User Rating:
Not right?
by Ishtar
Bayside, New York
June 15, 2005
The concept came from a Vietnamese man in love with the taste of French baked goods. He sought to reproduce the high-quality breads and other products found in the upper echelon of the boulangerie Parisienne, a taste he had acquired in Vietnam. In 1969, he left to pursue higher education in France. In 1989, he collaborated with one of the best chefs in France to train his own team so as to be able to open his first Pat’à Chou in February of 1998 in Saigon. He is very proud of his achievement, which combines French culinary tradition, a native competence in one of the most passionate sectors of French baking, with the softness and service for which Asia is known. In the interim, it has become a franchise and still seeks interested partners.
I find the word Pat’à Chou so very interesting in that it can convey more than one meaning; the literal one, and most obvious, is pâte à choux, referring to the very delicate dough used to make cream puffs. The second, and perhaps not as well-known, is Patachou, a French songstress of the ‘50s/’60s who was quite popular in her days. Either way, one cannot escape the intention: this is as French as it gets. Only after we had left Vietnam did I find out that this patisserie is on the must-see list of the elite guidebooks.
So you want to know about the good stuff, right? Let’s start with the baguettes, since this is the most fundamental and essential part of a French bakery, and if well made, will be the absolutely most perfect accompaniment to an equally ideal cheese. They come in various sizes, never too wide, always crisp, and when hot, literally melt in your mouth. So tasty, in fact, you can eat them as they are. There is also the pain sucré, which is a variation on the baguette, with a sweet taste and sprinkled sugar on top. Moving on to the croissants, the plain ones get my vote. I could have had a few actually, were it not for the fact that they immediately settle in my hips. The pain au chocolat (chocolate bread) is much like our chocolate-stuffed croissant and a bit too sweet for me, but I don’t think there is any item in this establishment that will disappoint. You’ll also find traditional boules and miches, madeleines, and gateaux to make your day.
From journal They call me Saigon