French Flan – A Parisian Gem

I have to share with you this hidden gem, tucked away in the streets of Paris. Le Moulin De La Vierge can be found in a number of locations throughout Paris but that doesn’t make it any less charming and boutique like. This cute little Parisian patisserie caught our eye due to the number of people walking in and the number of bikes parked up in front of the shop. As we peered inside we could see that a long queue had formed, made up of locals looking to purchase fresh bread and pastries for the day. The cakes looked so delicious and it’s always nice to go where the locals go, so we queued up to collect our breakfast. My boyfriend Sam went for a chocolate éclair which he found a little too sweet as the cream filling had a rich chocolate flavour and he doesn’t share my sweet tooth. I wanted to try something new and what I would call typically ‘French’ so I went for a slice of flan. We decided to eat in as my flan was a little difficult to eat en route to our first destination of the day; Montmarte.

The flan was delicious with a smooth, thick, creamy, custard texture with a sweet and flaky tart-like base which was baked to perfection. The top of the flan was slightly harder than the rest, as if it had been placed under a grill for just enough time to give it that lovely golden brown colour. The portion size was huge and I had to leave a bit and place it in my backpack for later. All-in-all our breakfast consisting of two cakes and coffee came to 10 euros which was less than half the price of the previous morning’s breakfast which consisted of coffee and two croissants. Not only that, the cakes at Le Moulin De La Vierge were a cut above the rest in terms of portion size and quality.

If you are off to Paris this summer, make sure you look to see where the nearest branch is and pick yourself up some fresh bread or a cake one morning, true Parisian style!

Living life, loving cake,

H x