Paris Baguette is the place that puts the food scene in the H-Mart shopping plaza over the top. There’s already a spot for Malaysian cuisine, a Mongolian Hot Pot, a Boom Boom Chicken, a Korean BBQ buffet, and the actual food court inside the supermarket has kiosks that are better than most actual Asian restaurants. Do we really need a French-Vietnamese bakery at this point? Whose insane idea was it? What did we do to deserve so much greatness concentrated in one area?
I have never eaten here on an empty stomach. My waistline is grateful for that. Usually, a visit is commonplace after chowing down inside H-Mart, or most recently, the Edison Noodle House just a mile or so down Route 27. It has become a tradition to hit up Paris Baguette after walking around H-Mart for a solid hour marveling at all the foods I want to buy and then leaving with 46 cents worth of bok choy. But I digress. Back to the matter at hand.
For starters, Paris Baguette is absolutely gorgeous inside. This is no small cafe. The dining area is spacious with high ceilings. Cute tables line both of the walls. Once you make it past the seating area, you are invited to grab a tray and some tongs, and walk up and down two islands of pastries they have. These are beautifully presented and always looking fresh. They have everything from breads to hot dogs “Pigs in a Blanket” style. Some items are Asian-inspired, such as puff pastry with either red bean or green pea paste, and of course there’s curry. Others take on a more savory or American approach, such as a creation with ham and cheese, and their seafood salad, which comes out looking like a lobster roll.
On tap the other day were two on the “lighter side”, which Justin and I shared. The first was an almond croissant that achieved perfection. The outside had a crunch before giving away to an airy, fluffy middle. It was not heavy, nor was it too sweet. Also was another pastry topped with almonds and stuffed with cream cheese in the middle. This managed to not be too heavy either. Both were delicious. I grabbed an iced green tea to drink while he had (I forgot the exact name) some kind of blue raspberry lemonade. I stole a sip or three and was delighted to find that it was more on the tart and bitter side than sweet. The perfect compliment to a dessert and way to finish off a food-packed afternoon.
Paris Baguette is going to get a 4 out of 5 stars from me. Whether you just want to grab a quick coffee, or sit down with your laptop and a snack, they never fail to provide quality. The variety is there, ranging from sugary and sweet to a savory meal. They even have light sandwiches in their refrigerated section. For special occasions, treat yourself with a beautiful designer cake. Pictures of this place won’t do it justice. Go see for yourself.
Koreans and Japanese are really into French bakery stuff and fancy cakes, there are tons of shops like that all over both countries. There’s another one right inside HMart also, Tous Les Jours.
I don’t know, honestly. I’m not a huge bakery person… fancy bread is pretty low on my list of things of things I like to eat. The only thing I get at places like that is a cream bun/bread once in a blue moon, and those are always amazing to me.
Oh and in case people weren’t aware, they are both massive chains from Korea.
They’re famous for the “cheesecake” which is super fluffy crazy light and barely sweet, nothing like ny style cheesecake.
There are several locations in nyc, i like the chestnut bun, just a soft bread bun stuffed with a dense sweet chestnut paste. There’s also one with red bean i like.
Tous Les Jours seems to have more fancy pastries than homestyle buns and breads- the macarons are well made and this time of year they also have bingsu the shaved ice dessert with various toppings. Which is crazy amazing if you have never had it definitely go- they’re rather large and filling so go hungry or plan to share
I really like the shaved ice and bubble tea at Tous les Jours. I think they do a better job of these 2 drinks than Mango Mango outside of HMart. Also think the Fried Chicken in the food court is better than Boom Boom chicken outside of Hmart. Just my 2 cents.
With Antoinette much closer to me I can get much better bread and pastry easily, but if I am in the neighborhood … then something sweet from Tous les Jours works just fine. I still think the teeny little egg custard tarts from Westlake’s dim sum menu are the best Asian pastry this side of San Francisco Chinatown.
After a recent lunch at Biggies in Carlstadt, I was invited to the newly opened Hackensack PB. First thing I did was hit the head and the sliding doors were a bit fanciful for my tastes. A friend once pondered why Au Bon Pain never took off. Probably because they provide a Wawa type experience while the name suggests something better. And that’s what Paris Baguette seems to know. They seem to be penetrating this area of Bergen County on the level of Starbucks. I only had a bottle of Fiji water so can’t comment on any of the offerings here.
The only thing I get at places like that is a cream bun/bread once in a blue moon, and those are always amazing to me.