Hugo & Victor Patisserie and Chocolaterie, Paris

Hugo & Victor, a wonderful boutique on the busy Boulevard Raspail, has consistently been in my top five pastry/chocolate places in Paris. They treat their pastries like Tiffany cares for their most prized diamonds; protected in a glass display case on a wall.

Hugues Poquet, formerly the pastry chef at the renowned and three-Michelin-starred Guy Savoy, opened Hugo & Victor in 2010. I have written about quite a few Parisian patisseries, so what is so special about this boutique? Well, for once, they make an effort to use 1/3 less sugar than other patisseries, they grow some of the produce used in their pastries and chocolates, and they only use natural ingredients in their chocolates. The resulting product is not only gorgeous but also delicious, a fine balance which is quite difficult to accomplish. Without naming names, I have been to shops in Paris where the pastries were very beautiful but the taste was beyond subpar. One gorgeous pastry comes to mind; it was so stunning I took it to the Rodin Museum to photograph it properly. After the photos were done, I sat down on the bench among the beautiful flowers in the garden; I bit into the pastry and spat it out immediately. It tasted like rose flavored play dough, plastelina for the Europeans. At Hugo & Victor I can confidently bite into each and every one of their creations; I know that the taste will be exquisite.

It's really amazing how the conservative use of sugar allows for the pure and at times delicate essence of fruit and other ingredients to come alive.

Refinement and elegance are two words I would use to describe the stunning pastries at H&V. The pastry shell in both photos is sheer perfection, the filling is rich and creamy and the fruit immaculate and flavorful.

The three core flavors at Hugo & Victor are: chocolate, vanilla and caramel, with additional seasonal flavors completing their repertoire.

Their chocolates are sold in notebook-type boxes - a nod to the literary inspired name. The boxes are usually black, but come in different colors for special occasions like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day. Their chocolate spheres are outstanding and come filled with caramel or seasonal fruit purees.

One of my favorite things at Hugo & Victor are their financiers, they are made with seasonal ingredients like fruits, nuts, or caramel. The strawberry or raspberry financiers are simply to die for and I usually buy a few right before heading back to the airport.