Can Palette Thrive Right Across the Street From Another French Bakery?
It’s a bold move indeed to open a bakery right across the street from Boulangerie, the 18-month-old Dongzhimen spot opened by a Cordon Bleu trainer baker. And as if to double down, the recently opened Palette is not located on a highly visible streetside perch like its more established competitor but is instead tucked inside a compound (punch Microelectronics Office Building into your map app, and look for Palette on the ground floor).
So in the face of all those daunting factors, can Palette also successfully make a go of it as a French-style bakery? Upon first glance, we weren’t so sure. Saddling up to the counter, only a few meager-looking croissants, cinnamon rolls, and a couple of brioche pastries stared back at us from the display case, a narrow selection that was compounded by the more robust array of wares across the road. The checkered tiled floor, brick and concrete walls, and half-dozen tables lined along one wall’s booth, also left us underwhelmed by Palette’s atmosphere.
Oddly enough, the lackluster ambiance is heightened a little by the trio of framed Cordon Bleu certificates on one of the walls, just like Boulangerie, as if to only augment the surrealness of the situation. Indeed, if you’d told me a few years ago that Dongzhimen would become Beijing’s highest per capita Cordon Bleu bakery neighborhood, I would’ve balked. But here we are.
Despite the mounting misgivings, the croissant (RMB 16) and cinnamon roll (also RMB16) we tried both weren’t half bad. Each boasted crispy exteriors and feathery fluffy insides, though the croissant was a bit dry. The menu also brags about the brioche being made with French Charentes-Poitou AOP butter. Standard coffees like espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes (RMB 18-33) round out the offerings.
So even though it’s less ambitious and memorable than it purports to be (based on the Cordon Bleu certificates on the walls), Palette nevertheless has some pretty satisfying patisseries. However, if they don’t widen their repertoire, the range of baguettes, cookies, cakes, and other goodies at Boulangerie is likely to leave Palette in the Dongzhimen dust before long.
Palette
Daily 7am-7pm. Bldg 2, 7 Xinzhong Jie Dongcheng District
东城区新中街7号2号楼
Photos: Kyle Mullin
