Papa d’Amour — Restaurant in New York

After hearing about Dominique Ansel's newest bakery, it was at the top of my list of places to try on my first New York City visit. And it quickly became a highlight of this short trip! So much so, that I and my mom went twice! Every item we tried was expertly crafted to a high standard both in terms of flavour and quality. Our favorites, a thoughtful and delicate blend of French and/or Asian flavors.

Over our two visits we tried about 11 different items. Almost all of them I would happily eat again and some of them we did! Although, we do plan to try the rest of the menu next time we visit. The standouts for us were definitely the crispy shimp sando, kurobuta hotdog spiral, and hazelnut jam jar. But if you would like to read my thoughts on every item we tried I'll have that below.

What made this visit even more delightful was the Cafe's incredible staff! We really cannot say enough good things. Everyone we spoke to, were exceptionally friendly and welcoming. Chloe truly stood out amongst them all. She was attentive and so lovely to chat with. She felt like an instant friend. Michael was also a gem and truly went out of his way to make us feel appreciated. Despite having only just met us, they treated us as if we had been regulars for years! Even if the food had not been outstanding (which it was) we would visit again just for them.

To share my thoughts on the items we tried I'll start with the savory. Our favorites were definitely the sandos! We shared two: the crispy shrimp sando and avocado cucumber sando, which ended up being the perfect pairing. The mildly spicy chili crisp aioli on the succulent shrimp patty, followed by refreshing avocado and cucumber, created a delicious balance and surprisingly filling meal! Unfortunately, neither of us had room to try the other 2 sandos despite them also sounding delicious! But they are on the must try list for next time! We did also taste some of their breads! We tried both the scallion basil blossom and the kurobuta hot dog spiral. The scallion basil was not my favorite, but I'm not a huge fan of basil in general so it's really a preference thing. The kurobuta bun on the other hand was amazing! Definitely one of my favorite foods I've ever eaten! The hot dogs were flavorful and the sticky rice perfectly seasoned. A total comfort of familiar flavors that surprisingly complement the puff pastry they sit on. Their croissant shokupan loaf was another hit. The crust was lightly caramelized adding just a hint of sweetness to the delicately layered croissant-like bread inside.

As for desserts, I loved every single one I tried! The taro mochi donut has a punchy guava jam filling that is bright and flavourful. The hazelnut jam jar was delicate yet decadent. I'm still dreaming about the silky smooth chocolate crémeux filling! I would probably recommend sharing this one as it's quite rich, but it's a must try for any chocolate lover! The pretzel salt egg tart has a light custard and a delicious tender cookie crust that combined with the pretzel salt has you craving another bite. And the cocoa-paille, while not my mom's favorite, definitely hit the spot for me! The laminated chocolate brioche tasted light and crispy which highlighted the soft squishy marshmallow and smooth chocolate ganache in the middle.

For the drinks we tried the yuzu lemonade which was light and summery as well as a great palate cleanser in between bites! Plus, the iced chocolate souffle which was an incredibly novel drink to be served, but was in truth it's own dessert. When just drinking the chocolate milk it has an intense cocoa flavor which I savored but when mixed which the chocolate ganache it basically becomes a drinkable chocolate mouse which I loved! Have I wanted to drink mousse before? Yes! Was this fulfilling those dreams? Yes!

Every aspect of our experience at Papa D'amour from the delicious food to the wonderful staff truly warmed our hearts and has become a must visit for whenever we're...

I love trying Asian and Asian-style/fusion pastries, but I was very disappointed in what we tried today.

First off, I'd like to say that the staff were very gracious and the service was efficient on a busy, crowded Saturday. The ingredients and pastries all tasted fresh, and each individual component and its flavors tasted "authentic" so to speak.

We dined in during this visit and had the steamed bao and hot dog spiral hot.

Taro and mochi lace batter donut: I was looking forward to the taro and mochi lace batter donut most. The outside was truly crispy, which contrasted well with the interior. Unfortunately, the taro flavor was not as strong as I would have liked, and the guava jam overpowered any notes of taro that were there. I hoped the guava would also be a nice contrast to the taro, adding in a little brightness to the creamier, richer base of taro and mochi, but the guava jam was only a sweet addition that made the donut feel even heavier. The mochi portion was very soft, almost soggy - not the chewier texture I had hoped for from mochi. 3/10.

Kurobuta hot dog spiral: We had this item heated up. Sticky rice was great, fun textures overall. This item was lovely, just feel that the bread itself could have a more interesting flavor that pairs well, whether that's a thin/crispy glaze or flavoring the actual dough. Maybe sesame in the dough itself rather than furikake, or a thin sugar/soy glaze like on the hot dogs? I'm not a chef! 7/10.

Hot and cold red bean butter croissant bao: The bao as a croissant is cute, and tasted like home. I'm not sure if the cold butter and red bean paste and steamed bal had the temperature contrast as intended - I think the cold components might need to be colder or bao needs to be steamed longer (the way it makes you go afhshahgjajghahd when it's too hot in your mouth!). The red bean flavor tasted so fresh! But the granulated sugar particles threw me off very much - grainy and crunchy felt strange for read bean paste, which is usually very smooth. I think to add some interesting texture, maybe some semi-whole/smashed red beans would be less jarring for me. 4/10.

Pretzel salt egg tart: The crust delivered! The egg custard itself did not taste flavorful or fragrant enough. 3/10.

Shokupan toast with rice cooker clotted cream: This was TOASTY! The whole slice was crunchy and toasted, through and through. I'm usually drawn to shokupan because of its usually richer flavor + thick slices = yummy fluffy cloud vehicle for jams, toppings, etc. I would have liked to eat this as a toast with its classic shokupan, fluffy center rather than entirely dry and crunchy. The clotted cream and raspberry jam were wonderful. 5/10.

Strawberry jam jar: So cool and well executed concept that feels like a nod to all the edible containers of Dominique Ansel. The basil was a lovely touch! I shared this with two other people. By the end of my portion, I still felt that it was too heavy and one-note - I wish the strawberry had more notes than just sweetness, maybe some tangy/sour or even more brightness, like mint or lemon to really cut through the ganache and white chocolate (?) shell. 6/10.

Overall, I enjoyed the concepts but the execution did not live up to my expectations. I understand that "not too sweet!" could be the perfect compliment, but in this scenario, items generally lacked depth and strength of flavor and could have used that extra seasoning. At the point in time, the humble Asian bakeries of Chinatown and Flushing might be using lesser/cheaper ingredients, but comparatively hit the right notes and more balanced flavor. I see the passion! But would not return for a second visit right now, but would love to see what the...

Papa d’Amour opened on Wednesday, May 21st, on University Place. On this rainy day, I was tenth in line but entered quickly. Iced Vietnamese Coffee Latte ($7.50). Crispy Shrimp Patty Sando ($14.50) and Strawberry Jam Jar ($10.50) was my order. The Jam Jar was luscious. Shaped like a jar and cut in half to see the interior, the concentrated strawberry confit was tart and eaten with the cream and cake delightful. I wanted to get a second one. The sandwich on the other hand was dry and the shrimp patty had no flavor, was thin and had too much breadcrumbs. I was given more aioli to smear on the bread but it didn’t taste good. Two wafer thin slices of radish was on this sandwich. Two? There should have covered the sandwich with many slices of radishes. This lunch cost $33 and I was mildly content. Three days later, Adrienne and I went and had the Almond Jam Jar and the Chocolate Hazelnut Jam Jar. As we entered, I grabbed a table as seating is limited. Between the two, the Almond Jam Jar was far tastier than the Chocolate one which lacked a rich cocoa flavor. What cocoa was being used? Freshly baked Shokupan bread (Japanese milk bread) is fluffy and 4.5” in size and expensive at $9.50. A box which held this bread increased the cost to $14.50. I left the box because I wasn’t going to display it on my mantelpiece. Daylight robbery! At the other two bakeries, the Bakery and the Workshop give pastries in boxes that I always toss. I am not charged for them. Tables and chairs along with some counter seating doesn’t encourage chair huggers or lengthy iPhone use. Eat, enjoy and let others sit. A clean unisex restroom is available. On the first day, Chef Dominique stopped at each table to see how his customers were faring. Many asked for pictures and selfies and Chef with his beaming smile obliged. Customer service here is amiable. Tashi and Lotus helped me and they were patient and kind. Laurence, one of the managers, was adept at keeping this new...