Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Bouchon Bakery

To complete our trip in Las Vegas, we made sure to grab some last minute goodies from Bouchon Bakery before boarding our flight. Bouchon Bakery is a bakery opened by the famous Chef Thomas Keller, an American chef who is widely known for opening The French Laundry. After having come home, I did some further research on Keller and a couple things stood out to me that I thought would be neat to share. The first is this interesting fact: the first Bouchon Bakery was opened within walking distance of The French Laundry, with the original purpose to provide Keller's restaurants with his own homemade unique breads.



The second item I'd like to share is a tidbit of Keller's philosophy "A great meal is not one that just fills you up. A great meal is a journey that returns you to sources of pleasure you have may have forgotten and takes you to places you haven't been before." I really cannot agree more. Of course, having a full belly is satisfying, but a meal isn't just merely the act of filling up one's belly but also comes with it many other layers of fulfillment. Whether it is to be in a new restaurant with a special ambiance, thus allowing you to experience that foreign and new sensation that is often missed, or to be able to taste a familiar dish that you'd never thought you'd be able to find again, or even the simple pleasure of sharing a special moment with a close friend.


Enough about Thomas Keller and onto Bouchon Bakery! (If you wish to learn more about Keller and his achievements, you can do so at www.thomaskeller.com)




Bouchon Bakery is a tiny bakery tucked away on the side walls outside the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. When we arrived, there was a macaroon shortage, but before we had time to freak out, we were informed that there was a second Bouchon Bakery opened one floor below. Phew!




Having heard my friend rave about Bouchon Bakery's hot chocolate, I knew I had to order one (despite feeling quite full). And was I glad I did!


Their hot chocolate uses organic chocolate. I have no picture of the mentioned hot chocolate, but the hot chocolate was perfect in terms of temperature and sweetness. It was smooth and rich, but was not overly sweet, just the right amount!

As we were about to leave, we noticed a small take out window. How neat!

I also picked up some macaroons to bring home with me. L-R: Vanilla, Coffee, Salted Caramel, Chocolate and Pistachio x2. I originally thought pistachio would've been my favourite, but I was surprisingly wrong. The pistachio macaroon was not was flavourful as I had imagined it to be, and in the end the Salted Caramel and Vanilla ended up being the ones I liked the most. The macaroons were made very well, and endured what must have been the rockiest trip back home (travelling 1000+ km in the hand carry of a very clumsy person). Typically not a fan of the fake vanilla taste, the vanilla macaroon had a nice subtle sweet taste to it while the salted caramel had me wanting more.

The largest macaroon I've ever seen


Proportional picture reference


Top Picks: Hot Chocolate, Vanilla Macaroon and Salted Caramel Macaroon

Bouchon Bakery on Urbanspoon

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