I first heard about Maître Choux on Twitter after one of my followers retweeted an article about the newly opened shop. The pictures of their eclairs, choux and chouquettes sold the deal for me. I was definitely going to make the trip to buy some fluffy pieces of heaven.
Brainchild of Joakim Prat, he has a rather impressive Michelin starred resume and has been working with choux pastry for over 15 years. Joakim came to London to work as Head Chef for Joël Robuchon’s L’Atelier, then went on to Mayfair’s The Greenhouse. He also held the same position at Can Fabes in Barcelona, which has resulted in making Maître Choux the only UK pastry shop with a three Michelin star experienced chef.
Only a few minutes from the underground station, Maître Choux is situated in the, what seems to be, the French Quarter of South Kensington. Perfect location for a French patisserie. It was the last day of our trip to London and I was adamant that I was going to buy some goodies to take back to Glasgow so that my mom, fellow member of the chocolate eclair appreciation society could try one. Or two.
Walking along Harrington Road, we weren’t quite sure if we were in the right location but then I spotted the unique colourful shop front and the wonderful full length glass window giving passers by a rather tempting glimpse of the full array of eclairs they offer. Swoon.
When we entered Maître Choux, a friendly waitress offered us a warm chouquette while browsing and Ross ordered a Monmouth coffee espresso. My little beady eyes instantly spotted pistachio eclairs and choux. Boy did they look good. In fact, everything did!
Maître Choux sell eclairs and choux in a range of flavours- Pure Arabica Coffee, Spanish Raspberry Pink, Italian Lemon Meringue, Persian Pistachio, Tahitian Vanilla and Pecan, Salted Butter with Homemade Caramel, Very Dark Multi-Origin Chocolate, Violet and Wild Berries and lastly Tiramisu.
After much debate, we settled on a box containing Tahitian Vanilla and Pecan, Very Dark Multi-Origin Chocolate, Pure Arabica Coffee, Italian Lemon Meringue and two Persian Pistachio. I may have also purchased a Persian Pistachio choux thrown in for good measure to eat while walking around South Kensington.
At around £5 for an eclair and just over £3 for choux, they aren’t cheap by any measure. However, if you look at the list of high quality ingredients, time, effort and design that goes into each individual pastry, it is well worth it.
They transported well back on the plane to Glasgow and I’m led to believe that it was their first time ever on an aeroplane! I’m also happy to report that they tasted as good as they looked. My favourite, other than the Persian Pistachio, was Pure Arabica Coffee. Delicious.
After a few bites, they were all gone. Now I’m back to my eclair-less existence. It’s a dark dark place.If you’re in London, make sure you add Maître Choux to your go-to list. You won’t regret it!
Maître Choux
15 Harrington Road
London, SW7 3ES
Tel: 020 3583 4561
Web: http://www.maitrechoux.com
