|
BOULANGERIE LA PARISIENNE (Yaletown) I used to live in Kingston Ontario, where there was a fabulous bakery, Pan Chancho, mere minutes from my house. I got quite accustomed to fresh baked bread, pain au chocolat, and brioche almost every morning. While it may not have been good for my waistline or wallet, it was certainly a treat, and something that I expected to find a replica of in Vancouver.
While Vancouver has it's Cobb's & Terras, I've yet to discover a quaint little bakery to hole up in and drown my Atkins' sorrows with buns and breads and brioche. Yaletown's Boulangerie la Parisienne, at the corner of Helmcken and Mainland, is a quasi answer. Sure their pastries are the same ones you can get at Nesters and nothing is really freshly made, but if you sort of squint your eyes and are in a really good mood, the place almost feels like an authentic bakery in Paris. I said almost ... The building is small, but in warmer weather they open the garage-like doors and let the stools spill out onto a small patio. It's ideal for people watching, and it's easy to sit in peace and quiet and not feel compelled to look good or make small talk with the baristas. They always seem kind of moody, which they should if this was Paris right? Despite the fact that nothing is baked in-house, the pastries are pretty darn good and they have a big, old, espresso machine that pumps out fairly tasty java. Avoid the paninis like the plague .. they all seem kind of old and chewy. But, overall, if you are in the area and sick of Starbucks Scones, then it's worth a try.
|
|
Above: The Boulangerie La Parisienne is located on the corner of Helmcken and Mainland, right in the heart of Yaletown.
Above: I've tried a few of their different pastries, all are sweet, flakey, and fattening, just as they should be!