L’Équilibre is the bakery pastry shop where everyone rushes in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. It must be said that with a baker-pastry chef, former sous-chef of a palace, the pastries, viennoiseries, and sourdough breads have a luxurious and delicious look, all for a more affordable price. Excellently executed classics, all in a historic shop, what’s not to love.
Looking for a good bakery-pastry shop that highlights the best French classics? Then head to 108 rue Blomet in the 15th arrondissement to discover L’Équilibre. Flan, Paris-Brest, lemon tart, eclairs, millefeuille, are among your favorite cakes? Then you will love this temple of indulgence.
L’Équilibre has many advantages. First of all, upon arrival, you discover a magnificent shop, classified as a Historic Monument, please! This place has been a bakery since 1889 and was decorated by Benoist & Fils. Once inside, you will be charmed by the wall paintings and the large fresco on the ceiling. A few tables are waiting for you inside to relax while enjoying your sandwiches and sweets.
Benjamin and Clémentine, in charge of the shop, were a bit scared at first of the challenge of maintaining this heritage, but eventually they realized that it perfectly matched the identity of what they wanted to do, which is traditional pastries and viennoiseries that make up our culinary heritage.
Benjamin Roc always wanted to be a baker-pastry chef, since he was 13 years old. After seeing a report about Philippe Rigollot, who was passing the MOF at the time, Benjamin became passionate about this profession. He then decided to attend a hotel school and did his apprenticeship with Anne-Sophie Pic (where Philippe Rigollot had been). There, he met François Josse, French Dessert Champion, who brought him to Paris to meet Maxime Frédéric, then Pastry Chef at Georges V. After 3 years, he followed Maxime Frédéric to Cheval Blanc, who offered him a position as Sous-Chef.
He learned how to manage a team and the taste of well-sourced products. Maxime gave him the opportunity to develop many creations where taste and textures were essential. Clémentine, on the other hand, trained at the Paul Bocuse Institute, exploring the world of high-end catering in France. She enriched her experience in prestigious establishments such as the Four Seasons Hotel in Megève, Les Airelles in St Tropez, and at Olivier Nasti’s Table d’Olivier Nasti at Le Chambard. She then joined the team at Cheval Blanc Paris, before participating in the Louis Vuitton project, LV Dream.
So, what can be found at Équilibre? The classic Millefeuille, reminiscent of that of Tout Paris, the ultra-gourmet Paris-Brest with homemade hazelnut praline, rum baba, the coffee éclair revisited as a tiramisu choux with mascarpone. There is also the Tornade, which ultimately started as a mistake. Like the story of the tarte tatin, these croissants were shaped a little small and too puffed up, most of them fell on their side, so they decided to bake them in a cone instead. Since customers loved them, they stayed.
There is also a superb Pain Suisse with a beautiful flakiness, a chocolate bread and gourmet croissants, generous cookies, sourdough breads other than the classic baguette. Also on the menu: a range of sandwiches, gourmet focaccias, and quiches for lunch.
The flour comes from Moulins Bourgeois, which carefully selects its wheat. The duo tries to work as much as possible with farmers in a short circuit. The honey comes from a retired baker in the Vosges, the chocolate is from Nicolas Berger, the dried fruits come from the Réserve de Cérès which supplies them with walnuts, cinnamon, vanilla… Here, everything is homemade, from hazelnut paste to Pfaff coffee paste from Mexico, whose beans are crushed on-site with a stone mill.
In terms of prices, pastries range from €4.50 to €6.50, due to the quality of the products. The chocolate croissant is €1.60, the plain croissant is €1.40, and the baguette is €1.10. The shop is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 7:15 am to 8:00 pm and 7:30 am to 7:00 pm on Saturday. So there you have it! Will you be able to resist the temptation of this delicious millefeuille or this creamy flan?
