Du Pain et Des Idées

Even in Paris, arguably the bakery capital of the world, Christophe Vasseur's operation stands out. Having taken over a century-old business and raised it to the very top of the City of Light's bakery rankings – Du Pain et Des Idées took home the Gault-Millau prize for Best Bakery in Paris after only six years in the biz – the pastry wizard conjures up heavenly pain des amies, tartines and mini-pavés (small breads stuffed with combinations like bacon-mimolette or apple-feta with honey chestnuts). Having set up his first permanent Japan outpost in Aoyama early in October 2016, Vasseur wows the Tokyo carb crowd with a pastry lineup virtually identical to that found at his Paris shop, while also rolling out Tokyo originals like mini-pavés with miso-negi and sardine tsukudani. Can Du Pain et Des Idées Aoyama live up to the sky-high standard expected of the name? We sure hope so.