There were three remaining bakeries on our list of the 10 Best Croissants in Paris for 2013. We had done 3 on February 13, 2014 see the post. To refresh we are judging on taste, exterior, interior and overall quality of the product.
Benjamin Turquier of 134 RdT, 134 Rue de Turenne, 75003
We arrived at the first location in the 3rd arrondissement at about a little before 1000. This is Benjamin Turquier of 134 RdT, 134 Rue de Turenne, 75003 he finished 2nd in the competition, and although Paula had said “she did not like his croissant”, we took into account that she made her purchase at
Benjamin Turquier Croissant.
2:30 in the afternoon. so we approached Monsieur Turquier’s product with an open mind. We found his croissant to be very good,
Benjamin Turquier interior
it may even give our #1 selection a run for their money. This croissant was 1.20€, again Pat took the photos while I went in to purchase. The taste was good, not too buttery (3), the exterior was grasp with good flake without been dark (3+), and the interior was soft, cooked properly and light (3). The overall score was a three(3+)
We headed over to the 18th arrondissement to the #3 contender on the list Djibril Bodian
of Le Grenier Pain des Abbessess, 38 Rue des Abbesses, 75018 but found his shop closed. There are no second chance in the competition so he was eliminated.
Back on the metro, headed to the 11th. to the #10 winner Philippe Marache, of 92 Avenue de la République, 75011. I must say there are no losers in the competition and Pat and I are the real winners because we would like for any of these bakers to come to Richmond. Cost for this croissant 1€.
In any case, on with the judging, Monsieur Marache’s croissant was not our idea of a perfect croissant from the exterior, a bit different from the standard. The croissant had a nice buttery
flavor (3) and the exterior was crisp (3). The exterior was light and cooked properly (3) and the overall score was a (3). The bottom was
just a bit on the dark side but not enough to give any burnt flavor; Pat likes them this way.
And the overall winner is: Well I’m going to call it a tie between #2 Benjamin Turquier and #4 Anthony Bosson; however, the real winners are Mike and Pat and the losers are all of you stuck back in Ricmond, or some where else without Great Croissants!
Finished with our croissant crawl, we head to Pat’s favorite location for Chocolat Chaud at Cafe Bonapart in Saint Germain des Prés, where they put the bitter chocolate into the cup and then tilt it to form a flower. When leaving, we ran into an old-fashioned organ grinder; however, no monkey, just his dog and cat, although not much interest was shown in the cat
