World-renowned French Bakery Chain, PAUL, Opens Flagship Restaurant in Bangkok
PAUL brings 125 years of French culinary heritage to the Kingdom of Thailand.
Thai bakery lovers can now savour the taste of authentic French breads right at home with the arrival of the globally renowned French boulangerie, PAUL, which opens its flagship bakery-restaurant in Bangkok much to the delight of artisan bread enthusiasts and local foodies.
PAUL, a 125-year-old brand famous around the world for its handmade traditional and specialty breads, brings a true taste of France’s traditional culinary heritage to Thailand’s gourmet scene.
Starting as a humble family-run bakery in Lille in Northern France in 1889, PAUL today has more than 500 outlets in 31 countries; its trademark black storefront is a familiar sight in cities across Europe, the Middle East, USA and Asia. In France alone, four million customers walk through the doors of a PAUL store every month.
“Each PAUL store across the world offers exactly what you will find in our stores in France; a strong respect for tradition and dedication to the taste of good breads that are still made using the same traditional methods. At the heart of Southeast Asia, Bangkok is the perfect location for our first flagship store in the region to showcase what PAUL has to offer in this new market,” said Mr Jean-Pierre Erba, Chief Executive Officer of PAUL Asia-Pacific & India.
The grand opening of PAUL’s flagship in Thailand, located in Central Embassy shopping mall along the prime shopping street of Bangkok, took place this morning and was graced by the Ambassador of France to Thailand, His Excellency Thierry Viteau.
Mr. Erba elaborated in detail that the heart and soul of PAUL is its traditional and specialty breads and the rich heritage the PAUL name is built upon. From Miami to Shanghai, London to Dubai, PAUL bakeries all over the world follow the same recipes and traditional bread-making methods handed down through the Holder family since the 19th century. Such dedication to tradition means PAUL customers know and can expect to enjoy the same, well-loved nutty flavour of PAUL breads anywhere in the world.
PAUL’s flagship restaurant in Bangkok imports its key baking ingredients from France, including PAUL’s eponymous brand of flour milled from wheat grown by over 300 French farmers who cultivate it especially for the bakery chain. Using only the finest quality ingredients, PAUL uses a variety of soft winter wheats which give an outstanding, robust flavour.
“Since our soft opening in Bangkok earlier this month, the response from the Thai customers and the expat community has been overwhelming. Many of our customers recognize the PAUL brand from their travels and are ecstatic that they can now easily enjoy authentic French breads, viennoiseries, pastries and baked specialties right here,” said Dr. Papon Ratanachaikanont, Director of BakeHouse Company Limited , which is the sole franchisee of PAUL in Thailand.
From the breads and traditional French menu to PAUL’s trademark black storefront and rustic interior of the flagship store, local customers can look forward to an authentic taste of the French “Art de vivre” PAUL-style. The flagship store comprises a magnificent bakery counter with a delicious display of artisan breads, viennoiseries and pâtisseries, as well as a 78-seat dine-in restaurant.
At the bakery counter, you will find over 13 varieties of traditional and specialty French breads such as the Flûte Paul, Pain 6 céréales (made with six types of grains), Pain Campagne (rye bread), Fougasse and PAUL’s signature, the Baguette Charlemagne. Fresh loaves are baked throughout the day, every day.
Local foodies can also savour the deliciousness of PAUL breads in traditional French cooking – from generously-topped tartines (open sandwiches made with freshly baked country bread) to the croque-monsieur (soft-bread sandwich made with PAUL’s famous pain de mie (soft breads), crisp, fluffy paillassons (traditional potato pancakes) and savoury crêpes and tarts.
PAUL’s viennoiseries such as the croissant, pain au chocolat and escargot aux raisins (a rich pastry filled with crème pâtissière and raisins) come highly recommended. For those with a sweet tooth, choose from a decadent selection of pâtisseries. A PAUL signature is the millefeuille, a subtly caramelised crispy puff pastry layered with vanilla-flavoured crème pâtissière filling and topped with a light apricot glaze and fondant. Other favourites include the tartelette citron meringuée (lemon cream tartlet with soft meringue), coffee éclair and moelleux chocolat (smooth chocolate cake). The pastry range at PAUL also changes throughout the year according to the festive occasions and each season’s harvest offerings.
PAUL is located on level 1 of Central Embassy shopping centre on Ploenchit Road (Ploenchit BTS Station). The bakery counter is open every day from 8.30 am to 10 pm., while the restaurant is open from 10 am to 10 pm.
