Love at First Bite: Dominique Ansel

Surely by now you have either heard the word "Cronut" or at the very least unknowingly consumed a knock-off version of this internet famous treat (*cough cough Five Daughters cough cough*). 
This croissant/donut hybrid was created by French chef Dominique Ansel in 2013 and has had people lining up around the block on the streets of New York ever since. Each day, a limited batch is produced and people wait in line for their chance to have a piece of the viral hype that is the Cronut. 
I have a confession to make though: despite having visited two of Dominique Ansel's locations so far, I still have yet to try the elusive dessert that made him famous. 
I have, however, tried many other delightful pastries and desserts from his stunning display cases in both New York City and his original London location (a second London location has just been announced). 
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I have ARRIVED!

My first encounter came in 2016 while visiting NYC with my partner. This little bakery took the number one spot on my to do list (and was a lovely treat the morning after a 15 hour drive).
I could best describe the SoHo location as small but mighty. It was busy that morning and felt almost cramped, but the view of the pastries as we walked in was enough to make the tight squeeze worthwhile. 

Just look at these beauties!

So if I didn't get a Cronut, what did I get?!
Well, I started off with a DKA, which is Dominique's Kouign-amann. This lovely little pastry is sort of reminiscent of a croissant, but with little pockets of sugar inside and caramelized sugar on the outside. In my opinion, they are best served warm and are very easy to get addicted to. Below, you can see just how I felt about it.

Of course, I was also sure to select a couple of macarons to eat as we walked the streets of New York City all day. Needless to say, they were also delicious. The perfect texture with beautifully balanced flavors. 
Though I do not still have a photo, the pastry case was beyond compare. All of the gorgeous tarts and cakes and other desserts were so creatively and flawlessly decorated that I couldn't believe my eyes. Unfortunately, I didn't have room in my stomach to try one that morning and it certainly would not have made the exhaustive trek around the city. I left that little SoHo shop full of sugar and wonder and inspiration for my own culinary aspirations. That's the one common thread I keep finding with Mr. Ansel's work; it inspires me to be a better chef! 
The magic I felt in New York was one thing, but the magic I felt at Ansel's first London location was another feeling entirely. Something about cloudy yet romantic foreign cities at Christmas time really adds something extra special to the mix.

What good is a travel blog without some scenic photos?

In December of 2016, my partner decided to go home to England for Christmas and asked me to join him. When I found out that we'd get to spend a day in London, I once again made sure that Dominique Ansel's Bakery was first on my to do list.
This time, we walked all the way there on a blustery, gray morning, making sure to take in the sights as we went. 

Because of the timing, the pastry case was all decorated for Christmas. What you can't see here are all the rows of fabulously decorated buche de noel cakes (or yule logs, as some call them). This time, I didn't care how messy it got throughout the day, I was ordering a beautiful cake to take with us on our journey. I opted for a gorgeous chocolate buche de noel and happily carried it with me all day, and ate it when we climbed into our hotel bed that evening. 
I found this shop to be more spacious than the SoHo location. It felt like there was more room to breathe and move about. Of course, it was still packed to the brim with people and we had trouble finding seating, but we did eventually find a small table that could hardly contain all the food I ordered. Oops!
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We kicked it all off with a Welsh rarebit croissant, which is a London exclusive. I must say that this is one of the things I love most about Ansel's bakeries; he adapts each menu to the locale so that each location remains unique. This beauty consisted of Guinness worcestershire, a cheddar bechamel, fotina cheese and a whole grain mustard. It's served warm and is an affordable breakfast option. It is also something I still find myself craving from time to time! 
You'll also notice that I took macarons to go just as I did in NYC. They were just lovely!

Our tiny table then got even more packed with goodies: a latte for each of us, a croque monsieur to share, and a slice of banoffee paella.

The croque monsieur may very well be the best I've ever had. And yes, I have eaten one at a real French cafe in Paris late at night after arriving and finding most other food places to be shut. I have also, for the record, had one made with donut buns as the bread. Needless to say, I love my croque monsieurs!
This one in particular was perfectly crisp. I mean, just look at that cheese on top. Served hot and fresh and devoured so quickly that my partner nearly didn't get his half. Oops.

And then came dessert at 10 am because it's only served in the London location and I had to try it. This take on the classic British dessert is actually made upside down in a paella pan, with the crumb on top, so the crust doesn't get soggy. Each decadent slice is cut to order just so you can enjoy a crunchy crumb crust. Sitting atop those crumbs is a layer of toffee cream, and atop the cream sit perfectly caramelized bananas. This dish is brilliantly executed but I have to be honest, it was too much for me that morning. Maybe it's all the carbs I'd already consumed beforehand or perhaps the jet-lag, but it was just too much. Too sweet, too big a serving, and hard for me to enjoy as I was already so full. Note to self: next time, eat less or order the paella first! 
And just like that, another Dominique Ansel Bakery visit was in the books. 
Since then, Mr. Ansel has opened both a bakery location AND restaurant in L.A., which has of course taken the top spot on my list. As I mentioned earlier, he's also opening a second location in London which should be open by my next visit. And let's not forget that there's always the Tokyo location to dream about visiting as well. Maybe my next visit will see me finally trying the Cronut.
All in all, if you appreciate food and creativity, then these bakeries are certainly something to add to your list. You really just can't go wrong. 
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and read his book and take his MasterClass for French basics like any good fan girl would do!