La Pâtisserie des Rêves :: Cylan
By Paris Patisseries in La Patisserie des Rêves
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There’s so much to love about La Pâtisserie des Rêves. There are the amazing pastries, the gorgeous high-concept store, the ritual of the purchase that’s unique only to Rêves . . . and last, but certainly not least, the characters in the shop. My favorite salesperson in the world is Morgane, who is literally the sweetest person alive. If you ever step into Rêves and see a young, dark-haired Asian beauty, make sure she takes your order. She’s just so nice. In contrast to her is “Angry 40-Something Guy”, which may or may not be his real name. You’ll know him when you see him; he’ll be the guy who looks angry. Try not to interact with this chap unless you have masochistic tendencies and just generally like to feel unimportant and bothersome. It did not matter whether I was buying 1 pastry or 4, whether I was dressed nicely or not, whether I had questions or knew exactly what I needed . . . there’s almost no eye contact, and you feel uncomfortable. I’ve seen him do it to everyone who’s walked in. Then there’s “Anxious East Indian Guy”. I wouldn’t say he’s sweet like Morgane, although he’s very polite and pleasant. But it’s the “anxious” angle that’s fun. Last time I went in, I asked him, “Hey, didn’t I see you come into Hugo & Victor the other day?” He almost **** his pants before knitting his brow and blatantly fibbing-out a, “No, I don’t think so.” I was like, “No, you were there with some other people from the store.” Knowing I caught him in a lie, he mumbled, “We didn’t buy anything.” – like it was illegal for him to shop anywhere but his patisserie! The point is . . . Rêves is fun on so many levels. Unfortunately for me, the day I bought the Cylan here, only “Angry Guy” was working. So did any of his piss-poor attitude soil my experience of it? No, actually . . .
The Cylan is a delight. Quite original, it’s composed of white chocolate mousse and citron confit surrounding milk chocolate mousse, atop a tender jasmine genoise and lightly crispy, slightly salty feuilletine. Or, phrased another way . . . yum. One would think with the name, Cylan (Ceylon), it might have more of the tea infused within it, beyond the supremely tasteful garnish crowning the piece, but “Angry 40-Something Guy” made no mention of it in being incorporated within the crèmes/mousse or gateaux. I didn’t pick it out of the flavors either. What I did pick out was a wonderfully smooth, citrusy patisserie with wisps of jasmine and an interesting kick of salt I was not expecting. Well within the range of reason, it’s a curiously savory flair to an otherwise sweet pastry.
Pieces like this are why I love Rêves. There are only 2, maybe 3, other shops that could dream up something this clever. And, of those, there’s only one that would be so self-assured as to keep the design so understated, letting the textures and flavors speak for themselves. Philippe Conticini and Angelo Musa just . . . “get it”. Unlike some others, exemplified by Arnaud Larher, their pastry designs and garnishes aren’t decorative for the sake of being decorative. Even their wildest designs tie together form, function, and flavor into one cohesive unit. ‘Tis the master’s touch.
I only wish I were still in Paris during the Fall. Now that the country-wide vacation is winding down, Rêves plans to reopen its doors on September 1st. I can just imagine the amazing pastries they’ll have on display.
I’m sure their newest selection of crèmes, feuille and gateaux will be even more amazing than the last. That’s not say I’d like our little beauty here to go away.
So, yes, the Cylan certainly earns a thumbs up. It’s a wonderful piece from the “Pastry Shop of Dreams”, as it translates. For those of you who caught the in-store, in-jar photos of it on Facebook yesterday, keep your eyes peeled in the months ahead for my massive photo exposé of Rêves’ Rue du Bac location. You’ll gain 20lbs. just looking at the shots. But first up will be the equally tantalizing Pain de Sucre patisserie spectacular, which I’ll unveil on September 10th 
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