O Merveilleux Belgian Meringue

I think this place is closed indefinitely! So sad I loved their cappuccinos and pastures, but it’s been closed for about a month and the sign is down :(

NO WIFI! Considering their prices this is shocking. Even my nail salon has free wifi. And McDonald’s. Weird. Their croissants are on the hard side and make a big mess. Almond and chocolate croissant is disappointing. A buttery crumbly mess. The coffee is ok but they hire younger people that aren’t necessarily familiar with how to make a good cup of coffee and it’s hit or miss. Those same young people are always very polite and nice though.

First, I need to admit that I have a sweet tooth and I generally love love love desserts. I stopped by half an hour before closing and was disappointed that not a lot of the goodies that I wanted to try were remaining. I ended up getting a chocolate, vanilla and strawberry choux. They were delicious. Yes, it’s $ 3.00 for one. It looks super tiny but surprisingly I find it to be a good portion size. There is a generous amount of filling as well. Will definitely go back to try more sweets and just to relax there.

Chouxs are the best in the UES. Very fresh, light and delicious. There are many comments that say the desserts are priced too high but this really isn’t the case.

Came in here one day to get coffee and a croissant and the lady behind me asked «Do you sell loaves of bread?» The answer was unfortunately no… so don’t go in there looking for loaves of bread! Anything else in the pastry department is fair game and delicious. I love the bright yellow and grey décor as well. Plenty of seating in the back to enjoy your treats!

Had the Speculoos Merveilleux and the coffee choux pastry. Light and creamy, perhaps teetering on the edge of too much cream. Place has a cold feel and attitude to it, no charm or warmth behind the smiles and walls.

So, I’m typically watching my food intake (I know – poor me ;) so I haven’t eaten the yummy baked goods here. BUT, I have met friends for coffee and a catch-​up and I love this place. The ambiance is lovely, conducive for conversation (both informal business meetings as well as friend get togethers). And they make a mean cappucino! Rich in flavor and piping hot – just the way you want one. Additionally, those friends I have met there have indulged in the sweets and always say good things.
PS The owner and her staff are lovely. I wish success for this little hidden gem. They are a great addition to the UES!

It’s a cute little bakery with a nice seating area inside. It’s got a home in the suburbs feel with a long wooden table, wooden chairs, a sofa bench and little cushion seats with a wooden shelf/​bookcase along the wall. It really does look like a scene from a catalog.
I tried their mini dark chocolate, mini speculoos, and mini coco-​orange meringues. Eating meringue is almost like eating hardened cotton candy; soft and airy but not really solid. The meringue itself has the same flavor, it’s really the outer coating of the chocolate, speculoos and coco-​orange that gives them a different flavor. I also had a chocolate croissant which could’ve used more chocolate in the middle. It’s definitely a unique dessert to try if you’re ever bored with the standard ice cream and chocolate options in the city.
It was a nice place to have dessert and some coffee. A truly good homey/​café feel to be in but a bit pricy for the size of the items. As I don’t indulge often in desserts I cannot say I was overwhelmed by what they have to offer me.

Magically delicious! The meringue was like heaven! I could not have had a better experience! Coffee was delicious too! The server was sweet and patient.

A cute belgian and lowkey bakery on the UES that has a cozy back room that mimics a dining room and sitting room that you may find in the Potterybarn catalog.
The coffee and tea are just average, nothing too special. The cookies here are also average (a bit too crunchy for my taste).

What I had: White Chocolate Merveilleux (too sweet and rich) and Dark Chocolate Merveilleux (this one was better) — and Macarons (macaron flavors were pretty diverse and very good)
Would I go back: For the Macarons and other pastries other than the Merveilleux mainly just because this type of dessert is too sweet for my palette
Story: I live around the corner from this place and i’ve been wanting to try it since it opened up — this place is super cutesie inside — the other pastries look delicious so i’ll probably stop in here in the future for some ice coffee and a pastry on a dreary day.

2.5 stars
Been back a couple of times. I see it’s gotten more popular — more people stopping in both times I’ve gone since. However I’ve tried some other pastries that weren’t much to write home about — chocolate croissant (much better at Maison Kayser) and the berliner was rather dry and tasteless. Coffee is good but expensive. Stick with the specialty dessert — merveilleux.

Cute spot with pretty yellow decorations! Their macarons looked good but I was just so thirsty, I had some of their lemonade. It was just ok, not sweet enough for my taste buds! Will have to try their desserts next time.
$ 10 cc minimum, fyi.

OK, my parents lived in Belgium after I graduated high school, so I can attest to the truly Belgian-​ness nature of this place, down to the artfully placed tchotchkes, big wooden communal table, and glass display case full of speculoos everything. I chatted with the owner a bit and he seemed similarly Belgian, or else very convincing with accents.
There are some annoying parts, like a $ 10 minimum on credit card (you can use a debit card though) and no wi-​fi, so it’s not really a place to work. But it is a place to eat lovely baked goods and sip some coffee while relaxing with friends.

I was hungry when I stopped into this place so I picked up a chocolate croissant to eat right away and a dark chocolate meringue for after working out. The chocolate croissant was crisp on the outside, flaky, airy and tender on the inside and contained a creamy, chocolatey filling. It was excellent.
It may have been the post workout hunger, but the chocolate meringue was lovely. Crisp along the edges, tender and chewy in the middle, topped w/​a sweet cream and dark chocolate shavings. I inhaled it. I may make it a habit of having one of these after working out.

Ah, the typical neighborhood clientele, favoring delusions of familiarity over reasonable questions. I can kinda understand the frustration, however, if it’s common that the staff here is only friendly once they decide you’re worth acknowledging. The items sure aren’t cheap given the inputs, but their namesakes were tasty and subtle, which I guess is high praise coming from a lifelong meringue skeptic, though I’m far from a convert. Tried the dark chocolate (unremarkable) and the speculoos (not even as good as Wafels & Dinges’ customized Biscoff, though pricier, as evidenced by jar on counter).
As the one who added the listing after seeing this spot in the Times, I’m upset I failed to note their Amazon Local deal at the bottom of an e-​mail blast, but won’t spring for the $ 5 for the $ 10 voucher for a return because I was that underwhelmed. That said, $ 5 more may have swayed me,

Unfortunately, for those unfamiliar with Belgian cuisine, merveilleux are less accessible than, say, mussels, frites, or beer.
Strike one: They’re gilding the lily. Meringues coated in whipped cream and then sprinkled with stuff would seem to be a taste sensation, but none of those elements contributed a lot of flavor.
Strike two: They’re expensive and caloric.
Strike three: The staffers are pleasant, if a bit slow. I was not allowed to use a credit card because the minimum is $ 10. .. an my order came to nine dollars and change.
But there are positives: The interior is cozy/​classy, with an inviting communal table. And how often can New Yorkers find speculoos-​flavored anything?

Maybe add a star if you like meringues or sweets that are not very sweet.
I, on the other hand, like my sweets intensely rich, dense and of course, sweet. The Merveilleux here are the opposite of that. They are light and airy and are a bit sweet, but feel empty to eat.
The regular size ones are pretty enormous, at about $ 6 each, so I tried two of the mini ones, which are $ 2.20 each. I got the Dark Chocolate and the Speculoos. The latter was practically flavorless, while the former at least had a good taste of chocolate.
This isn’t my cup of tea, but perhaps some of the macarons, croissants and other sweets here might be good. I didn’t bother trying those though, since the merveilleux are the specialty.
If you like more refined pastries, you might really like this place. Otherwise, if you are anything like me, go to the nearby Two Little Red Hens instead if you want some sweets and get wrecked on the huge, rich cupcakes there instead for a much better time.

I spoil my father — it’s hard not to. We both love sweets, and while I usually bake things myself for him I had no time when I last visited since I was stuck in the kitchen cooking meals for him and my brother for the next week while my mother was out of town (yes, both are adults and no, my mom doesn’t trust them to take care of themselves *sigh*). But I wanted to leave a sweet something for them when I left for Philly, and a quick Unilocal search revealed O Merveilleux had opened since the last time I had explored our neighborhood’s bakeries. Since I know my father loves all things Belgium, I grabbed my jacket and ran over to the little yellow striped awning storefront.
This Belgium bakery is super cute, and the very friendly staffer greeted me and we chatted as she described their specialty treat to me. I got myself a cup of coffee as reward for being Ms. Super Chef that morning, and also got three of the small meringue pastries covered in crushed speculoos cookie crumbs to bring home. I of course had to try these myself, and I’m so glad that I did indulge because they are delicious! One bite revealed the crisp crunch of the meringue bottom with the fresh, light and airy whipped cream on top, and the flavor of the speculoos shined through. It was lightly sweet and perfectly spiced from the cookie — a treat that I won’t feel guilty indulging in again!

Walking in the Upper East Side of Manhattan I came across Ô Merveilleux, a Belgian patisserie serving up a new exciting dessert. The merveilleux is a Belgian meringue that is very popular in Belgium. The Belgian meringue is in many ways similar, but different to the French meringue that most of us know about. Alexandre Diotallevi of Ô Merveilleux described their Belgian meringue as a wet meringue that has the dry shell on the outside and a hollow soft inside. The meringue is baked at a lower temperature to give this effect as oppose to the French meringue. The meveilleux is then covered with whipped cream and rolled in chocolate shavings or cookie crumbs. Alexandre explained that his wife, Anne-​Sophie Diotallevi, is the genius behind the dessert.
At the patisserie these meringues come in three standard flavors: chocolate, white chocolate and speculoos (a Belgian spiced biscuit cookie). I decided to try the chocolate and speculoos. The tower of meringue begins to fall apart as you dig your fork into the merveilleux. Each bite has a textural satisfaction of the crunchy meringue, soft whipped cream and grittiness from the chocolate shavings or cookie crumbs. The meringue and whipped cream was not too sweet and felt as light as air. The meringue is complemented by the topping attached. My favorite between the two I tried is the chocolate one. Although the speculoos flavor is tasty with its cinnamon flavor, I enjoyed the merveilleux with the chocolate shavings more since the chocolate gave more contrast in flavor to the meringue. You can either purchase a small merveilleux ($ 2.00) or a full-​sized merveilleux ($ 5.90).
In addition to the meringues, the patisserie also serves up croissants, cookies, cupcakes and other sweets. Throughout the seasons the patisserie rotates in featured desserts. Presently featured are their ghost cupcakes for Halloween. If you need a caffeine fix, they serve coffee and tea as well.
Ô Merveilleux’s layout of the store has an open concept. In the back past the enclosed display of delicious deserts is a communal table for guests to dine at. This gives the patisserie a homey feel. Another neat feature is their window viewing inside the kitchen where you can see these sweet treats being made.
*UPDATE: I returned to Ô Merveilleux today to try out their miniature white chocolate merveilleux and chocolate croissant. You can see in the picture to the right of the cross section of the miniature white chocolate merveilleux revealing the hollow inside of the meringue. The white chocolate topping adds creaminess to the meringue. However my favorite is still the chocolate because of the contrast in flavors.
The chocolate croissant was heavenly. The crust has flaky and buttery layers leading up to the luscious chocolate center. The smooth and richness of the chocolate filling complements the flaky layers as you bite into the croissant. The last time I had a really good croissant to this standard was in Montréal.
So when you are walking around the Upper East Side of Manhattan, give this place a try.

Omg, great new place to get a semi-​indulgent sugar fix from abroad. I tried all three flavors they have now (expanding soon). This is strange to admit but my favorite was the one most like hazelnut. Not heavy, flavor floated out and down my mouth. But all flavors were excellent, with similar qualities. You can also choose from a good range of other treats, along the same basic lines, sometimes in a larger size than the samples.
Eating is a snap. Get ‘em to go in a box or take a great coffee drink and toot them back to the seating in the rear. Where, btw, you can see the chefs in action.