Put the macarons on hold, Paris has fallen in love with waffles from Lille. Coralie Grassin investigates…
There are a thousand sweet secrets in Paris, from the simple tarte au pomme to macarons. The French know their cakes and would cross a whole city to get the very best éclair.
For waffles, they now rush to Le Marais where Meert, a very traditional pâtisserie and tea room founded in Lille, opened its doors a few months back.
Now, these waffles are not the ones you are used too and are more specific to the north of the country. Close your eyes and imagine a sandwich made of two very thin yet very tender oval waffles with a melting Madagascar vanilla filling in between. A childhood treats you do not want to let go of.
They are still handmade with hundreds being sold every day, wrapped in golden paper. People of all age step in – some pick up one as an emergency fix, others a whole box.
One of the pleasures is carefully opening the precious wrapping, enjoying the aroma. There also is the temptation of the limited edition flavour, the summer special offering a sweet strawberry cream with a hint of mint. The trick (if you made it home with them) is to keep them in the fridge – the consistency gets even more velvety.
Even the boutique is an experience in itself, bringing back the nostalgia of candy stores of the 19th century – glass jars filled with delicacies, wooden shelves with adorable boxes.
Here you can indulge in exotic marshmallows (lime, apricot, passionfruit), amazing chocolate slabs that will be cut on demand, flavoured caramel and cakes to make your heart melt.
Around Christmas, try their amazing spiced gingerbread and speculoos. Be warned: a look at the shop window and you will be hypnotised…
For more info and locations, visit: www.meert.fr
Meert, 16 rue Elzévir 75003 Paris
All photos by Coralie Grassin
Coralie writes the blog Tea Time In Wonderland