Develop a street-food offer in a palace. This is François Perret’s daring bet, with his concept of the Ritz Paris Le Comptoir, created a year ago. “I was keen to bring the Ritz out into the street,” says the chef. Voted Best Restaurant Pastry Chef in the World in 2019, he has developed premium versions to take away and practical to enjoy on the go. The star delicacy? The Millefeuille To Go, revisited in a rectilinear format. “I started with this cake because it is so complicated to eat on a plate that the nose was all the bigger,” he explains.
From this creation were born pastries, such as pains au chocolat and croissants, also worked in length. “I wanted to bring a more slender shape, easier to dip and taste. I went so far as to create a specific mould.”
Another surprising creation: the pastry drink. “We are in Paris, people are strolling, and consuming a dessert while walking is carnage. I said to myself: we are going to drink it”, continues the chef. The principle ? A thick sauce topped with a roasted biscuit crumble and biscuit powder, all nicely presented in a tumbler… and to be sipped through a straw. “I liked the idea of putting the Ritz in a tumbler. It was quite daring and very trendy at the same time.”
From the food truck to the Comptoir du Ritz
Inspiration? He drew it during his trip to the United States and his participation in the documentary The Chef in a Truck, streaming on Netflix. “I was lucky enough to live in a food truck for a fortnight. There, everyone has a cup, everyone eats in the street, but a lot of salty food, he recalls. I found it interesting to take up the principle, but with sweetness.” A savory offer therefore completes the set with thinner and longer sandwiches… but without cutting corners on the filling. “What is often wrong with the sandwich is that there is too much bread. Here, the proportion is 70% filling and 30% bread,” he says.
The chef also stands out with another of his specialties: the fondant heart madeleine, to offer or to treat yourself. Located rue Cambon, Le Comptoir signs the revival of the Ritz and its opening to the city, with the Vendôme bar, but also the spa, a new sublime well-being area and its direct access from the square of the same name, without going through the lobby. of the hotel. Next step ? The opening of a second Comptoir.