I wrote about Guernsey's great food inPrevious post And I will write a lot more about it. There is no doubt that the island is blessed with an abundance of fish, seafood, meat and dairy products, but like any place in the world, Guernsey also has its drawbacks. The big drawback here is the lack of bread worthy of the name. The English bread served here in most places is anemic and rather tasteless, so far from the bread in Paris (not to mention the Israeli bread that has improved dramatically in recent years). In fact, this has a certain advantage because it naturally made me give up carbohydrates and sugars, which was quite beneficial for my diet, which was challenged by the culinary abundance of GuernseyHowever, my point of view was that it was impossible for the island that hosted Victor Hugo for 15 years not to have a Boulangerie worthy of the name. After all, how did he survive here without some kind of Baguette, croissant Or at least some eclair? Happily, I wasn't the only one who thought so.
The story behind Victor Hugo's Boulangerie
Karim Riad was born in Egypt about fifty years ago. His architectural studies took him first to Greece and then to Rome, where he finished his studies. However, instead of continuing Bernini's path in Rome or returning to Egypt, Karim decided to move to Geneva, where he decided to study at the School of Restaurant and Hotel Management and at the same time opened a video tape business. The business became successful and his hotel studies were gradually forgotten, but then a turn in the plot occurred and Karim met a woman born on the island of Sark (one of the islands surrounding Guernsey). Love blossomed and Karim and his wife decided to move to Guernsey to be closer to her family. There, in the city of Saint Peter, the capital of Guernsey, Karim decided to take advantage of his hotel studies from Geneva and purchase the COOK Hotel, which is located next to his home. Victor Hugo. The business grew, but Karim was not entirely satisfied, because he could not serve his guests bread worthy of its name. Unlike me, who could only grumble and wait for his next trip to France to bite into a fresh baguette, Karim decided to take action. True to the saying “where there are no bakers worthy of their name, you are a boulangerie” he decided to open a boulangerie where they would prepare bread and cakes according to the best French tradition. He named the patisserie, of course, after Victor Hugo, the most famous Frenchman on the island, and brought his culinary knowledge from France, which he visited many times. The result, a patisserie-boulangerie worthy of its name on the seafront in Guernsey, which has been in existence for 13 years!
I came across the boulangerie quite by chance, when I took a slightly different route to the supermarket. I hadn't planned to buy bread, but I couldn't leave the place without a reason, so I decided to try their Paris Brest cake. Unlike similar cakes I had eaten in Paris, this Paris Brest was served with berries on top, which gave a tart counterpoint to this very sweet cake. The filling was excellent and maintained a creamy texture, but the dough disappointed me a little because it could have been a little crispier. Nevertheless, it was not a bad cake at all, which made it clear to me that there is a patisserie worthy of its name in Guernsey.
There is no doubt that I will return here in the future to try some more cakes and the breads sold there, and you are welcome to follow me on Instagram and Facebook to find out what my impressions of the other cakes at the patisserie are. However, there is no doubt that, based on my first impression, Victor Hugo can definitely say, “You can rest assured. There is a boulangerie worthy of the name in Guernsey!”