Patisserie Chanson
House Filtered Water / Drip Coffee
Ham and Cheese Croissant with Rosemary
Fresh baked Caramel Pecan Sticky Bun
Cashew Croissant
Made to Order Pistachio Mille Feuille
Carrot and Coconut Cake, Pistachio Granola, Feuilltine
Chocolate Pecan Kouign Amann
Pistachio & Cherry Snail
Chocolate Hazelnut Macaron
Seven days in New York and it seemed as if all hope was lost for any of the city’s highly touted new Bakeries to impress, but willing to take the chance on a friend’s recommendation it was at 9:00am that a party of three found themselves waiting for Patisserie Chanson to unlock its doors on Saturday, the recently opened shop by Rory Macdonald outclassing Florentine, Ansel and Union Fare in terms of quality without entirely eschewing a creative component.
Born in England and a veteran of names like Ramsay and Arzak, his work with Tong Chee Hwee further rounding out the resume when he joined Hakkasan to open their New York Flagship, Macdonald’s work at Patisserie Chanson sees his first solo foray exploring the world of French Pastry using only the best ingredients available with a focus on pushing boundaries without breaking them, the shop modern and classy with a ceiling lined in baking sheets.
Located in the Flatiron, just south of Madison Square Park, and reportedly soon to offer a nighttime “Dessert Bar” experience similar to Dominique Ansel’s Unlimited Possibilities, Patisserie Chanson in its current state sees a collection of grab n’ go options up front along with a sizable barista station, the more formal Salon area in back offering table service for Pastries and Drinks plus a few additional options including Afternoon Tea, Salads and Sandwiches.
Debating between grabbing Pastries to take elsewhere versus sitting down to eat, a decision quickly made with one glimpse of the menu, it was with mispronounced French staples from still-green service that a combination of Pastries and made-to-order items were debated, the eventual choice to invest in six still leaving at least a half-dozen desirable choice on the shelf, Chef Rory stopping by briefly to greet patrons and even being so kind as to send out one of the newly-released Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns for the table to taste.
Ordering one glass of Milk and two Coffees, the former also presented gratis to the nine-year-old at the table along with a Chocolate-Hazelnut Macaroon that cracked softly to yield a creamy dark filling, those interested in classics would do well to take a gander at several styles of Croissants, the most interesting amongst those a Ham and Cheese version stuffed with thinly sliced Pork from France plus Gruyere and Rosemary or a Cashew version that one-ups Almond by way of the more buttery Nut ground into both the Flour itself and a ribbon of Crunchy Butter atop the textbook laminated Pastry.
Still trying out several new recipes, the aforementioned Sticky Bun a true butter-bomb that is certainly best shared, another new-that-day item was a rectangular Kouign Amann with soft puddles of Dark Chocolate folded into the laminated Dough along with toasted Pecans, the Pistachio and Cherry Snail featuring the same base as the Croissant wound around poached Fruit without any added sweetness, the finish just a touch salty.
Taking a page from Paris’ Jacques Genin and offering a la minute Mille Feuille, the light green Pistachio chosen over Chocolate or Coffee with $15 yielding a dual-layer construction of smooth Pastry Cream sandwiched between two layers of compressed, caramelized Pâte Feuilletée, it was with a loud crackle that utensils pierced the top with a clean break prior to each memorable bite, a finale of Carrot and Coconut Cake again going a couple steps beyond what is necessary to impress, the Cake itself a soft sponge without a lot of added Sugar topped in Pistachio Cream, Granola, razor-thin Carrot Chips, Cream Cheese Frosting and Feuilltine.
https://patisseriechanson.com
