French bakery cafe makes a past year’s wish come true

A mushroom crepe and side salad. By Ser Myo-ja

Last year, my friends and I played a guessing game called “When will Paul open?” We had all passed by the gigantic signboards on the ground floor of the Marriott Hotel in Yeouido announcing that “Paul is coming soon,” but the guessing game continued throughout the year because there were no signs that the popular French bakery cafe chain would, in fact, be opening soon. Then all of a sudden in late November the guessing game came to an end.

Just yesterday, after a busy December, I finally found the time to check out Paul’s brunch menu. With a 121-year history, the French bakery operates hundreds of shops around the world. During trips to Paris and London, I’ve always enjoyed their great pastries and sandwiches, and the news about their debut in Seoul ? following openings in Japan and China ? was completely exciting.

As I entered the cafe, I was amazed that the interior was far more lavish than the Paul locations I’ve visited in Europe. In contrast, the number of pastries, croissants, tarts and breads was rather smaller.

My companions and I sat at a round table by the window and a server approached to inform us that they weren’t making omelettes that day. Nevertheless, we dove in undeterred. The weekend brunch menu is less expensive than the a la carte menu, so I went with the Gourmandise set (25,000 won, $21.48), which comes with a drink, a crepe and dessert. I had an Americano, a champignon crepe and a mini coffee eclair. My companion tried the Frais set (23,000 won), selecting chicken salad, coffee and Greek yogurt.

The interior of Paul, in Yeouido

I was pleasantly surprised by the delightful taste of the food. The mushroom crepe was topped with a sunny-side up egg and garnished with a green salad. The crepe was thin and moist, and the mushrooms and soft cream had a savory, earthy taste.

I also tasted my companion’s chicken salad, and was happy to find a fresh salad that was not overly dressed. The chicken, which can very easily become dry and tasteless, was cooked perfectly and the pieces of apple added to the crunchiness in my mouth.

The mini eclair was heavenly, and not too sweet. The mocha cream inside and the glaze on top harmonized well with the coffee. It was a fantastic way to finish the French-style brunch.

The only letdown was the price, but come to think of it, the cafe in Seoul was more of an elegant salon de the, whereas most Paul locations in Europe resemble casual bakeries or cafes, with a few sidewalk tables.

I guess Seoul really has become a cosmopolitan city. I never imagined that Paul would actually open here, but now that it has I guess the next thing on my wish list is for a branch of Le Pain Quotidien so that I can have a choice between French and Belgian boulangerie fare.

Paul

Location: Marriott Hotel, 1st Floor, 28-3 Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul

Telephone: (02) 2070-3000

By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]

korea joongAng daily

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French bakery cafe makes a past year’s wish come true

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