Philippe Conticini is considered as an important figure in the modern French pastry. Back in 1994, he has invented the pastries in verrines, the presentation of vertical dessert inside a transparent glass using a spoon to scoop the layers of flavours and texture and have that in 1 bite. He is also known for his reinterpretation of classic pastries like Paris Brest or éclair. Chef Conticini opened his first shop Pâtisserie des Rêves in rue du Bac 2009. I remembered hearing a lot of him back then, his shop and the media has promised he would be as great as Pierre Hermé with his creativity. Then suddenly silence radio. I have read later that during this time he has been very sick. He recovered eventually but need a cane to walk.
Back around in 2014, I have bought his pastries in the rue du Bac shop, I found them alright but not exceptional, and didn’t quite understand the buzz. It was only reviewed later: for a few years he had became only the brand of his chain of shops, he was not involved with quality control of his creation. He was disappointed with the owner vision of business, and left the company in 2015. Towards the end of 2016, a new buyer took over the chain and re-invited Conticini back to involve in the company’s creation and daily operation.
Mr naf bought the pastries from the Beaugrenelle shop in the 15e, left bank of the Seine.
Russe - chestnut sponge cake, praline cream, liquid pure praline centre.
Love this, nutty in every bite with a silky cream, good balance with different texture
Tiramisu - the best I have eaten. Unusally, Tiramisu contains mainly of ricotta and can find a bit heavy. Here, you can see the consecutive layers, with crispy praline moka, caremelised crunchy almonds and slight touch of salt (fleur de sel) and didn’t feel heavy at all as a dessert. I would like to find the recipe.
Orange tart - not an easy pastry, orange doesn’t have strong character as other citrus fruit and was usually very sweet or bitter. You found a crunchy tart biscuit on it a thin layer of nutty sponge, on it with crystallized sweet and sour orange, with a smooth orange flavoured cream. Not bad at all if you like the fruit.
Paris Brest - A French Classic that you can find in nearly all the bakery. Here the Conticini version: with the extra melting praline cream and a liquid centre, the texture of chou pastry with streusel made this common dessert exceptional.
Grand cru chocolat noir - one bite and you can feel the different texture of chocolate, silky, smooth, spongy, crunchy…
I was impressed with Pâtisserie des rêves’ pastries, especially my first experience was quite flat and I didn’t expect a lot this time. A very pleasant surprise and a good one.
Pâtisserie des Rêves
Centre Beaugrenelle
12, rue Linois
75015 Paris
Other addresses in Paris:
lapatisseriedesreves.com/en
