Snaffle's Paris: the tea room with tasty French-Japanese pastries

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Published by Caroline de Sortiraparis · Photos by Caroline de Sortiraparis · Published on December 6th, 2022 at 05:00 p.m.
Notice to food lovers who love Japanese flavors! The 12th arrondissement of the capital welcomes Snaffle's Paris, the first store of its kind in Europe. What's on the menu of this tea room? Franco-Japanese pastries that offer us a delicious trip to the land of the rising sun.

Every year, millions of visitors come to Japan to experience a timeless journey to discover a country where gastronomy overwhelms all our senses. Among the main specialties, there are of course ramen, takoyaki and onigiri. On the sweet side, the gourmands are not left out with dorayaki, mochis without forgetting the famous Japanese puffed cheesecake! It is precisely this specialty that Snaffle's Paris is showcasing in its very first store in Europe.

For the record, Snaffle's is a Japanese family business, established in Hakodate, on the island of Hokkaido in Japan, since 1998. After opening stores in Sapporo and Tokyo, and then in Bangkok, the group has decided to open its very first tea room on the Old Continent in April 2022. And so it is in Paris, more exactly in the 12th district, that Snaffle's has chosen to titillate the taste buds of gourmets. At its head, we find Katia, whose older brother (former chef of the Café de la Paix in Paris), works for the Snaffle's company in Japan.

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Nestled between Bastille and Gare de Lyon, the Snaffle's Paris tea room has a small surface area with no more than a dozen seats available inside. When the weather allows it, Katia sets up a few extra tables on the terrace. But the most important thing is the window of this charming tea room, as attractive as it is colorful and visible from the outside.

On the menu? Tasty French-Japanese pastries, including the inevitable cheese soufflé. Produced by the company at 40,000 copies per day in Japan, this small cheesecake soufflé is THE signature of the house. As light as a cloud, both soft and creamy, this famous cheesecake can be enjoyed at any time of the day for an ultra gourmet break. For the moment, three flavors are available in the Parisian store: the plain cheese soufflé, the matcha one and the strawberry one.

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Another specialty of Snaffle's Paris to discover? The Itchigo shortcake. This famous cake, very popular in the land of the rising sun, is composed of layers of " sponge cake " delicately filled with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. The result? We fall for this very light and greedy dessert that can be eaten in a few bites.

Proof of its success, Snaffle's Paris offers two other flavors of shortcakes, with on one side the chocolate one, and on the other the chocolate and raspberry one (an exclusivity of the Parisian store).

For the rest, we can't resist the temptation of the sesame puff, a delicious puff containing a smooth and generous black sesame cream. Discover also the banana praline cabbage, the opera revisited with matcha, the coffee cheese tart or the surprising chiboust tartlet containing a camembert cream and a raspberry confit. And don't forget the thousand crêpes (strawberry, matcha or speculoos). Pastries made on the spot the same morning by Katia's little brother.

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In the shop window, we also find dry cakes, like the famous coconut, chocolate or melon meringues, directly from Japan. Many other products and ingredients come directly from the land of the rising sun, like matcha, but also Japanese teas. Teas that go perfectly with the pastries offered on the menu. For the rest, the shop also offers a nice selection of cold and hot drinks, including the inevitable and delicious matcha latte. For a perfect match, don't hesitate to ask Katia's advice, she will be able to guide you.

And if you fall in love with one of the individual pastries on display, you can order a larger cake directly from the store, to be shared with others.

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With the arrival of Snaffle's in Paris in the 12th arrondissement, the Japanese family business hopes to seduce and conquer the taste buds of Parisians, lovers of Japanese flavors, but also tourists passing through or Japanese living in the capital, looking for their childhood memories. Snaffle's Paris has succeeded in its mission and will surprise us in the coming months with new pastries and new flavors!

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please mention it in the comments.

Practical information

Location

20 Avenue Ledru Rollin
75012 Paris 12

Prices
Pâtisserie: €2.2 - €6.2

Official website
www.snaffles.jp

More information
Open Monday to Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays

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