Wittamer, Brussels BE

Wittamer

Apple Tart

Coconut Meringue

Almond Croissant

Cream Croissant

Mille Feuille

Pain aux Raisin

Located in the upscale environs of the Place du Grand Sablon with a sprawling space and seating that far exceeds many other patisseries or chocolatiers, Wittamer is perhaps best assessed as Belgium’s answer to Laduree, the collection perhaps even larger with prices not quite as excessive.

Originally opened in 1910, the story of an immigrant following his dream giving way to a modern dynasty, Wittamer is now managed by a son and daughter team and with locations now found internationally the concept continues to evolve and create while at the same time maintaining one foot planted firmly in its family-owned history.

Arriving just past 07h00, the shelves just being filled by elegant cakes and tarts with viennoiserie still warm, it was with a rather stern warning that indoor photography is “forbidden” that selections were made, the waffles and icecream not available until later but a half-dozen pastries requested to the tune of €19.10.

Taking goods to the streets, the warmth of the Almond Croissant and Pain aux Raisin perceptible through the bag, it was with shattering flakes of pastry that bites were taken of each item, the buttery caverns inside each lightly touched by their accoutrements while a cream-filled Croissant maintained good structure despite custard speckled with vanilla bean.

Impressed to this point, high marks for texture a bit lost in an Apple Tart that was unfortunately soggy and not particularly well flavored by fruit, Wittamer righted the ship immediately by way of a just-stacked Mille-Feuille that crackled to fork pressure with the same smooth filling as the Cream Croissant, the Coconut Meringue Cake so light that a few less grams would have seen it levitating as delicate shavings of dark chocolate flew to the air with each forkful and slowly floated to the ground.

www.wittamer.com/