In February 2016, the winner of the Coupe du Monde de Boulangerie — the world’s premier baking competition — was made known, and when the name was called out, France was shattered.
Much to the chagrin of the country and its proud boulangers, it was now official: the best baguettes in the world (at least at that particular point in time) were made not by French boulangers, but by — mon Dieu! — Koreans.
The Coup de Monde de la Boulangerie is an international artisan bread baking competition held every three years in Paris — the world’s only competition where the best bakers from various countries practicing the craft of artisan baking compete against each other.
The French may have been reduced to teeth-gnashing when the winner was announced by the competition’s judges in 2016, but for Koreans, particularly Hur Young-in of SPC Group, the South Korean multinational chain of bakery cafes that owns Paris Baguette (PB), it was a triumphantly historic milestone victory, an affirmation that Korea — and Paris Baguette specifically — is the best in the world in terms of baking that most essential of French staples, the baguette.
Sacrosanct
There is very little more symbolically sacrosanct to the French than bread in general, and the baguette, in particular. Like wine, fromage, escargots, garlic and the beret, the baguette serves as an emblem of the country, its people, and the “terroir,” the notion of land and its produce.
It was sweet affirmation, indeed, for PB, whose modest origins go back to a small bakery in, of all places, North Korea.
France, reputed to have the most advanced culinary culture in the world was a market where few outside restaurant chains dared to venture into.
But Hur Young-in, who founded PB in 1988, had grown the bakery chain so well that by 2014, with over 3,000 boulangerie à la française outlets in South Korea, and bakeries in America, Singapore, Vietnam and China, he had enough gumption to open his initial PB outlet in the heart of the French capital, at Central 1st arrondissement near the Seine, with an all-French kitchen and service crew.
Going global
PB, in fact, had already gone global long before it made its foray into France. In 2004, it was the first Korean bakery to go international, opening its first overseas store in Shanghai. A year after that, it entered the US market, opening its first outlet in Los Angeles’ Koreatown before subsequently expanding to San Francisco, New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia.
In 2012, PB opened its first Southeast Asian outlets in Vietnam and in Singapore; by the end of 2015, it had opened some 200 outlets overseas.
And now, it is in the Philippines, specifically choosing to locate its first bakery cafe in the country at SM’s iconic Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
At the recent opening of the renowned French-inspired bakery cafe chain were South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-Hwa; SPC Group president and chief executive officer Hu Jin-soo; Beryaya Paris Baguette Philippines chairman Dato’ Sydney Quays; Berjaya Paris Baguette Philippines vice chairman Frederick Sy; Paris Baguette Southeast Asia CEO Hana Lee; and SM Supermalls president Steven Tan.
Guests at the opening witnessed the unveiling of PB Philippines’ exclusive ube series and feasted on the globally renowned bakery cafe’s sumptuous repertoire of food offerings including its signature pound cakes; madeleines; tiramisu; tarts; a selection of blueberry and fresh yoghurt cream, dark choco pistachio, triple chocolate, soft strawberry cheese, and mango yuzu cakes; Korean milk cream ensaymadas; gourmet sandwiches; salads, pastries including its version of Kouign Amann, the terribly decadent Breton butter cake that is as good as anything that a pastry maker in Brittany can make; specialty bread; flaky buttery croissants; and of course, the iconic award-winning PB baguette.
Patrons dining at the sizeable bakery café located at SM MOA’s Level 1 would be thrilled to know that the baguette they’re having is the very same that knocked out France and its boulangers when it was adjudged the world’s best at the Coupe du Monde de Boulangerie eight years ago.
Iconic baguette
Have a piece of that freshly baked iconic crusty baguette with an extremely toothsome creamy mushroom soup in a bread bowl; pair with smoked salmon or Caesar chicken salad, then finish with a delicious mango yuzu, dark choco pistachio mousse or yoghurt cream cake and a cup of the house’s signature rich dark brewed java from ground Adagio coffee beans for a sumptuous meal certain to keep patrons coming back for more.
Of late, the bakery cafe has added an exquisitely toothsome bulgogi cream pasta and such all-day breakfast dishes as butter-lathered croissants accompanied by imported sausage and bacon with a side of greens and fluffy scrambled eggs, smoked salmon on open toast and oven-baked chicken to its delectable menu.
Soon, Quezon City and Las Piñas residents and in other areas north and south of Manila wanting to have a taste of what’s on offer by PB wouldn’t need to go all the way to Pasay City when the French-inspired bakery cafe opens its outlet in SM North and SM Southmall.
But until then, they’ll have to negotiate traffic through EDSA to get to SM MOA, but believe it when we say that the deliciousness of the culinary treats waiting for them is going to make it all so worth the length of time and traffic hassle to get there.
(Essential facts: Paris Baguette is located on the ground floor facing Ocean Drive, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. Open the whole week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.)
