This white minimalist café and design store on Ratchapruek Road’s The Bloc isn’t just a cool spot for good coffee and hunting down a Freitag bag; it’s also a great place to get your fill of mini canelés (B50 for two), which come in four flavors: vanilla, strawberry, orange, or coffee.
Back in May, we predicted some food trends that would make it big in 2021, with the hope that Bangkokians would stop overindulging in the same old things. (Croissants, we’re looking at ya!) We still think our list is pretty spot-on, but if there’s one thing we regret, it’s not including the rise of the canelé, those Bordeaux-born confections that toe the line between a creme brulee and a sponge cake. So we’re now giving the French treat the recognition it deserves.
Bangkok is no stranger to canelés. These sweet morsels are sold in many cafés but haven’t been getting due attention, mainly because they’re priced rather high (they can go between B70 to B100 apiece) and come in what seems like an unfulfilling size.
But we understand why these bites have to be pricey. Canelés, after all, are one of the most challenging pastries to make. Ingredients cover everything from flour, to milk and butter, to egg yolks, to rum and vanilla, to cane sugar, but the more demanding bit is how to construct a beautiful pastry. It can take a day or two to come up with the perfect canelé—one with a crispy, rum-infused crust and a sweet, custardy interior.
When it comes to making canelés, these 11 shops know what they’re doing. So go and pay them a visit and show some love to this traditional French pastry.
