't sweet at all, and they helped to balance out the strawberries.

As for the eclair, well, we weren't disappointed by it either. Unlike most of the pastries you would get in Singapore, the dough was soft and easy to bite into. It wasn't overwhelmingly sweet either.

The chocolate cream on the inside was thick and smooth while the chocolate on the outside wasn't dry either.

Both chocolates, from what we could tell, were also different from each other, with the chocolate on the outside being darker than the filling. All in all, it was a delicious eclair.

Located at 144 Av. des Champs-Élysees, 75008 Paris, France.