Three generations of family have successfully managed this patisserie and chocolatier business, which was started by Maurice Bernachon, who bought over his chocolate master's confectionary shop when the latter retired. Chef Maurice transformed the shop into an icon of fine chocolates and pastries. Today, it is managed by the third generation of the Bernachon family, which still uses traditional recipes and skills, albeit aided by modern technology.
Passion by Bernachon is a tea saloon next to the chocolatier offering both sweet and savoury pastries with luxurious tea blends, gourmet coffees and a special chocolat chaud or hot chocolate. It also offers a lunch menu of some classic French dishes. The saloon is not opened for dinner and closes at the same time with the patisserie. Lunch is often packed so reservations are absolutely necessary.
My wife and I ordered Quiche Lorraine from the patisserie next door to share while we waited for lunch to be served. My wife wanted the hot chocolate while I chose my de rigueur cafe au lait to start the day with, something which I regretted later.
While I normally do not comment much on beverages and my coffee was as good as I expected, I need to highlight this cup of dark brown looking liquid that sent my wife on a heavenly high. Hot chocolate is a very common drink that can be very comforting in the most uncomfortable of situations. However, it does not enjoy the kind of hype and gourmet status of coffees even though the prices of cocoa beans are no cheaper than that of coffee. Bernachon's version looked ordinary when it was served, but from the way my wife's face lighted up at her first sip, I knew it was no ordinary stuff.
I used to think that Max Brenner offered the best hot chocolate but while it pales in comparison to Bernachon's version. This humble cup of hot chocolate has the rich robust taste of cocoa beans; its texture is so thick that its viscosity would put others in the pale. It was like drinking a bar of melted dark chocolate couverture with sweet, bitter, toasty notes and a very light acidity in the background. And chocolate does have aphrodisiac properties because they trigger the feel-good hormones into your system.
Good chefs know that to create the ultimate dining experience, food has to be sexy. To achieve that, presentation, balance of taste, temperature and texture has to be in the right place and the resulting synergy is an orgasmic sensation on the palate.
The quiche (left) arrived at the right temperature as they had taken the initiative to serve it warm. This makes the lovely savoury custard meltingly-good in the mouth and allows the pastry to give off a nice buttery note when you bite into it. I must admit it was really one of the best quiche that I have tasted. Sweet onions, lightly sauteed with lardons (pancetta), was suspended in between smooth custard and topped with melted Emmental cheese. It reminded us of those wonderful freshly baked Sweet Egg Tarts from Leung San in Chinatown, Singapore, where the custard is still warm and runny.
For lunch itself, we chose the Pate Encroute with a Petit Salad (right) and Salade Lyonnais as starters. The pate filling of the Pate Encroute was rich, creamy and smooth with chunks of meat, ham and pistachio nuts. A small piece of savoury jelly from the meat juices provided a nice textural contrast. The pie pastry was pretty standard but the petit salad had a nice mustard dressing which cut the richness of the pate perfectly, along with the side pickles.
My Lyonnais Salad was a bed of mixed leaf lettuces with mustard dressing, speckled with sauteed smoked lardons (pancetta), tomatoes, crispy croutons and a warm poached egg. The sharp vinaigrette cut through the fattiness of the delicious smoky lardons, while the runny egg yolk provided an element of subtle neutrality to the salad.
Our main courses arrived together, with the Cod Fillet Cabillaud shining from the drizzle of olive oil and the tomato basil salsa. My wife totally enjoyed the lovely moist piece of fish and its delicate flavours, which were accentuated by the tomato basil salsa and a squeeze of lemon.
My Daurade fillet was equally tempting with the accompanying creamy tart beurre blanc. Its crisp skin and moist flesh were sensational, and was well combined with the sauce. The pink peppercorns gave an explosive burst of flavour.
We had a lovely Roesti Potatoes and Cauliflower Au Gratin (right) as side dishes. The cauliflower was especially tasty, being in the prime of the season, beautifully gratinated with Comte Cheese which gave it a nutty character. If there had been a dash of truffle oil, I would have given it a perfect 10+. The Roesti Potatoes were normal but nicely done, so having them with the fishes was just as beautiful.
As we planned to buy some pastries from next door, we order a simple Frozen Souffle of Red Berries with Raspberry Coulis, Caramelised nuts and Creme Chantilly (whipped cream). The frozen souffle was lovely with the sauce and we both like the caramelised nuts as sheer nibbles. However, there was way too much Creme Chantilly, but the paper thin almond tulies and chocolate cigarettes will surely please any child. It was like a fairy tale dessert that every child would dream about.
Coolchef is a local professional chef who cooks, blogs, educates & lives life to the fullest with his wife in Singapore. A former CIA & SHATEC alumni, accredited with the Global Chefs Advisory Board, at-Sunrice The Singapore Culinary Academy, Coolchef seeks out gastronomic experiences and picks up culinary knowledge of different cuisines from his work in different countries during the course of his career. Keen to share his knowledge and expertise, Coolchef is also a visiting Guest Chef Instructor with People's Association.
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While I normally do not comment much on beverages and my coffee was as good as I expected, I need to highlight this cup of dark brown looking liquid that sent my wife on a heavenly high. Hot chocolate is a very common drink that can be very comforting in the most uncomfortable of situations. However, it does not enjoy the kind of hype and gourmet status of coffees even though the prices of cocoa beans are no cheaper than that of coffee. Bernachon's version looked ordinary when it was served, but from the way my wife's face lighted up at her first sip, I knew it was no ordinary stuff.
Good chefs know that to create the ultimate dining experience, food has to be sexy. To achieve that, presentation, balance of taste, temperature and texture has to be in the right place and the resulting synergy is an orgasmic sensation on the palate.
For lunch itself, we chose the Pate Encroute with a Petit Salad (right) and Salade Lyonnais as starters. The pate filling of the Pate Encroute was rich, creamy and smooth with chunks of meat, ham and pistachio nuts. A small piece of savoury jelly from the meat juices provided a nice textural contrast. The pie pastry was pretty standard but the petit salad had a nice mustard dressing which cut the richness of the pate perfectly, along with the side pickles.
My Daurade fillet was equally tempting with the accompanying creamy tart beurre blanc. Its crisp skin and moist flesh were sensational, and was well combined with the sauce. The pink peppercorns gave an explosive burst of flavour.
