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Friday, February 23, 2007

Boulangerie Pierre & Patisserie - Garden Grove (Little Saigon)

Amazingly enough there was still room in our bellies for dessert after our lunch at Vien Dong Restaurant - Garden Grove. So we headed across the street to Boulangerie Pierre & Patisserie.

Boulangerie Pierre & Patisserie - Garden Grove (Little Saigon) 1

During their colonization of Vietnam, the French exploited plenty of Vietnamese peasants in their Michelin rubber plantations, but they also left behind their cooking techniques. That's why coffee, French bread, yogurt, flan, and pastries are a regular part of Vietnamese cuisine.

Little Saigon has plenty of French-Vietnamese restaurants, or French-influenced Vietnamese bakeries. Though Boulangerie Pierre & Patisserie is owned by Vietnamese-Americans, the pastry chef is actually French. So you're getting the real deal.

Boulangerie Pierre & Patisserie - Garden Grove (Little Saigon) 2

How French is it? Well, if none of the Vietnamese Americans are at the counter, you'll have to rely on your French to order from the French dudes. Or do what I do when in Paris - say "Bonjour," point to what you want, hold up the number of fingers you'd like to eat, and say "Merci." My French skills are so talented, aren't they? :)

The bakery's French specialties include Mille Feuille, Chantecler, MarbreChoco, Delice-Marquise, Opera, Charlotte, Castel, Alcazar, Fraisier, Choco-Choc, and MontBlanc pastries. If you know French and know exactly what that all means, then great. Or again, you can adopt my technique to score some pretty pastries.

Really pretty pastries.

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I only had $6 in my pocket so my options were a little limited. This little custard fruit tart was $1.50. I bought two.

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Small coffee and chocolate eclairs were $1 each. In attempting to get the perfect picture, I balanced the two eclairs on the lid of the box. Chubbypanda accidentally knocked one down, hurriedly apologized, and ran off to buy me another in a size large. What a gentleman!

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As for the small chocolate eclair that fell on the ground, Chubbypanda ate it! He gave me permission to share this little tidbit because he said it will only help to build his food cred. He also mentioned something about China's 3,000 years of history, culinary traditions, and famine, but I'm too scatterbrained to recall the exact words now. But as Chubbypanda says, "A panda doesn't get chubby by wasting food."

Sorry, no picture of the size large. I was too busy eating it. :P

May 6, 2011 update:

In February 2010, I was in the neighborhood and decided to try one of their sandwiches for comparison. A long baguette.

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The usual Vietnamese fillings.

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Overall, just OK. And at $3 each, pretty pricey. I'll stick to my 3 for $5 banh mi from Banh Mi & Che CALI Bakery - Westminster (Little Saigon).

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And of course, from my recent Exploration of Vietnamese Regional Cuisine, North, Central, and South in Little Saigon, we stopped off for some coconut macaroons, eclairs, and a chocolate almond croissant. Chocolate and almond inside the croissant! I was in heaven.

Vietnamese Regional Cuisine, North, Central, and South, in Little Saigon 30

But after the incident on Day 285, Boulangerie Pierre is now off my list.

Other bakeries:
Happy Bakery - San Gabriel
Kee Wah Bakery - Monterey Park
Kiki Bakery - Alhambra
Kiki Bakery - Monterey Park 
MoMo Bakery - Alhambra
Vanille de Patisserie - San Marino

Boulangerie Pierre & Patisserie
14352 Brookhurst St.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
714-418-9098

17 comments:

  1. That picture of us looks like that scene from Reservoir Dogs!

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  2. Floor makes foods taste better. =D

    If we're Resevoir Dogs characters, I'm Mr. Blonde. Elmo is Mr. Pink. "We gotta stay professional!" =b

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  3. That all looks so insanely beautiful! I can't wait to have people over so I have a really good excuse to pick a few things up! ;)

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  4. I've never seen this place before. Has it been around for a while? Those pastries look delish! I've gotta check this place out next time I'm in the area.

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  5. Elmo,
    I think at the next meet-up, ya'll should wear suits and sunglasses then! I wasn't identifying you, but since you outed yourself...

    CP,
    Does that mean only C-rated restaurants for you? ;)

    Deb,
    I've never met a fruit tart I didn't like. And at $1/$1.50 you can indulge on the mini tart without having to run too many miles to work them off. :)

    Christine,
    I noticed it for the first time maybe a few years ago? Dunno how long it's been before that...

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  6. I did the outing didn't I? Christian actually posted a photo of our back at our Frenzy sushi dinner too. That one we just looked like a conference of yakuza. Well sort of.

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  7. Elmo,
    What's up with all the mafia references? Should I take a picture of you guys looking like the Sopranos next? :)

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  8. So we either look like Yakuza or Reservoir Dog gangsters. Never knew that morning that I would end up being dressed the same as Elmo and CP.

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  9. Christian,
    I don't think ya'll are Yakuza or Reservoir Dogs. I think you're long-lost triplets. ;)

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  10. I have been to this place, and not only are the pastries sure authentic, but the sandwiches on a French baguette are fabulous!!! Highly recommended.

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  11. Jem,
    Now you've got me craving their sandwiches too! It's a fabulous bakery isn't it?

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  12. Hi Wandering! Yes, lovely bakery.....I am going to pick up some pastries for Thanksgiving as my son in constantly saying he cannot find ones as great as the ones we had in France. I think he may be happy with these!!

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  13. Hi anon,
    The eclairs were definitely on par with what I had in France. And the rest look scrumptious!

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  14. I grew up in Little Saigon and have backpacked through Europe--including Paris and Cannes after college. I've also tried the expesnive French places in Newport, Costa Mesa, and San Diego. For sure, this is the best French bakery I've ever been to! (and with the best prices too)

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  15. Anon,
    Very reasonably priced for the quality. I love their eclairs.

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  16. They also make the best croissants, chocolate croissants, and baguettes in the area.

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  17. Cathy,
    I love chocolate croissants. I'll have to keep that in mind the next time I'm there.

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