French Pastries, Local Ingredients
“Coucou” is an affectionate and easygoing French greeting for “hello!” “Rachou” is the French nickname for Rachel. Cou Cou Rachou is a French bakery on Preston Avenue, right across from the Dairy Market, opened by pastry chef Rachel De Jong, who earned her certification in pastry in Paris, as their website states. According to their Instagram, Cou Cou Rachou celebrated their first birthday on Friday, Nov. 11.
Outside the bakery, patrons are greeted with a neon red sign with the shop’s name in cursive LED lights. As customers step inside, they are hit with the scent of freshly-baked pastries and coffee. Shelves of merchandise, wine, and snacks occupy the left wall. On the right, there is a fridge with cold drinks and desserts, and a door that leads to the outdoor roofed patio where patrons can sit. Opposite the entrance is a vintage wooden case, which showcases the pastries and bread available for the day, and right behind that is the open kitchen, where patrons can see bakers working with dough and various ingredients.
To start, I got an iced matcha ($5) as my drink. The drink was simple but refreshing; it had milk, matcha powder and ice. To complement the drink, I got a croissant aux amandes ($5), which is an almond croissant. The croissant was flaky, with butter keeping each layer moist. It was filled with almond paste and sliced almonds, and was dusted with powdered sugar and sliced almonds on top.
Then, I tried the croissant aux oignons ($5), also known as the french onion croissant. The same flaky pastry was used, but this time, the pastry served as a dam to hold the caramelized-onion filling. The filling was savory with a hint of sweetness, and its texture was smooth, silky and chewy. Cheese was baked on top of the croissant, which gave the pastry its salty and creamy flavor. The cheese that flowed off the pastry baked into a thin-crispy crust, giving the pastry an extra crunch.
Lastly, I got the miso chocolate chip cookie ($4). The cookie was crisp around the edges but soft and chewy in the center. The miso gave the cookie an umami flavor, which deepened the flavor of the cookie in comparison to normal chocolate chip cookies. There were chocolate chips with every bite of cookie but it wasn’t overly sweet.
Overall, I believe that Cou Cou Rachou is worth the price for their freshly-baked goods, which, according to their website, are organic and locally sourced. The bakery is only open from Thursday to Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., so be aware that the queue will be longer and seating may be harder to find in the late morning. The daily pastries and bread are posted on their Instagram story in the morning, and they also take cake orders on their website.
