It’s less then 1 week to Christmas and it is starting to feel a lot more like the best season in a year. For those who are clearing their annual leave to run errands or simply just to take in the Christmas spirit, take some time to rest your feet at Paul and enjoy some traditional French pastries and desserts.
Almost all of Paul’s cafés are styled similarly in a modern European chic manner with black furnishings and dark but polished interiors.
The outlet at Westgate has sufficient seating for 20 – 30 person with the interior looking like a French library complete with a wall mural of books and paintings.
There is always an open pastry counter for showcasing their freshly baked pastries and cakes. There are many customers who choose to buy their pastries and cakes in takeaway boxes.
They have the usual selection of tea mostly by tea bag and served by pot for SGD 6.50. The pot is also of a good size to last you for at least 1 hour.
The iced chocolate is thick but not overly sweet. Instead, you can taste the slightly cocoa bitterness coming through with the drink with very smooth and creamy milk. For SGD 7.90, this chocolate drink is quite the real deal.
This is a famous pastry in France called the Palmier. Palmier is made from puff pastry which is made with alternating layers of dough and butter, rolled and folded over to create possibly hundreds of flaky layers. The result of this method is a buttery and melt in your mouth thin layer of pastry you get with each bite. The version at Paul is glazed with sugar so you get a sweet and buttery pastry. The Palmier is best eaten when it is fresh out of the oven as the layers are soft and crunchy. Some Palmier does get a bit hard and tough when left out for too long although I have tried some cold Palmier from other outlet of Paul and it is equally crispy. Each piece is about SGD 4.
Red juicy strawberries in light fresh cream just reminds you of snow on a Christmas day and this next dessert generally just brings happiness. Encased in a Choux pastry which is a light pastry dough, the eclair is filled with fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries. The acidity of the strawberries helped to balance out the cream and the entire pastry is very light and palatable. Sold at SGD 6.90 each, this is a perfect tea break item.
For those looking for simpler options, you have the usual chocolate croissant pastry which is very basic but still very satisfying.
Overall, the pastries at Paul do match the standards expected of a French bakery and the atmosphere is perfect for a rest stop during your non stop Christmas shopping or even just as a cafe to chill during your day off.
Address: 3 Gateway Dr, #01-05, Singapore 608532
Operating hours: 10 am to 9.30 pm
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