Pasteleria Hofmann
Ham and Cheese Croissant
Mascarpone Croissant
Raspberry Croissant
Raspberry Cheesecake
Tart Tatin
Originally opened as a culinary school in 1983 by Mey Hofmann, the collection of Restaurants including one that holds a Michelin Star later to follow, it was after Breakfast that a stop was made at the Chef’s eponymous Pasteleria on Carrer dels Flassaders, a location near Basilica Santa Maria del Mar as well as Museu Picasso making the place well-known to tourists but nothing offered in the shop remotely resembling an attempt to ‘cash in’ as each item is elegantly presented with a high degree of artistry and effort.
Independently owned by Mey and wife Silvia, their collection of properties now totaling four with a Tavern and Mediterranean Grill joining the Flagship and Patisseria, guests visiting the latter will immediately be struck by the warmth exuded by a place decorated in reclaimed wood and shabby-chic shelves stacked high with hundreds of sweets and confections, the collection of Viennoiserie up front an immediate eye-catcher as is the chilled case in back containing several Cakes and Puddings.
Teaching both hospitality and cooking at the renowned school, the service living up to a high standard with bilingual young ladies still filling shelves but happy to answer questions and assemble orders, it was largely a matter of deciding what looked *best* amongst the glorious display that led to an order comprised of five items, each individually wrapped and taken to a stoop outside for consumption.
Tallying just over €22 for the lot, in reality an excellent deal compared to both bubó Bar and Escriba in terms of both quality and quantity, it was with the quintet’s lone savory that tasting got started, the only unglazed Croissant featuring a yawning pocket of air filled with creamy Gouda and a curl of freshly sliced Pork more than a little impressive in terms of maintaining the Pastry’s structural integrity while still packing plenty of the Ham and Cheese in its interior.
Now approaching year ten at the Bakery, young Chefs from the school rotating through on a regular basis as part of their training, it was with savories complete that two more Croissants were tasted, both the Raspberry Jam and Mascarpone-filled versions every bit as impressive as the first with the Mascarpone particularly light considering just how much sweet Cheese had been used and the same to be said of a Cheesecake served as though it were ‘just’ Cheese, deep spoonfuls revealing a buttery Graham Cracker base and a thick layer of Raspberry Puree at the bottom.
At this point already debating going back for more, a plan that unfortunately never came to fruition due to an otherwise jammed-packed dining agenda, it was finally with the Tart Tatin Sandwich that a tasting of Hofmann’s goods came to a close, the Apples cooked just barely soft and soaked in Toffee atop Custard trapped between two pieces of Shortcrust meant to resemble Bread fresh off a Panini press.
https://www.hofmann-bcn.com/en/patisserie