Paul

I swear all the best café’s origin from France. This is the third café I write about that originated in France.

The story of Paul is very interesting because it was Frances Holder, whose family owns a small bakery, who takes over Paul with his parents. When Francis’ parents died he takes over the family business opening a second bakery in 1963. He does some major works turning his family business into a unique and innovative bakery in Lile.

In 1985, Paul opens its first bakery in Barcelona. Francis Holder was a big part of this by introducing two major elements: The iconic black shop fronts and a line of artisan breads made using sustainably produces winter wheat. Paul has just been expanding since, having now opened in 33 countries such as London, Washington, Dubai, Tokyo, etc.

Food:

The one thing I love about Paul is that it has originated through 5 generations of bread enthusiasts; their love and commitment to baking really shows. The bread is made everyday inside the bakery. The process takes seven hours to ensure that the dough is maximised in flavour. They follow traditional French recipes and create a wide variety of breads such as poppy seed baguette, walnut bread, pumpkin seed bread and gingerbread to name a few. Their variety really makes them unique I mean, where else can you find six cereal fig bread!?

Bread is not the only thing they excel at. They have a large selection of croissants and brioches including my two favourites: Almond croissant and almond pain chocolat. They also have apple turnovers, apricot pastries. They also have their savoury selection including ham and cheese croissants or a simple cheese croissant.

Now Paul is not just great for breakfast, but also they offer a wide selection of specialties for lunch. They prepare daily sandwiches, salads and hot food. My favourite has got to be their quiches; they have quiche Lorraine, leek quiche and spinach with salmon. They also have an incredible selection of sandwiches that makes my mouth water every time I look at them. At Christmas they have a special “Christmas Turkey Sandwich” which is composed of turkey, bacon, cream cheese, horseradish sauce and spinach leaves in a cranberry, sage and onion bread. They also have a roast smoked salmon sandwich, Camembert sandwich or a chicken sandwich. Of course all of their sandwiches are made in their daily baked bread giving them all a special touch.

As it states on the website, Paul is designed for “sharing”. This café arranges special platters for any occasion, whether It is a meeting, an event or a special occasion. For example they offer artisan sandwich platter, gourmet Viennoisierie platter, mini macaroon platters and a mixture of sweet and savoury platters.

After my visit in the new Paul in Earl’s court road, I must say that Paul has become my favourite café. When I came to visit my boyfriend by chance, we walked in front of Paul, which did not look like it was ready to open at all. However the door was open and I could see one person inside at the bar ordering a coffee. My eyes literally lit up, I dragged my boyfriend inside and we were told that it was their first opening, and that everything inside was 50% off. I cannot tell you how excited I was honestly, if I was one of those people that eats a lot without putting any weight on, I probably would have bought about 10 different croissants, and not to mention their gigantic meringues or macaroons. But since I am not one of those people we only ended up getting one croissant and a cappuccino each. It was still pretty exciting though, we only paid 4 pounds for that.

I am currently sat in Paul writing this after having had my second breakfast in the new Earl’s Court branch. For breakfast today my boyfriend and I thought to treat ourselves and have an almond croissant, a pain au chocolat and a sugar brioche. As I have previously mentioned, the almond croissant is my favourite thing in the world, and here it really exceeds my expectations. They bake the croissants with Viennoise pastry, a very special pastry originating from a small Parisian bakery. This pastry makes the croissant a perfect, soft texture inside leaving a more crispy and flaky outside.

This café is also perfect for studying or working. The interior is simple, contemporary and the seats are super comfortable. Plus what better place to study than a bakery that surrounds you with freshly bakes goodies? They also offer free Wi-Fi to their customers, and do not forget to pick up their loyalty “Carte Noire”. It is a rewards card that entitles you to one free breakfast and after a number of points rewards you with a free coffee or a free sandwich.