Part of my job is to constantly be trying new spots, and I love it. I love seeing what’s changing and evolving on the Paris food scene. But sometimes, I get into a very happy, very tasty habit of returning to the same place again and again and again, and my Sain habit is one of those.
Sain is a bakery located just off the Canal Saint-Martin. Here, baker and former restaurateur Anthony bakes up such a variety of seasonal breads that I can’t keep up and try them all: asparagus and smoked mozzarella; kimchi; celeriac and coriander seed; medjool date and goat cheese. I could eat bread constantly and never finish them all.
His breads are not what I am here to discuss today. (Someday soon!) Though I will take a moment to applaud his Saint-Martin, a sourdough loaf that’s chewy and textured and malty – the perfect base for his regularly changing sandwiches, like this seasonal combo of artichoke, smoked scamorza cheese, olives, and a healthy drizzle of excellent olive oil.
Today, I’m here to talk about his pastry and viennoiserie.
Anthony is technically a tourier, an almost obsolete subset of the bakery profession that specializes, not in bread baking or in pastry making, but in the production of laminated doughs used to make viennoiseries like croissants.
His croissant is unlike most I’ve had in Paris. It has a pronounced butter taste (always a plus!) and a density I associate with sourdough croissants. Rather than being light and airy like most boulangerie croissants, it’s compact and chewy, and it has a vaguely cinnamon aroma.
My favorite part about this croissant is the contrast: the flaky, shattery (is that a word? It’s a word now.) exterior is wonderfully distinct from the rich, dense interior. It’s unfamiliar, but for the open-minded croissant connoisseur, it’s a welcome change.
Anthony also has loaf cakes or, les cakes, as the French call them. This kumquat one topped with burnished meringue was nice and dense and rich, if a bit too sweet-on-sweet for me.
This lemon tart, on the other hand… Holy. Moley.
(I do not say this lightly.)
I have eaten a lot of lemon tarts in my day. I have enjoyed a lot of lemon tarts in my day. And I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is my favorite lemon tart I have ever eaten, ever.
An incredibly thin, buttery pastry case is filled with raw almond paste that’s textured and just sweet enough. Beneath the lemon curd – a perfect balance of sweet and sour – is a mound of meringue.
What a pleasant surprise! Sandwiched between the layers and scattered on top are little lemon pulp cells, just small enough to be unobtrusive yet present enough to add an extra zingy note to the tart.
It will be difficult to avoid ordering this the next time I visit Sain. But for the sake of science… I will do my darndest.
Sain – 8, rue Marie et Louise, 75010