A guide to the viennoiserie: what to order on a first visit
Nine items come out of the same laminated dough. A short guide to choosing between croissant, chocolate pastry, Suculentos, Riviera and the rest of the counter.
People arriving for the first time tend to stand in front of the display for a while. It is understandable: much of what is there comes out of the same laminated dough, and the differences lie in the filling, the shape and the finish. This guide is meant to settle that in a minute.
The base of everything
The buttered laminated dough is the same across the items below. It is rolled into fine layers alternating with butter and baked until the surface caramelises. That is why the whole range shares the same crack and the same lightness.
If you want to test the house
Traditional croissant. No filling, no topping. It is the item that reveals the method, and the first thing to order when judging a boulangerie. Nineteen reais and eighty.
If you want the most ordered
Chocolate and almond pastry. Rolled dough, filled with almond cream and chocolate, topped with selected flaked almonds. It is the item that shows up most often on the tables and the one the brand leads with. Twenty-four reais and eighty.
A simpler version of the same idea is the chocolate pastry, with the chocolate filling alone, and the almond croissant, which swaps the chocolate for plain almond cream.
If you want something Brazilian
Romeu e Julieta pastry. Guava paste with Canastra minas cheese inside French laminated dough. It is the most direct expression of what this house does, which is French technique with Brazilian ingredients.
If you want a proper dessert
Suculentos. Caramelised puff pastry, single portion, filled with banana and chocolate, coconut and chocolate, lemon, apple or passion fruit. The name is literal. It is served warm and it is the most distinctive sweet in the house.
Crocantes. Caramelised puff pastry topped with pistachio, or with hazelnut and chocolate. Drier and crisper than the Suculentos, and good to take away.
Coração de creme. Made with croissant dough and vanilla cream. The lightest of the sweets.
If you want savoury
Riviera. An open tartlet with goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, rosemary, black olives and pesto. Served warm. It is the most substantial savoury item on the counter and makes a light lunch.
Quiche. The same croissant dough with cream, eggs and cheese. In emmental, ham or leek.
Peteca. Laminated dough filled with bragantina sausage, three cheeses, or mushrooms with cream cheese.
If you are taking it home
Viennoiserie keeps well for a day out of the fridge, in a paper bag. To serve it the next day, three minutes at a hundred and eighty degrees brings the crispness back. Cream-filled items, such as the Coração de creme and the tartlets, are best eaten the same day.
If you are taking bread, the P72 lasts longest. Seventy-two hours of fermentation keep the crust firm and the crumb soft for several days.
Where to find it
The full viennoiserie range is available at all five São Paulo locations. The República store also serves breakfast, brunch and mains. The kiosks at Paulista, MorumbiShopping, Anália Franco and Center Norte serve the complete display of viennoiserie, breads, sweets and drinks.
