I haven't been to France in two and a half years. It's a long time. Too long, but life got in the way and I didn't make it a priority to go to the motherland. I now regret not making the effort because as long as the virus is around, I wouldn't fly to visit my parents. One thing I surely miss from France is proper pastries. Sure, you can find good cakes and viennoiseries in some cafés in Dublin but you can't get your hands on the kind of stuff you find in Paris: picture-perfect pastries that taste as good as they look.
I've been following Robert Bullock on Twitter for years, as I used to work for a company that sells some of the ingredients he uses. He owns Le Pâtissier, a small business that supplies the foodservice industry, retail and airlines sectors with homemade pastries and desserts. I've always seen the lovely Neven Maguire giving shout outs to the range of treats made by Le Pâtissier for Dunnes Stores but was never able to actually find them. As the lockdown knocked down the service industry hard, Robert found a way to adapt by changing his business model and switching to home delivery to the general public during these challenging times.
Le Pâtissier offers a collection service (Monday to Friday between 12pm and 4pm) from their kitchen in the B.A.S.E enterprise centre in Dublin 15 as well as delivery within County Dublin (€5 fee) on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Their online shop features five different offerings: the summer box (€35), the mixed pâtisseries box (€30), celebration cakes (€35), tarts (€20) and luxury cheesecakes (€20). Because they operate with a small team and are becoming increasingly popular they sell out quite quickly so make sure to follow Robert's updates on Twitter to be ready to purchase as soon as they accept orders.
For my quarantine birthday, I purchased their mixed pastry box which includes a chocolate éclair, a pear and almond tart, an Opera cake, a chocolate dome, an apple tart and a crunchy praline chocolate bar. That éclair was the first proper eclair I had in years and brought me right back to France. So good that I placed a second order to try out their summer collection the following week which was delivered by Robert himself on the most beautiful sunny day. The summer pastries were seven things of beauty: an Irish strawberry tart, a pistachio and raspberry opera, a chocolate tart, a mango and passion fruit mousse and macaron, a Paris-Brest, a lemon and raspberry tart and a raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake.
Both boxes were equally excellent, with the pastries being delivered in the most pristine conditions. Everything was perfectly balanced, somehow managing to feel light while being indulgent at the same time. If you want to celebrate a special occasion or simply need some serious cheering up while we have to stay home make sure to order ASAP. Truly délicieux!
Online shop: https://www.lepatissier.ie/
Le Pâtissier on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.