Continued from last post…..
With €24.10 left in my wallet and a protruding stomach, I went on with my taste journey. It must have been about 20mins of lookery and window shopping before I spotted Flora Danica….
The word “butik” pulled me in like a magnet (I’ll explain my findings later).
Now the decision on whether to sit inside or outside….
Guess where I picked…..
My waiter got me sat nicely and handed over their menu.
Honestly, more food would have meant gluttony so my eyes went straight to dessert! (You can never have enough dessert.)
Café gourmand was naturally my preferred choice as it would give me the opportunity to try more than one treat.
It arrived a few minutes later and boy, was I in love! A cup of coffee and four treats….mille-feuille, mousse au chocolat, tarte aux airelles and guimauve citron as explained by my waiter who spoke really good English in American accent. I love Champs Élysées for this, every one I conversed with here spoke impressive English.
Now, time to dissect my bundle of joy. Looking at my plate had me so thrilled, I wasn’t sure where to start from.
After minutes of pictures and admiration, I started with the mousse au chocolat…. chocolate mousse crowned with a chocolate macaron.
This was my first time having a proper French mousse which is denser than what I am used to so my fingers were crossed. Also, my first macaron in France. Actually, this was my first time having any French pastry in their home. Sooo finally, my spoon cracked into the macaron and slid smoothly into the luscious mousse. All I can tell you is this….that brief moment from the cracking to the shoveling and transport to my tongue then the mouth orgasm will forever be treasured in my memories…..
Up next, tarte aux aurielles….lingonberry pie. Up until this day, I had never heard of lingonberry. My mind tried to tame my expectations because strawberries disappointed me as a child, always thought they would be as sweet as sugar till the first time I ate one. No spoon for this, my hand carried the entire tarte into my mouth and the munching process began. You see that bottom? Never have I had shortcrust pastry so crumbly! And it just worked with the berry which was sweet and sour at the same time. The whole bite was simply darling.
Then there was guimuave citron…..lemon marshmallow! Excitement overload. Call it under exposure but I have never seen a marshmallow and thought about how it is made, just always felt it was manufactured in factories so to see it here and confirm from the waiter that it was made from scratch in their kitchen was astonishing. And the best part was that it tasted nothing like the store bought ones I grew up to know, this was something else….light, fluffy, lemony….extremely delightful! I could eat it everyday if I get the chance.
Best for last, mille-feuille which translates to English as “Thousand sheets” but is actually a very decadent pastry with lots of layers, lots of cream and lots of love. The airiest bite I had in my entire stay in France….no jokes! It was layers of a razor-thin flaky puff pastry sandwiched by rich velvety creaminess with some yum jam-like spread holding it in place and a generous dust of powdered sugar . This was my favorite of the four as it was simply to die for!
About Flora Danica…..
Flora Danica is Scandinavian…..the flag further clarifies that they are from Denmark (Yes, their menu holds Danish cuisine). I honestly didn’t see this flag till when I was leaving and my deep love for the café finally made sense. I am a little obsessed with Copenhagen (capital of Denmark) and these people had somehow managed to bring their city to Champs Élysées…..charming in every sense.
You could walk into the café and buy yourself a treat to go….pastries, salads, sauces, pickles….
The butik is a store for drinks, candles, and tableware.
I continued my walk on Champs Élysée with €12.10 left but my tummy was extremely filled up so THE END!
