4 Best Patisseries/Glacier in Provence

The French have a magic touch when it comes to dessert and bread. Their cakes and pastries look like works of art and taste like heaven on earth. Here are my top 4 picks that are tried and tested but there are still tons out there for me to check out on my next visit.


Jean Luc Pele










A visit to Cannes isn't complete without a compulsory stop at Jean Luc Pelé. Each mouthful of his creations is pure decadence and a culinary experience that no gourmand should ever miss. I thought Green & Black chocolates are good but heck, words can't describe when I took my first bite of a petit chocolate cake called Manjari - a chocolate sponge filled with creme brulee and scattered crispy chocolate balls in the center and covered in dark chocolate. It was a sensory explosion in my mouth. This artisan patissier-chocolatier is a genius, as far as I'm concerned.

One of his staff looked at me with much amusement when I ran back and forth from one end of the counter to the other end just trying to decide on what to buy. She didn't even bat an eyelid when I spent the next 10 minutes photographing my cake from every angle before plowing into it. I guess she must've seen plenty of customers exhibiting pretty strange behavior at the store (insanity by chocolate). I went back to Cannes (a nearly 4 hour return journey by bus) just to eat another cake AND bought another to go. Yes, yes, gluttony is a sin but even God would understand the need to shovel as much as I can while we're here in South of France.



LAC Chocolatier


You're probably thinking that my meals in Provence consisted of chocolate and cakes. You're right! And the thing is, I don't even have a sweet tooth but I'm now addicted to LAC's chocolate delights after my first bite. Each cake costs 3.70€ to 5€ which is ridiculously well priced considering how sublime they taste. If you're staying in Provence, I urge you to visit Nice just to check out LAC Chocolatier. They have 3 stores in Nice including one in Vieux Nice (old town).

Addresses

18 rue Barla, Nice

49 rue Gioffredo, Nice

12 rue de la Préfecture, Vieux Nice 




 Florentin

 

I drop by Boulangerie Patisserie Florentin twice a day. Once in the morning to pick up my baguette and the evening for another and a slice of caramel millefeuille.  I prefer the handmade baguette tradition (as the French call it) with its pointy ends to the standard thinner ones. I love the beautiful golden brown crisp crust with the airy and chewy texture inside. I've blown my gluten free diet to smithereens because I can't resist heading to the boulangerie just for a whiff of freshly baked bread.

I've tried different pastries at Florentin but the one that rocks my boat would have to be the caramel millefeuille. It is THE best millefeuille I've tasted so far. The burnt and slightly bitter caramel surface complements the 2 layers of cream. But wait...... wait till you take a bite of the buttery and crunchy puff pastry. It is absolutely divine.


Address: 47, rue France, Nice




Fenocchio





While we were hanging about on the steps of a church, we chatted to a Parisian who normally spends her summers in Nice. The first thing she asked was if I've visited Fenocchio glacier yet. The ice cream parlor is a popular destination in Nice. There's a queue all hours of the day but the service is always cheerful and efficient. There are 90 flavors to choose from (violet, watermelon, jasmine, salted caramel, rose, vanilla & meringue to name a few). So it's perfectly logical to make a daily trip while we're on our 2 week vacation here to try out as many flavors as we can.

Address
2 Place Rosetti, Nice
6, rue de la Poissonerie, Nice