La Renaissance
If your a person like me who thinks dessert is the best meal of the day, then you will like this tiny french patisserie.
Reading the reviews of how awesome people have been rating their bakeries.. it inspired me to try this traditional bakery myself. My first impression was smellicious.. As soon as you walk in the bakery the air is filled with fragrant fresh pastry / croissants (croissants have the real flavour and is very buttery) and pies baking away in the oven. When you look to the far back, you can see the bakers creating the delicate mousse cakes and tarts and creating many thin artistic layers of cakes.
AMBIANCE
Cosy casual atmosphere where people are here to have breakfast or an afternoon treat. The bakery is situated in a small old style heritage terrace which gives a homely vibe. Tables can be limited and fairly small.
SERVICE
Been here on numerous occasions and both occasions i’ve arrived around bunch time and the line has been out the door. Waited for about 10minutes till i managed to get one foot through the door and let me tell you.. it was worth the wait! The people working at the bakery had french accents and service was extremely fast.
If your thinking about dining here, I suggest you get your friends to reserve yourself a table outside the court-yard because it could all get packed out and chances are you’ll have no where to sit.
FOOD
All food is baked fresh! If you are planning / requesting a birthday cake, make sure you call up and reserve the cake in advanced as they will be making it fresh.
SAVOURIES
Pies: Traditional French dishes encased in a golden pastry
Beef in Burgundy, Chicken Chasseur, Minced beef, Vegetable Provençale or Beef, Leak & MushroomI had a Beef Burgundy pie which was was very light and the chunky beef very tender that it melts in your mouth. Not one of the best pies but still very home-style and delicious. (I’D GET THIS AGAIN)
Sausage Rolls
Made with minced pork and veal, flavoured with garlic and herbsUnusual style sausage roll which tasted very home made. Pastry was absolutely divine that it melted in your mouth. (I’m addicted to the pastry)
Baguette Sandwiches Crusty French bread filled with:
Rare roast beef & salad, Chicken fillet & salad, Salami & salad, Swiss cheese & salad, Brie & salad, Ham & Swiss cheese, Smoked salmon with capersI’ve had the chicken baguette. Overall I was never a fan of the baguette bread to begin with I couldn’t really comment and compare this to any baguette sandwich i’ve had (i haven’t had a baguette in 10years). All i can say is it was beautiful to eat it after soo many years.
SWEETS
Chocolate Eclair
Is very remarkable! the filling is very different to most standard bakeries to fill them with cream. Inside this eclair is chocolate filling which is very different to most elcairs. (I LOVED IT)
Pistachio Chocolate Pastry (not sure of the name)
I had a tiny taste of this which I thought wasss DEEELICIOUS!! my sister gobbled it down quickly and she highly recommends it. Pastry is brilliant and the chocolate and pistacho make an excellend combination
Chocolate Mousse
Layers of white and dark chocolate mousse, wrapped in folds of milk chocolate
Zulu
Chocolate mousse dome with multi layered sponge
Peanut chocolate tart
Hazelnut chocolate tart with home-made peanut brittle
Amoré
Lite layered mousse with a hint of coffee ^_^
Raspberry Meringue
Fresh cream and strawberries on a crunchy raspberry meringue.Absolutely to die for. Bought this super fresh as they just came out of the bakers kitchen. The cream was beautiful (nothing like good fresh home-made cream) and the strawberries went beautifully with the meringue.
La Renaissance
47 Argyle Street
The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: (02) 9241 4878
Fax: (02) 9241 4811
The photos make the food look sooo good! It’s a shame I don’t go into the city all that often but this certainly looks like a place I should check out when I do.
I presume they sell the baguettes on their own and not just as sandwiches?
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gobsmackked over that raspberry merignue. i like looking at merignue but i don’t enjoy eating it, it’s too sweet. the only thing i have had there was an almond cake coated with icing sugar, which was recommended by rob. it was okay, but too sweet. however rob loves it! we both have different tastes.
i really have to try the baguette. thanks lee
i love baguettes mmmm
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Aww I love La Renaissance too! The courtyard is so nice and it’s great to hear that the savouries and pastries are good too. I usually only stop in for cake
And i LOVE that strawberry macaron!
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i’m feeling strangely like pastry & pie after reading this post (and looking at the photos – yum!)
looks like this place would kick the guylian cafe out the door and onto the street anyday! plus oh peanutbutterandchocolate *drool* my favourite.
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You’ve got to try out the cakes here! They are absolutely amazing, so rich but you have to be careful not to bump them in the box, or they tend to collapse!
Great photos.
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I walk by La Renaissance every day to get to work, so it’s pretty hard to control myself… I often wind up getting in, attracted by their gorgeous pastries (both to the eye AND to the palate) and their yummy coffees. As a matter of fact… there is a really nice French barista guy, always with a smile, who makes the most yummies cappuccinos ever. He uses exactly the same ingredients as everyone else, and yet, his coffees taste heavenly. Personal touch, somehow.
So I love the coffee, the pastries, and the cute French guy. What I don’t love (not by far) is the way I am treated very often by everyone else that works there.
Take the short, older lady in the front. Once she shrieked, ranted, angrily talked to be as if I were a misbehaved child, all because I had bought a croissant to take away, but decided to eat it on the back patio instead. “You’re not supposed to eat these here!” she shrieked. “It’s not on a plate! It’s more expensive on a plate! My boss will be angry! Never do this again!” I just stared at her, not believing it.
After that day, I continued going there (not as often as before, of course… just on weak days), but never when she was working. And still, I felt very uncomfortable, unwelcome, half-expecting someone to yell and me and kick me out. High price to pay for a nice cappuccino.
Today I peeked from the door, older lady wasn’t there, clear! There was a girl I hadn’t seen before. I asked for a baguette. When it was time to pay, she didn’t have change for my $50 bill. (Or just didn’t feel like it.) I didn’t have smaller change, but I had a savings card and a credit card. Nope, she wouldn’t take it – mine didn’t meet the minimum purchase requirements. She simply said goodbye and put my baguette back in the basket. My jaw dropped – it was too unbelievable for comments, so I just stared at her and left. Thinking, why of why do I keep coming to this place and allowing myself to be treated this way.
Now, maybe I’m being totally unreasonable here, but if I have cash and plastic, if I am willing to pay, it’s their problem to find which of the options they prefer and just take it – and if they dislike them all, then damn it, just give me the stupid bread. But don’t send me on my merry way with service denied.
Management, please do pay attention, and do care, about how your employees treat your customers. Train them to be courteous, or hire better ones. Maybe lack of courtesy is acceptable in France , but not here. Is it really worth losing a regular customer because of a $2.50 baguette, or even worse, because of fifty cents of a croissant placed in a bag versus a plate? Do the math.
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