The French Bastards

I have a sweet tooth, a very sweet tooth. Living in the capital of pastries therefore is playing to my strengths. It soon became apparent however, that a pastry a day probably does not keep the dentist away- so, I made Sunday 'pastry day'. The concept is very simple- every Sunday I endeavour to try a new pastry and if I have the energy, a new boulangerie (the list is very long).

Recently I tried The French Bastards. Don't be scared off by the name. 

And just to be clear, I'm not insulting anyone here. This is just a delightfully named boulangerie in the 11th (and the 2nd and 17th). 

The philosophy of The French Bastards can be summed up quite concisely with their instagram bio- Boulangerie, Patisserie, Bastarderie. Founded by 3 friends, they wanted to revisit and reinvent the classics in a contemporary style with a heavy dash of le foodporn thrown in for good measure. On their website they say "foodporn is a philosophy which applies to each of our creations. The visuals, the sound as you cut, the middle that runs, the crumbs that scatter: all of our products are thought out in a sensory way."

I like their speil, but are the pastries actually any good? Yes. Yes, they are. 

As you can see from the photos, the product is very photogenic. You can't really go wrong with a pain au chocolat, ditto for brioche. They're a staple classic for a reason. Reliable and delicious- especially from a slightly bougier établissement. 

But what if you want to push the boat out and wander off the beaten pastry track. Before I went I had a browse of the instagram (obligatory otherwise I'm overwhelmed by choice) and I saw the Roule charbon pralines roses (Charcoal roll with praline roses). Colour me intrigued. Was this just another insta thirst trap that is just slightly disappointing in real life? I can confirm that it is worth your time. The dough is that of a croissant, coloured black with charcoal (which I don't think does anything for the flavour- it just looks cool) with a rose praline cream and crushed rose pralines. I thought these were candied raspberries or little bits of meringue, but no. Little sugary rose drops of delight. 

I would say definitely worth a trip, especially as everything is reasonably priced. Overall verdict- pleasantly surprised and delighted. 

Address: 61 Rue Oberkampf, 75011, Paris