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2013-01-25
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Thank you 126 grammes for inviting me to visit your pâtisserie!One of my favourite activities in Paris, besides shopping of course, is roaming the pâtisseries of the romantic city. The colourful and intricate cakes, pastries and macarons on display can sometimes make you forget all your troubles.Luckily for us, now we will not have to travel to Europe for a rendezvous. On Aberdeen Street, an area of juxtaposition of old and new Hong Kong, a little corner of Paris can be found. Opened by two Fren
One of my favourite activities in Paris, besides shopping of course, is roaming the pâtisseries of the romantic city. The colourful and intricate cakes, pastries and macarons on display can sometimes make you forget all your troubles.Luckily for us, now we will not have to travel to Europe for a rendezvous. On Aberdeen Street, an area of juxtaposition of old and new Hong Kong, a little corner of Paris can be found. Opened by two French expats, Sandra and Yossi, 126 grammes is a modern pâtisserie that specialises in choux (pronounced "show") à la crème (cream puffs). Sandra and Yossi are pleasant and knowledgeable, and they are very keen to promote the French pâtisserie culture in Asia. They have picked a residential area to open their first store, as opposed to a busy shopping mall. "We hope that people in the neighbourhood would come in for a chat with us about our pastries - I would be very happy to tell them everything I know," Yossi said, as a young couple passed by and stopped to stare at the array of cream puffs on display.
The patisserie is called 126 grammes as it was the weight of Sandra's very first batch of choux. Beautiful cream puffs and cakes made with choux lined the pâtisserie's counter, and traditional cream puff recipes have been given a modern twist - besides classic favourites such as vanilla, chocolate, coffee and caramel, there are also contemporary flavours such as green tea, mango coconut and yuzu. A new weekly flavour is introduced every week, and on the day I visited, it was pistachio.
Yossi lived in Tokyo before moving to Hong Kong, and is familiar with Asian preferences when it comes to food - the choux's level of sweetness has been adjusted, as Yossi understands that traditional recipes would be too sweet for us Hong Kongers. Sandra and Yossi insist on using the finest ingredients for their pastries, and most of the ingredients (such as flour, cream and butter) are imported from France. 相信去過巴黎的人都會記得當地迷人的法式甜品。最近在中環鴨巴甸街開了一間叫126 grammes 的泡芙店。看著七彩豔麗的泡芙，令人彷彿到了法國街上的甜品店一樣。
(1) I tried a salted caramel chou ($18), and it was evident that the ingredients used were pristine, as the cream puff tasted fine and pure. The puff was thin and light, without being too dry or crunchy, and the filling inside was spot-on - the salted caramel cream was rich and delicious, and the level of sweetness was perfect. The puff was completely filled with cream, so every bite was sensuous and satisfying.
(2) Next, I had the green tea chou ($18), and the matcha flavour was deep and refined. The bitterness (from the green tea) and sweetness completely balanced each other out.
(3) Coffee ($24) is available at the pâtisserie, and if you buy a cup of coffee, you could pick up a plain chouquette to go with it (or buy a pack of 10 for $50).
The chouquette was hollow, and some sugar was sprinkled over the surface. It was a lovely snack to go with the coffee, and the natural taste of flour and butter was perceptible.
(4) A financier ($45 for a pack) is a little rectangular piece of French butter cake. The financier was a bit smaller than the traditional ones, and was alluringly spongy and moist. There was a fantastic almond flavour and a gentle crunch.
(5) The cookie ($40 for a pack) was light and crumbly, and the buttery taste lingered in the mouth.
(6) The madeleine ($20 for a pack of 2), baked in a traditional way, was smooth and delicious – it was not light and airy, but rather heavy and substantial.
There is a selection of gourmet snacks available at 126 grammes, such as jams (the rose jam immediately caught my eye), lollies made with natural fruit juice and chocolates.
If you are looking for something special, you can buy a bottle of La Gosse ($90 per bottle), which is a tasty lemonade very popular in France.
At 126 grammes, you will be able to find many colourful cream puffs, which, in addition to tasting magnificent, also look breathtaking. Just like macarons that most girls are besotted with, these choux à la crème are bound to capture many hearts.
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