La Vie en Rose Pâtisserie

A small, humble, tastefully decorated patisserie located at the corner of Fish Lane and Melayu Street, smack in the middle of the heritage area of Georgetown. While not only battling the myriad of choices of local food in Penang, it's got to content with the lack of parking and numerous other cafes all over town.

And yet, it's matured into a very popular spot with locals and tourists alike. The recently renovated La Vie En Rose is now even more popular than before. It's not difficult to see long queues and no seats available ever so often. So what makes this place so irresistible?

It's their pastries. From the humble croissant and all it's combinations, to beignets and tarts, this pattiserie has some of the best I've tasted, even when compared to the ones I remember while in France. I especially love their Tarte Au Citron Meringue, which has the perfect balance of sweetness and the tartness (pardon the pun) of lemon in it. The different flavour filled beignets were also a treat. Pity I didn't get a Pain Au Chocolat this time round cause they ran out (and it was about 12:45pm only).

Drinks were pretty much ok. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but my friends who do, say that the coffees served here were quite alright.

Fresh batches of pastries are continuously being churned out from their bakery at the back, which is now visible from the ground floor through a glass window. A peek inside and you'll probably see owner/patissier Evon slaving away over her creations together with her helpers.

Since the renovation, the bakery now blocks the entrance to the toilets. You have to make your way up to the 2nd floor, walk to the back and walk back down again. A little bit of a detour, but it enables you to take a peek at the 2nd floor dining area, plus access to a small verandah offering views of Fish Lane and the surrounding neighbourhood.

Quick query - Wouldn't a dumb waiter be safer to cart the orders upstairs, rather than on the narrow stairs? Perhaps it's a heritage building bye-law that prohibits this, but I feel so very nervous for the staff, especially when trays are full.

One of the best patisserie around in Penang, and is very highly recommended.