City Breaks

An Ispahan Guide

If you’ve been reading this little blog for any time at all you’ll know about my utter obsession with Ispahan, an ingenious flavour combination of rose, raspberry and litchi. I was initially drawn to this patisserie due to its beautiful exterior, I remember thinking to myself that a patisserie that attractive surely had to taste as good as it looked. Indeed it was exquisite, ever since that first mouthful a long love affair began to blossom. With this in mind I decided to dedicate a whole post to Ispahan and share a few of these delights with you all.

Pierre Hermé created this trio of delightful flavours when he was first working at Ladurée. However as the years went on, Pierre Herme opened up his own pastry shop and later created a whole range of Ispahan delights but the traditional patisserie still remains an emblem of his brand.

Ispahan Pierre Herme-2.jpg

I’ve raved about his Ispahan croissant a lot before but I’ll say it again, it is the best croissant in Paris and an absolute weakness for any viennoiserie lover.

Ispahan Pierre Herme-5.jpg

A couple of my other favourites inside his boutique are the Ispahan macarons and the Miss Gla’gla ice cream, unfortunately neither can be found in his boutique all year round as both are seasonal which makes it obligatory to snatch them up when you spot them.

Laduree Champs Elysees-4.jpg
Ispahan Pierre Herme-1.jpg

From time to time you’ll spot something Ispahan flavoured in an expected place, when this ever happens to me I get so excited to have found other brands offering this combination. Not long ago I was wondering along Rue Cler and discovered the little glacier Martine Lambert which offer a refreshing Ispahan sorbet.

Martine Lambert Ispahan.jpg

Of course the founding pastry shop which homed the creation deserves a little mention even if it isn’t the best example of the Ispahan patisserie in Paris it definitely is among the prettiest.

Laduree Champs Elysees-11.jpg

Most patisseries in Paris now offer their own version of the Ispahan and some among them are absolutely divine, some even argue that they’re better than the one found at Pierre Hermé. Among the best are the Symphonie from Sadaharu Aoki, a Japanese take on the traditional Ispahan with violet and earl grey notes running through it, and the Marie-Antoinette from Carl Marletti.

Sadaharu Aoki tea room-12.jpg

Late last year I decided to host a little Ispahan brunch as Pierre Hermé released a limited edition range of Ispahan pastries incorporating everything from the millefeuille to the rum baba all of which were heavenly. Here’s to hoping that all of these pastries become regular features in his boutique.

Ispahan brunch

If you know of any other Ispahan delights in Paris I would truly love to know

Comments

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Rachel says:

August 3, 2014 at 10:31 pm

What a wonderful post, love the beautiful pink and red colours, so lovely!

Love, Rachel

http://www.herheadintheclouds.com

Farfelue says:

August 5, 2014 at 11:50 pm

Thank you so much that means a lot to me

Megan // Oh Hey Blog says:

August 4, 2014 at 1:10 am

I am yet to try… however am moving to Paris in 4 weeks so cannot wait to get my greedy little hands on this. Sounds a treat !!

http://www.ohheyblog.com

Farfelue says:

August 5, 2014 at 11:50 pm

Oh it will not disappoint I promise!

Jessica M says:

August 5, 2014 at 9:21 am

Beautiful photos as always! This must have been SO difficult for you to have to put together every single Isaphan flavored item available in Paris, if only I was there to help you get rid of the evidence once all the photo shoots were done ;) I so miss the Pierre Herme flavor — they are trying to do it here in the USA but it’s not the same.

Farfelue says:

August 5, 2014 at 11:49 pm

Ahh thank you so much Jessica! Oh me too, it actually was quite the task ;) I’m convinced that there must be so many other Ispahan treats out there – I’m still on the hunt for an Ispahan chocolate! Apparently there’s an Ispahan cocktail at Buddha bar as well! Oh wow that sounds cool nonetheless