Cafe Pouchkine Paris

Moscow grand cafe culture meets with Parisian haute pâtisserie at Printemps’ pop up Fashion Cafe Pouchkine.  Coralie Aude Grassin enjoys a very stylish afternoon tea…

Paris combines two passions: fashion and gourmet food.  So much that pastry chefs have designed what could be called Haute Pâtisserie.  Each season brings a catwalk of tastes, colours and creativity.  A Parisienne would be as enthusiastic for Pierre Hermé’s lastest sweet collection as an elegant dress by Givenchy.

There is a new buzz in town – Café Pouchkine, a legend in Moscow, has opened a pop-up in Le Printemps, presenting exquisite ‘gâteaux à la mode‘.

I just could not resist having a look… well, being a cake-hunter, it was only professional to try them too!

Master pâtissier, Emmanuel Ryon, is quite a star already, having won the international pastry competition as well as been titled France’s best sugar worker.

He loved the challenge of working with two cultures, marrying the very best of each. He looked for inspiration in art books among other sources – you can see how they have been carefully structured, each detail balancing another, the colours chosen to attract the light.

They even achieve the jewel status with a chocolate powdery note or a touch of edible gold. Even macarons have dressed festively, each of them combining two flavours like lemon with a heart of caramel…

The textures are sumptuous. Each cake plays on complex layers – moist, melting, smooth, finger-licking good. We fell in love with:

The Rose Pouchkine – those elegant petals hide a pistachio biscuit with an orchard fruit compote, a cloud like yogurt cream and melting pistachio…

The Moskito – velvety and very cheerful in taste with its variations around pistachios with a vanilla cream and a touch of marzipan.

Simply called red fruit and poppy seed spongecake, this one is an irresistible poem which speaks of spring – biscuit flavoured with Bourbon vanilla, poppyseeds, gorgeous red fruit jelly, unctuous cream made with Russian cream cheese.

And our favourite, the Rose du Tsar – you will spend as much time admiring its perfection as savouring each spoonful. Chocolate mousse on a light brownie base, fragrant blackberry and jasmine jelly, and golden chocolate gems… how precious!

Why not try them with an aromatic tea or a traditional hot chocolate, served in an old-fashioned silver pot?  Alternatively, you can buy a selection to take away and mind you, they survive the Eurostar quite well…

In celebration of Paris Fashion Week, Fashion Café Pouchkine has also created a range of delectable cakes inspired by the collections of designers including Chloé, Marni and Dries Van Noten.

But hurry, as Café Pouchkine is only to be enjoyed until March 26.

Café Pouchkine, Printemps Haussmann Mode Floor -1 64, Boulevard Haussmann 75009 Paris.

Open until 20.00 Mondays to Saturdays, 22.00 on Thursdays.

Photos by Coralie Aude Grassin.

Coralie writes the blog Tea Time in Wonderland.