Vive le Paul

 20 August 2023

 

 

PAUL

Patisserie and restaurant

Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, V & A Waterfront, Cape Town

 

The wife, who always keeps an eye out for the latest developments on the Cape Town restaurant scene, announced that Paul, the well-known French chain of patisseries, has an outlet in the Waterfront and said she wanted to go. 

 

My first exposure to the brand, with the wife, was a coffee and pain au chocolat in Paris in 2005. In 2019 we ate a rather poor supper at a Paul outlet around the corner from Covent Garden and close to our very expensive hotel where we could afford only one night in a room smaller than the en suitebathroom of our house.  

 

Hearing that Paul was on our doorstep now was infinitely more exciting than the arrival of Starbucks.

 

Paul at the Waterfront is just outside the main entrance of the shopping centre (opposite the amphitheatre), in the space once occupied by San Marco (I think), and the dark colours of the front door with the impressive logo above it and that familiar, elegant, dark wood French style interior, immediately creates a huge sense of satisfaction that one will enjoy a luxurious Continental experience right here in our dorp.

 

The menu is extensive and presents such a wide variety of tempting dishes (named in French, with subtitles)  that one feels the need to return often to work through the menu. I can see Paul replacing Tasha’s as my fave Waterfront fast breaking destination.

 

My choice was the croque Monsieur  because I wanted to see how Paul would do it and the wife ordered the rôti de bœuf, which suggested a beef curry, but is just rare roast beef with rocket, whole grain mustard, mayonnaise, gherkins and caramelised onion on a fresh baguette, with three small pots of sauerkraut, piccalilli and a ketchup.   Mai ouis, it was as scrumptious as it sounds.

 

My croque was far humbler, with two very thick slices of brioche style bread, gypsy ham and Emmenthaler cheese, and some kind of aioli. 

 

My initial reaction was a smile of enjoyment because the cheese was delicious and the bread soft with a crisp crust but halfway through it, the dish became far too dry. The ratio of bread to cheese was vastly disproportionate in favour of bread and there was no discernible presence of the bechamel I would expect. Also, once I tasted the superbly yummy roast beef baguette the wife was enjoying, the croque became a kind of sad also ran. It’s nice to be generous with the bread but it works only if you’re generous with the other elements too.

 

That baguette, however, is a thing of culinary beauty. 

 

The wife’s sweet was a superb French fresh strawberry tart

and I chose crêpes Suzette. The pancakes were slightly rubbery but the dish was quite yummy, citrusy and not overly sweet.

 

The coffee was excellent. 

 

Overall, the service was efficient and friendly (our waiter accompanied the wife to the pastry counter when she went to select her tart and a pistachio macaron to take home, to explain all the offering to her), though the wife didn’t initially get the hot milk she ordered with her Americano and I didn’t initially get the cream that was supposed to come with the crêpes and there was the standard  drop off after the mains were served.

 

The bill, including two rounds of  coffee, came to a very reasonable R580,00 before tip.

 

I like the look of Paul, the menu is enticing and, small niggles aside, we had a good time. Our timing was perfect; shortly after our arrival, the patrons started streaming in and if this is how it will go, Paul will be a huge success.