Baking Bread, the 'Paul' way

MFK Fisher famously said, "The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight."and he couldn't be more right.Since time immemorial, bread has been the staple food in many countries worldwide and in many cases the word 'bread' is actually a synonym for food per se. 

Welcome to Paul

Bread that looks fabulous, smells delicious and tastes superb!

The complimentary bread basket, butter and olive paste

Paul at the MGM Mall in Muscat

Having had a delightful working lunch at Paul in Champs Elysees, Paris this June and having enjoyed every moment as well as every bite of what we ate there, we decided to check out the recently opened Paul at the MGM Mall in Muscat . So glad we did for it has become the benchmark for what good food, service and a sense of 'joie de vivre' is really all about. From seating customers to bringing out the delightful and complimentary bread baskets along with the little bowls of unsalted butter and olive paste to taking the order and detailing what each dish is, the staff really do know how to meet and sometimes even exceed customer expectations!

That lunch over, I decided to learn more about what really makes this very popular restaurant tick as well as watch and learn how bread, pastry and cuisine are created and managed here. Exactly two days later, thanks to the very responsive and helpful marketing and operations staff, I had the opportunity to spend two mornings here. 

Did I learn something in these two mornings? I'd say, I probably learnt  more than one could normally learn in a whole week! The experiences were so many and varied, that I will probably have to write at least 4 blog posts , which will be interspersed with some others as I go along. 

Bread is the warmest, kindest of all words. Write it always with a capital letter, like your own name."(Cafe Sign)

This one is on bread, so lets begin...

 At Paul the philosophy is very simple-excellent bread depends on excellent methods and time honored methods of production.At Paul, a key value is a 'Passion for bread'. As they tell it. "Water, flour or yeast, a little sea salt, a some savoir faire, a lot of patience- our principles are timeless.Our commitment is an every day commitment, offering you a wide range of fresh quality bread." 

So  to give you that superb bread that is uniquely Paul, Chef Ibrahim Mohammed Ahmed and his assistant start work as early as 3 am . In a temperature controlled environment of abt 23 deg C, the first lot of dough is prepared early on and work begins for the day.

The baking is done in stages and there is a period of 'resting' each loaf before the next stage. I was given to understand that each loaf that comes out to the table has been in production for a period of 6-7 hours. Now if that is not asking for perfection, nothing else is!

Chef Ibrahim Mohammed Ahmed and his asst.

His assistant prepares the dough

Lovely golden brown loaves 

The aroma in that bakery was just something else and that was when a thought popped into my head- what if someone tried to pop this in a bottle? In today's world, I'm fairly sure that this 'perfume would have customers lining up for it!

Oh, that aroma

See that colour? he asks me

Now see this next lot?

That bread goes with the salads and soups

Yes, Chef Ibrahim is happy...

It had been a very interesting session and I was totally charged, I could have gone on and on, which is exactly what I did- Heading to the Pastry section where Chef Mohammed Kessrwani gave me a very special demo of a Vanilla Millelefois, followed by the strawberry version.

But that is another whole story for yet another day... 

Crepes in the Latin Quarter, St Michel Paris- Simple, quick and oh so delicious...

Entering the busy market, The Latin Quarter, Paris

The Berry version -sinfully decadent 

One late evening this June, having visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, we found ourselves in the exciting and very vibrant Latin Quarter or the 'Quartier Latin' in Paris.

That was when I spotted this little shop

The name itself evokes images of bohemian Paris at its height.In spite of the loss of its former identity, the many little streets surrounding what was the Left Banks true student and intellectual center continues to attract tourists and Parisians who hope to discover or possibly even resurrect a little of that eclectic sense of change that we read of in Camus, or Sartre.

The Latin Quarter is bisected by the Boulevard St. Germain and the Boulevard St. Michel. These are the two main arteries running through the area, with the hundreds of crooked streets leading off them. The tree lined Place St. André des Arts, which was a gathering place for many French artists, is still ringed with bistros and restaurants. 

It was in exactly one such street that we came upon this little crepe shop and I just stopped, completely fascinated by the obvious popularity of the place as well as the speed and efficiency of the crepe maker.


A crêpe or crepe is a type of very thin pancake, usually made from wheat flour (crêpes de Froment) or buckwheat flour (galettes). The word is of French origin, deriving from the Latin crispa, meaning "curled". While crêpes are often associated with Brittany, a region in the northwest of France, their consumption is widespread all over the world.. Crêpes are served with a variety of fillings, from the most simple with only sugar to flambeed crepes Suzette  or elaborate savoury versions with a range of vegetarian as well as non vegetarian fillings .

The busy crepe maker was just starting one 

He was  swift and very efficient

Ensuring that it is golden brown and crisp

Hmm, looks just about right!

The crepe maker was just starting one of the crepes and the number of people waiting for their turn was quite substantial. You see,  crepes are really an 'anytime snack' which is one of the reasons for their popularity. Add to it, the range of sweet and savory flavors as well as the fairly economical pricing and what you have is a clear winner!




He put the batter onto the hot plate and ensured that the colour was 'just so'- The end result, a crisp, delicious and golden brown crepe.  











That of course, is the secret of street food like this- it has to be something that everyone can tuck into- and walk way feeling as if it was the best meal on earth, at that moment in time!





















The only little problem as far as we were concerned was that we had already had our dinner,  a large one at that, so there was really no scope to actually eat this delicious concoction. 

OK folks- its ready now

Walking out having had a delightful experience

But then of course, there is always a next time and that's well worth waiting for....

An early morning walk, Baguette making and a lovely breakfast in Paris

Jacques dividing the dough and getting ready to pop the baguettes in the oven

The lovely little Patissier in Volontaires, Paris

The Tempting array

Checking that all is set and ready to roll

The Baguette making machine

 It all began with the phone clock not being adjusted to the new  time zone..

And turned into a delightfully memorable early morning walk in Paris.

On our first morning in Paris I had set the alarm for 630 am as we were planning a day trip to Versailles.As it happened, the alarm rang and call it years of discipline,  I promptly woke up, had my tea and a quick shower. Something looked a little different- was a it just a shade too dark outside? The curtains were drawn and I didn't really want to open them for fear of waking the family.

About fifteen minutes later, Avi appeared- all dressed and ready but with a pained look on his face.Then he said-"Do you realise? Its only 5 am!"

And that was when I understood- what I'd thought was an alarm for 0630 hours was actually set for 0430! Well that was that and not wanting to disturb Neha,  we stepped out for  a very early morning walk.

Everything looked different, the streets were empty and every now and then a few people passed us- those returning from the night shift and work and a couple looked at us in surprise- wasn't 0530 a little too early for a walk? 

Being familiar with the area from our last visit, we knew that we would pass Pasteur, with its  famous Lois Pasteur Institute and this would be followed by Volontaires about two kms later.The sun was rising and there was a beautiful nip in the air, one which made me wrap my jacket a little more snugly around myself.

Three kms later, we were thirsty, but I'd honestly say, a little more hungry. And that was also when we saw it- the sweetest little Patissier that looked so very welcoming.

A cheerful looking lady welcomed us and asked us what we would like for breakfast. We chose the Continental one with a chocolate croissant for me and the cheese version for Avi and paid up. Looking through the glass window and smelling the delicious aroma of freshly baking bread all around, I simply asked her if I could step into the kitchen where the baguettes were bring made.To my delight, she agreed, and there I was, right where Jacques was getting ready to make the next batch of baguettes.

Look through the sequence of photographs that I've posted and its really self explanatory. With something as simple as this machine, Jacques turns out anything between 300-800 baguettes a day (depending of course on the demand.) 

Golden brown and smelling  delicious!

Yes, one batch is ready

Ready for customers coming in during the day

All that watching made us hungry- So here's a well deserved French Breakfast!

Must confess, all that walking and then clicking the pics almost had me drooling and this is what  we settled down to - a simple, delicious, very early morning breakfast on our first morning in Paris...