Brun Boulangerie on rue Tolbiac in the 13th arrondissement has been voted the 'best baguette in Paris'. Samir Bouattour is the man behind this year's winner, a crusty creation that has already garnered attention in recent times. The boulangerie is unassuming, sat on a big cross section of rue de Tolbiac and rue Bobillot. And now, the queues have really started forming.
Despite rigorous conditions and 200 other participants (just a snip of the 1,217 bakeries in Paris), Brun has won the 'Grand Prix de la baguette de Paris' 2017. So, we don't need to try the bread to know it's good but how are do the patisseries fare?
There's a healthy selection of eclairs, tarts and some sponge-like cakes, despite being rather uncommon for France. The pastries are pretty enough, most holding their own little 'Brun' marker. The rhum baba (€3.80) complete with a little pipette added even more juice to its already moist sponge. A classic Paris Brest (€3.80) - elegantly filled with praline cream - had a slightly crunchy eclair body and was light enough that you could scoff one to quickly. Over on the dark side was Lancelot (€4.80), as dark and mysterious as the legend himself. A chocolate fondant base, with a chocolate mousse middle and a whipped cream crown. All these, plus the baguette, merit a little trip to the 13th.
Hurry quick, before everyone cottons on...