BITE SIZED BLURBS: ELEANOR & LAURENT

Our Bite-Sized Blurbs are our honest opinions about a local restaurant, bakery or café that aren’t part of a larger Gracilianca series! Bon appétit!

The focus of this bite-sized blurb is Eleanor & Laurent, a beautiful boulangerie and patisserie (aka bakery and pastry shop), and café located in Garneau!

Location: 10926 - 88 Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 0Z1

Items on the menu: Entries that will be covered in our review are:

• ÉCLAIR AU THÉ EARL GREY (EARL GREY TEA ECLAIR )

  • Filled with an Earl Grey tea infused crème patissiere, and topped with earl grey tea crème legere and cassis compote.

• LE MARAIS (CHOCOLATE PECAN & WHISKEY TART)

  • Dark chocolate and roasted pecans baked in a chocolate pate sucree shell. Topped with salted caramel and whiskey dark chocolate Chantilly.

• CROISSANT AU BEURRE (BUTTER CROISSANT)

  • Classic flaky croissant. Rolled and folded with New Zealand butter, creating a dough with dozens of layers, and a creamy open interior when baked.

• CROISSANT PROVENÇAL (ROASTED VEGETABLE GOAT CHEESE CROISSANT)

  • Roasted vegetables sit atop a pesto goat cheese stuffed croissant. Sprinkled with parmesan cheese before baking crisp.

• MOCHA CARAMEL CRUFFIN

  • Buttery croissant rolled in sugar and filled with mocha crème pâtissière (custard) and salted caramel ganache, dipped in dark chocolate.

• MACARONS

  • Gluten free. Pistachio, Chocolate Hazelnut, Rose Raspberry, Lemon, Coconut, and Passionfruit. (Note: they also have Chai!)

Tell me more: Inspired by the Parisian café and bistro experience, and named after the founders of the Garneau neighborhood, Eleanor & Laurent is an exquisite addition to Edmonton’s culinary scene. Helmed by Abel Shiferaw, this eatery boasts delicious baked goods, sandwiches, cheeses, charcuterie and even rotisserie chickens (a Parisian staple)! Abel arrived in Canada as an immigrant from Eritrea and began working at the Highlevel Diner to start off his culinary adventures. He would eventually become part-owner of this Edmonton institution before stepping out and purchasing the neighboring hotspot Sugarbowl, while also co-founding Savoy on Whyte Avenue along the way.

Eleanor & Laurent is one of Abel’s newest ventures, which is focused on bringing the bakery, a staple in European neighborhoods, to the heart of Edmonton. He also owns La Petite Iza, a French bistro with a rooftop patio that sits above Eleanor & Laurent (named after his daughter’s nickname, “the little one”) and Kaffa Roastery & Studio, a coffee roaster and bar. At the time of writing this review, Eleanor & Laurent’s hours are Wednesday to Sunday, from 8AM to 8PM. If you’re looking for something specific, orders can be placed over the phone or online (online orders should be placed from 8:30AM to 7PM).

So, how was it? Since discovering Eleanor & Laurent, we’ve gotten tasty treats from there several times! We first stopped by in person back in November, and have since been back at least twice more, having placed orders over the phone when we were on the hunt for some specific desserts to treat our families, coworkers, and ourselves! Although parking is somewhat of a pain in the area, we’ve always been thoroughly impressed with their customer service (not to mention the food itself)!

For our rankings, we will be looking at a few categories, taste, presentation, and value!

TASTE:

C: The first item I tried was the Earl Grey eclair… and it was AMAZING! I really enjoyed my first bite (and every bite after that!). Fresh, light, and delicious! I absolutely loved the delicate blend of flavours. The Earl Grey flavour was there but not overpowering. 4.75/5. Would get again! (and I have gotten it again, since!)

I also had the Le Marais, which is the chocolate pecan and whiskey tart! I would give this a 4/5. You can definitely taste the alcohol content in this - so if you aren’t an alcoholic like me, then this might not be the dessert for you. Just kidding… I’m not (always) an alcoholic. Occasional drink here and there, ya know ;) I thought this was a great dessert, but it is VERY rich and indulgent - so if that’s not up your alley, then again, I would recommend something else.

Last but not least, I had the butter croissant! This was a very simple and classic croissant, but very delicious all the same. The best croissants are the flaky ones, and this one lived up to my expectations! 4.5/5 for me!

G: The first item I tried was the “Croissant Provencal” (i.e. the roasted vegetable and goat cheese croissant) - and this was honestly one of the best croissants I’ve ever had! I’m typically not a huge goat cheese fan, but this was a savoury delight - striking just the right balance between the roasted veg and cheesy goodness, surrounded by flaky pastry. Protip: heat this up in the microwave before you eat it to melt the cheese and maximize the flavour! This was a clear 5/5 for me!

On the sweet side, I also enjoyed the mocha caramel cuffin. The pastry was a delight and it was (truly) filled with mocha custard and salted caramel ganache - no corners were cut here! It was quite sweet, even for someone with a sweet tooth, so I recommend pairing it with an unsweetened bevvy - I imagine it would go well with black coffee, for example. 4.25/5!

Lastly - their macarons! These are definitely the biggest macarons I’ve ever seen. I tried their chai macaron and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m not the hugest macaron fan in the world, but these have possibly converted me. An easy 4.5/5 here.

We also had a guest reviewer that tried out some of Eleanor and Laurent’s treats as well! Here are their thoughts:

S: We tried out the lemon, pistachio, raspberry rose and chai macarons. I really liked the lemon. Chai was good too. My older son would not share the pistachio but he liked it. My younger son gave me a bite of the raspberry rose and I thought that it was okay - not as strong of a flavour, but I also had it after the chai so I am not sure if I could have tasted much of anything after that flavour.

PRESENTATION:

C: 5/5 - One word: BEAUTIFUL! I had to stop myself from buying everything, because the presentation in the store is impeccable. The pictures on the website already make the pastries and desserts look mouth wateringly delicious, but when you get to the store…. It’s candy for the eyes in terms of how gorgeous and elegant everything looks! Not to mention, the staff do a wonderful job packaging up your orders so that everything still looks just as amazing when you bring it home!

G: 5/5 - Top marks for presentation! No catfishing here - the desserts look exactly like their photos online vs. IRL! Beyond that, each time we’ve been here, the staff has always taken lots of care packaging each treat, even taping the bottoms of the eclairs to the box for me to take home to my parents (and they made it unscathed!) Another time, I forgot to ask for two desserts to be separately packaged before picking them up, and the staff kindly repackaged them for me - so in addition to their presentation skills, I also wanted to shout out their great customer service!

VALUE:

C: 4.75/5 - No complaints here. I find the prices very reasonable for the quality that you get. I was pleasantly surprised that the prices aren’t outrageous!

G: 4.5?4.25/5 - While Eleanor & Laurent isn't necessarily a budget bakery, everything I’ve had from them so far has definitely been worth the price tag. Their awesome customer service also ups the value factor in my eyes! No regrets spending money here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Would you order from Eleanor & Laurent again?

C: Of course! I have been back several times since my first journey into this beautiful bakery! It is a great location, and the customer service has always been top notch. I wish I could go every day! (although my waistline and wallet disagree with me!)

G: 10,000% yes - I loaf Eleanor & Laurent! Definitely one of my favourite bakeries in Edmonton and I can’t wait to go back and try more of their goods. Would also love to try La Petit Iza soon too, once the weather warms up - I suspect the best is yet to crumb!

Disclaimer: This review is not affiliated with or sponsored by Eleanor & Laurent - views expressed are solely our opinions!