In Paris, there are boulangerie and patisserie on every corner, some more well-known to tourists, some less so, and some only known to locals. One such local and completely non-touristy place is Aux Marveilleux Patisserie. I happened to come across this special patisserie on my way to the Eiffel Tower via the Invalides on 94 rue Saint-Dominique. It's a very small, corner patisserie located right in front of a church. True, maybe not every tourist will go far for a patisserie or boulangerie that's outside the tourist area, but believe me, with the metro you can easily get anywhere. If you have a little time and desire, you just have to be a little daring and here you are in a quiet and pleasant place without crowds from all over the world, and you feel Parisian for a moment.
The shop window displays the amazing cakes on one side, and on the other, you can see live how the small, airy cake called Merveilleux is made. The name Merveilleux comes from France after the French Revolution and refers to a group of 18th-century “hipsters” who, as a counter-reaction to the revolution, dressed in ancient clothing. The cake itself comes from Flanders and is called a kermique. Frederic, who discovered the recipe while working in a patisserie in Lille, decided to improve it by making the cake airier and naming it after those “hipsters.” The first branch of his patisserie was established in the northern city of Lille, and word of the cream cake began to spread quickly, leading to great success and the opening of additional branches. The first Parisian branch opened in 2008, and there are now five branches.
Aux Marveilleux specializes in making only one type of cake. The Marveilleux cake. The cake in which the place specializes is made right before the eyes of the customers. It is a very delicate meringue base, topped with a mountain of whipped cream that is not at all heavy. You can really feel that the whipped cream is not too oily and is very airy. To my taste, it even reminds me of the airiness of the Carambola whipped cream. The cakes come in several sizes and in six different flavors, with the topping changing each time, but the whipped cream remains constant and in several flavors: vanilla, cherry, coffee or caramel. I bought 2 small cakes for my pleasure and regret not taking more cakes. The cakes are so small that within a few bites they soften in your mouth and disappear. You can stand for hours in front of the shop window and watch how the cakes are made. The large cakes are built on the same idea, only instead of having one meringue base, there are between 3-4 layers, with a surface of whipped cream between each layer.
At this quaint patisserie located at 94 rue Saint-Dominique, you don't need to know French at all . You choose which cake you want, and there is a special machine at the checkout where you put the money in yourself without the help of the cashier and get a change. The colors and smells are so tempting that it is impossible to walk past the patisserie and ignore it. As mentioned, Merveille has about five branches in Paris, each branch working at different hours. And on Mondays, all the branches of the chain are closed. So if you are craving a delicious and special cake and a branch without many tourists, go to the website, stay updated and see which branch is closest to where you are.
For the patisserie website, click here.
