Review: Bontemps Pâtisserie

Let’s start with scale. Where are we between global flagship and neighborhood boutique? 

This dollhouse of a pastry shop and tea salon is family-run, led by pastry chef Fiona Leluc who turned an obsession with sablés (shortbread cookies) into a fully-fledged business. She and her sister Fatina antiqued all of the beautiful decorative details in both the shop and tea salon, from vintage hanging tulip lights to dishware and dish cabinets. Velvety poufs and armchairs make for comfortable lingering indoors at the tea salon but when the weather allows, locals book ahead for a spot in the open courtyard.

What can we find here, or what should we look for?

Shortbread (sablé) is the starting point for everything produced here. Heart-shaped or mini shortbread "sandwich" cookies burst with seasonal fillings (wild strawberry, passion fruit, blood orange; banana-rum; Sicilian lemon) while large, shareable tartes showcase the best of seasonal fruits and flavors, pecan to apple or Comice pear, which are made with the same light and delicate shortbread crust. At the tea salon, guests can also have a full lunch, brunch on weekends, or teatime which includes hot chocolate, coffee, or a selection of their own loose-leaf teas.

If money’s no object, what goes in the cart? 

Book a table and go for the full tea time spread.

And … what if we’re on a budget?    

Ideal for take-away (as a picnic, a dinner party offering, or gift) is the assortment of mini "Bontemps", what the owners call their mini, bite-sized cookies.

Who else shops here?

Given the retro-chic decor and elegant pastry offering, you'll find aesthetic-hunters, Instagrammers, pastry-obsessed, and likely a crowd of foreigners. The to-go shop is strong on local regulars who turn to Bontemps for all of their sweet needs.

Any secret tips, or “don’t go home without” purchases?    

Perhaps the only thing without a sablé base, the outrageous indulgent lemon cake cannot be missed. You should add it to your order because it's frankly silly not to succumb to one of the most luscious iterations of the cake that exists in the city.