Paul has been one of those bakeries I would take an extra effort to drop by be it in Europe or Shanghai and to date, it has given me such fond memories.
Paul has taken Singapore by storm, quite nearly with queues on weekdays and needless to say even on weekends. I thought by visiting the boulangerie months after its opening would mean an effortless encounter, it proved otherwise.
Window seats?
Crowded, max.
By a stoke of luck, I waltzed in without a hitch. No choice of seats.
Menu given and shown to my seat, decisively placed my order and then the wait began. 5 minutes, 10 minutes almost 20 for a croissant and lemon tart off the rack. Truly how hard was it to lift them off the rack? 20 minutes to bake one seemed like a stretch even. Then, the waitress explained...
1) She completely forgot about my croissant.
Astonishing reply. I was left so dumbfounded I did not know how to react. It was not as if I wanted a croissant buttered or stuffed with ham and cheese and it could get forgotten!
So my croissant ($2.50) arrived at long last on a warm plate served with jam and butter in 30 seconds flat.
I tilted my head so close to the table to catch a whiff of that familiar buttery fragrance, as much as that sounds like a spectacle to behold - nah, no fragrance.
Slicing through the pastry and awaiting that melodious crushing of layers met with equal disappointment. A tad oily, the croissant was miles off from Jones The Grocer's, nothing extraordinary. I did like the strawberry jam with whole strawberries in them!
2) Her recommended bestseller of a "lemon tart" was not available that day.
No decency to inform me at all. Replaced it with their strawberry tart ($6.20). Visually it looked the way a delicious strawberry tart would. Biscuit base topped with custard and strawberries glazed with jelly.
Not a fan of this biscuit tart at all and the overall sweetness that made it artificial.
Payment for this took a mistake, eternity and my credit card taking a stroll around the cafe before being handed over to me. Service is as bad as I can imagine for a one week cafe despite the ample help they have from two French door men or woman clad in doctors' cloak and tons of waiters and waitresses dressed in chamber maid outfits. As much as the croque monsieur is beckoning, I am so going to think twice.
The experiences at Paul in Paris and Shanghai have been much better, unlike I am ready to take on another attempt!
Paul
Takashimaya
Paul has taken Singapore by storm, quite nearly with queues on weekdays and needless to say even on weekends. I thought by visiting the boulangerie months after its opening would mean an effortless encounter, it proved otherwise.
Window seats?
Crowded, max.
By a stoke of luck, I waltzed in without a hitch. No choice of seats.
Menu given and shown to my seat, decisively placed my order and then the wait began. 5 minutes, 10 minutes almost 20 for a croissant and lemon tart off the rack. Truly how hard was it to lift them off the rack? 20 minutes to bake one seemed like a stretch even. Then, the waitress explained...
1) She completely forgot about my croissant.
Astonishing reply. I was left so dumbfounded I did not know how to react. It was not as if I wanted a croissant buttered or stuffed with ham and cheese and it could get forgotten!
So my croissant ($2.50) arrived at long last on a warm plate served with jam and butter in 30 seconds flat.
I tilted my head so close to the table to catch a whiff of that familiar buttery fragrance, as much as that sounds like a spectacle to behold - nah, no fragrance.
Slicing through the pastry and awaiting that melodious crushing of layers met with equal disappointment. A tad oily, the croissant was miles off from Jones The Grocer's, nothing extraordinary. I did like the strawberry jam with whole strawberries in them!
2) Her recommended bestseller of a "lemon tart" was not available that day.
No decency to inform me at all. Replaced it with their strawberry tart ($6.20). Visually it looked the way a delicious strawberry tart would. Biscuit base topped with custard and strawberries glazed with jelly.
Not a fan of this biscuit tart at all and the overall sweetness that made it artificial.
Payment for this took a mistake, eternity and my credit card taking a stroll around the cafe before being handed over to me. Service is as bad as I can imagine for a one week cafe despite the ample help they have from two French door men or woman clad in doctors' cloak and tons of waiters and waitresses dressed in chamber maid outfits. As much as the croque monsieur is beckoning, I am so going to think twice.
The experiences at Paul in Paris and Shanghai have been much better, unlike I am ready to take on another attempt!
Paul
Takashimaya
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