Pâtisserie Nèulo, the temple of flan by Pierre-Jean Quinonero

Any flan lovers out there? We'd like to take you on a tour of Nèulo, the pastry shop, grocery store and tea room that honors the flan. Just a stone's throw from the Centre Pompidou, on rue de la Bretonnerie in Paris's 4th arrondissement, we're off to discover this temple of gourmet delights.

Opened in March 2023, the place, which means "waffle" in Provençal, was originally intended to feature both sweet and savory versions of this specialty. While the savory version no longer exists, the sweet waffles are still available. They are available with jam, caramel, homemade spread or Ardèche chestnut cream.

After the resounding success of their flan galette des rois last January, which had the whole of Paris in a frenzy, and ever-increasing customer demand, the store decided to change tack and now offers a whole range of flans of all kinds.

From the essential marble flan to the decadent hazelnut praline flan, not forgetting the lemon meringue tart-style flan, the timeless vanilla flan, the addictive chocolate flan or even the ephemera like this new pistachio flan, the hardest thing in the end is to make a choice. But do we really have to choose? Not necessarily...

The flan is a big hit with Pierre-Jean Quinonero, who, remember, used to treat us at the Burgundy before moving on to the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat where he now works. So, palace flan in affordable mode, we're on board! Every month, the chef comes to Paris to review the menu and recipes with Thomas as Executive Pâtissier. Recipes that he refines in Cap-Ferrat and then with the staff before arriving in the boutique.

What makes it special? A 3-stage baking process. The pastry, with its flaky texture, is pre-cooked in 2 stages, then the custard is baked, slightly undercooked to give it that characteristic creaminess. The house uses fresh produce from the farm, and all the flans are produced the day before for the next day (to allow the flan to set) to guarantee real freshness.

In short, we've tried it and we love it. A slightly dense, flaky pastry that adds an extra touch to the whole, delicious pralines, a flan with an ultra-melting, low-sugar texture, there's enough to have a good time. Our favorites are the new pistachio marbled version, the Madagascar vanilla, because we're purists too, and the marbled version, which is sure to seduce.

Nèulo also offers a quiche-like savory flan for those who want to eat on the go. In addition to the flans, there's also a selection of cookies, including the indestructible pistachio cookie and the brookie, a marriage between cookie and brownie.

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In the summertime, ice creams make their appearance! Handcrafted in Provence by a master ice-cream maker, they contain an average of 70% fresh fruit. Suffice it to say, the taste is there. From hazelnut to chocolate, strawberry to lemon, you'll love it.

On the right, as you enter the boutique, you'll discover a shelf of Provencal products. We also offer home-made products such as jams and spreads, as well as hand-crafted tableware.

At the far end of the boutique, a long coffee-shop area is revealed. Initially intended as a coworking space, we end up with benches and alcoves where we can relax with our treats, which can be accompanied by a fine range of coffees (from L'Arbre à Café), lattés, chais, freshly squeezed juices and even affogatos.

Expect to pay between 6€ and 7.50€ for a slice of flan, and between 24€ and 30€ for a whole flan. Cookies are between 4€ and 5€, and ice cream goes from 5€ a scoop to 8€ for 3 scoops.

Note that the store can sometimes be a victim of its own success, especially at weekends. So the best thing to do is to get there early (note that Nèulo is open Tuesday to Sunday from 1pm to 7pm), or reserve your blanks online via click and collect, so there are no unpleasant surprises once you're there.

So why not try out the different flan recipes?