We Beijingers often complain about the capital’s bakery options. From the mediocre soft bread found in convenience stores to the creative Taiwanese-style bread that doesn’t shy away from “interesting” ingredients, the market is flooded with untraditional loaves. But things are changing slowly, and new bakery Le Grenier à Pain looks to teach Beijing the true art of French breadmaking and in doing so make every bread addict excited.
Michel Galloyer, a teacher at Ecole Nationale Superieure de Patisserie and a member of both the Relais Dessert International Association and the Academie Culinaire de France, opened his first Le Grenier à Pain in 1998. After over a decade honing his craft, he went on to win the first prize in the Best Baguette of Paris awards in 2010 and 2015 (yes, you better believe the French are that serious about their baguettes). Now, this new branch in Wangfujing joins 30 other branches around the world, providing a belt-loosening range of calorific baked goods.
During their opening last Saturday, May 5, on the fourth floor of WF Central, Le Grenier à Pain was already brimming with a wide array of loaves, croissants, baguettes, Danish rolls, and other patisseries, which are all baked in the kitchen in the back of the store.
The chocolate croissant (RMB 22) was one of the best we’ve had in Beijing; full of a rich and buttery aroma, its chocolate rings combined with the flaky casing to heighten the taste without it ever becoming overwhelmingly sweet. The “wagoonet” (chocolate bread) also featured a smooth and lingering chocolate flavor and a balanced sweet and bready texture thanks to an abundant amount of Valrhona chocolate (never a bad thing in our books).
There’s also coffee to accompany your morning or afternoon treats but currently no cake, which may have Wangfujing’s more well-to-do shoppers head elsewhere in between bouts of spending. All in all, however, Le Grenier à Pain delivers on its promise of authentic European breads and we look forward to returning to try their expanding collection of patisseries.
Le Grenier à Pain
Daily 10am-10pm. 4/F, WF Central, 269 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
正本原：东城区王府井大街269号王府中环4层
Photos: Tracy Wang, legrenierapain.co.ke. This post first appeared on thebeijinger on May 9, 2018
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