Le Versailles

BTW peeps, this place changed its name to:
Au Coeur De Paris
Review on Macaroons:
Macaroons very yummy but crust needs to be crunchier & chewier in the middle & the granche needs to be denser & less creamy.

Came here with a girlfriend to try their macarons after reading the reviews on Unilocal.The owner’s daughter helped us and was very nice. I think that had a special, buy 4 macarons get one free. Us girls splurged and tried all their flavors. My fav was their raspberry, coconut and peanut butter. It’s a small bakery on Bushard and Edinger; you wouldn’t even know or notice a French bakery exist in this tiny plaza. I’ve tried their pâté chaud banh mi and to my surprise it works and is good. I’m giving them a 3 star because it’s OK, not the best.

Disturbing… I got 1 of each macaroon … disturbingly delicious :)
$ 1.25 a pop but soooo worth it. I can’t remember them all but there was the pistachio, hazlenut, some coffee one, chocolate, vanilla etc
We also got the chocolate croissant and the brioche chocolate stuffed something.
The ice coffee was great but too much ice. I will return for more sugar fattiness.

Located in a desolate area, Le Versailles is easy to spot. But don’t look for a «Le Versailles» sign, instead, they’ve changed their name to «Paris.» My sister and I arrived around 6PM and the entire lot was empty. Not a soul in sight, so I wasn’t having a very good feeling about it.
We came inside the bakery and was greeted by a friendly lady. I think she might’ve been the owner? Their desserts look beautiful. We purchased one of each of their six different flavors of macarons, and a Mango Mousse, which came out to be $ 11.00. Not too shabby!
The colors of the macarons are BRIGHT, making it look a little too artificial. I had mixed feelings about the macarons. Some tasted amazing, and some not so much. I liked the hazelnut, chocolate, and peanut butter. It had the perfect amount of sweetness and chewiness. The pistachio was disappointing. It tasted too artificial. And I think they used a candy fruit strip as the filling for the raspberry macaron. That was unexpected. Overall, the macarons were «eh.» Nothing to get excited about.
The Mango Mousse, however, was a completely different story, and was what swayed me to give this place 4 stars. The staleness of the edges indicated that it had been sitting out for a while, but it still put me on cloud 9, as I took a bite of this little piece of heaven. It looked too pretty to eat! It was light, and fluffy, with the perfect amount of sweetness. Pure joy, and lots of «Mmm, so good!» coming out of my mouth as I indulge in this guilty pleasure.
There were many other desserts that looked very enticing, so I will definitely be back to try them.

Addicted. Guilty pleasure.
What i order:
— croissant chicken sandwich. Shredded chicken with the viet fillings (carrots and dikon). Croissant is buttery and flaky. Small but cheap. One does not fill me up buuuut I get the below also
— pâté chaud. Only a dollar!
— macaroons! 1.25 each. so much cheaper then other places and all the favors are good I usually get one of each + more of the hazelnut cuz its my all time favorite

I am definitely addicted to this little gem! Why? MACARONS!
Before I had their macarons, I have never enjoyed macarons at all partly because I hadnt found THE one. Unilocal has helped me find my love for them! 1.25 for each too…
Seriously…one bite and you’re in heaven, madam! There’s just something about the slight crunch, the slight fluffiness, the taste and then it just completely dissolves in your mouth! Majority of the ones I have had are true to their taste. My favorite is the hazelnut and coffee! The hazelnut reminds me of taro but with a little nutty, buttery catch in the end. The coffee is just to die for and definitely savory! How can you ever go wrong with chocolate? And the same goes for raspberry! The peanut butter was yummy but it’s too much for me! My least favorite is the pistachio! Seems like this one is quite popular, but it tastes a little funky! It’s hard to master the pistachio taste for anything, in my opinion.
Also tried their infamous chicken sandwich. Did I get the wrong sandwich? I did not enjoy it at all! I didn’t see what the hype was all about! I am planning to try more of their other sandwiches!
Pates are quite tasty and flaky! But I like the ones at Gala Bakery better!
Oh by the way, the chef and the chef at Paulette’s in Beverly hills went to the same culinary school together! So their macarons aren’t as sweet as other places!
Bön Appetit! :)

Chocolate croissants FTW. Went here on a saturday morning. Apparently, their macaron’s are really good but I wanted a croissant.
Anyway, I bought 2 chocolate croissants. Total came out to $ 3.50 when really it should’ve been $ 3 since one is $ 1.50. Sadly, I did not realize until after consuming both croissants myself, that they had overcharged me 50 cents. Not sure if the young man behind the cash register did this on purpose or what but I was pretty upset.
Aside from that, the croissant was delicious. The place itself is very, very pleasant. I would love to come back & try some of their other pastries.

The Great SoCal Macaron Throwdown Stop #5!
In case you missed this:
Honestly, I’m bound to gain some serious weight with this throwdown. I’ve managed to consume nearly 3 dz macarons in two weeks. This can’t be healthy!
First Place has been determined long ago, with the title being held safely by ‘Lette Macarons of Beverly Hills. They will not be mentioned in this review beyond this paragraph.
Second Place is not a total lock, but there has yet to be a formable challenger to Pacific Bakery’s macarons. Yet to be confirmed is whether XT Patisserie serves as the supplier of Pacific Bakery’s macarons. Thanks for the tip, Julie L. If true, that would indeed explain why Pacific Bakery’s macarons are on par with Essential Chocolate Desserts in Culver City.
Enter Le Versailles Boulangerie & Patisserie/​Au Coeur De Paris. Call it whatever you may, but know that the marquee did in fact say «Au Coeur De Paris.»
This part of Westminster lacks much traffic and the strip mall where Le Versailles is located manages to garner a tiny fraction of that traffic. You’ll have no problem whatsoever finding a free parking stall, but ensure you do not park in any of the State Farm parking stalls.
Upon entering this very small bakery, I was greeted by a lady whom I would presume was the owner. She went as far as to step out from behind the counter and meet me in front of the pastry display filled with attractive treats. Her English was limited, but she understood me as I asked for macarons. Chosen flavors included:
Pistachio
Chocolate
Raspberry
Passion Fruit
I felt guilty only buying 4 macarons and wanted to bolster Le Versailles’ star rating should the macarons perform unfavorably, so I added a Pan au Chocolat and a Vietnamese Ice Coffee.
Even before tasting these macarons, I was forming an opinion of how things were going to go down in the challenge, from their appearance alone.
They did not look as appealing most in the challenge, but they certainly looked better than the ones from Pascal.
In terms of flavor, Le Versailles’ macarons were the weakest of the bunch, only beating out Pascal’s. The one characteristic Le Versailles macaron shares with the rest is this: WAY TOO SWEET!
My final observation deals with texture. These macarons felt like vanilla wafers between my fingers. Have you ever had a vanilla wafer that absorbed moisture? That’s how Le Versailles’ macarons felt in mouth.
So why a 4 star rating for business that has mediocre 2 star macarons? Three reasons:
1. Vietnamese Iced Coffee
2. Pan au Chocolat
3. Super sweet/​friendly owner
I thorough enjoyed my iced coffee as it was stronger than mild, but was creamy and not too sweet. There was a chocolaty taste in there that was delightful.
The pan au chocolat… although not the best I’ve had, was pretty delicious, in that the croissant was buttery and a little flaky filled with an acceptable amount of chocolate.
And finally, I had to mention the ever hospitable owner. She was extremely nice and tried very hard to make friendly conversation.
I would unequivocally patronize Le Versailles in the future, should I find myself in this part of town again. If the chocolate croissant is indicative of their other pasties, it’s a no brainer to give them your business!
A shout out to Mel L. for giving me the heads up on Le Versailles. Also, thanks to Kriss P. and Rachel V. for your insightful reviews of Le Versailles.

FRENCH MACARONS:
— Pistachio
— Coffee (my favorite here. The coffee is subtle but enough to give you that temporary boost)
— Hazelnut
— Chocolate (I agree w/​fellow Unilocaler Kriss P. Tastes similar to a brownie but not my preferred choice out of the 4 I tried)
The extra chewiness of the pistachio seemed like it had been sitting there for a couple days now but overall, the macarons weren’t that bad. I wouldn’t mind coming back here again, especially since it’s local =)
PATE CHAUD:
Cute little square pastries filled with well-​seasoned meat. The pastry isn’t too buttery and the pork isn’t too salty. It’s perfectly delicious.
VIETNAMESE ICED COFFEE (CAFE SUA DA):
Oh-​em-​gee sooo strong! I know I could ask them to add milk to lessen the abrasiveness of the flavor but the day I went I was running on 3 hours of sleep and I needed something to hit me HARD! And believe me – it definitely did!
It’s a cute little bakery in a very tiny shopping strip surrounded by a residential area. Not exactly a spot I would think a bakery would be but whatever. It’s family-​owned and the staff are very welcoming. Next time I wanna try their crème brûlée and fruit tarts. YUM!

GLUTTONY @ IT’S FINEST!
Is it just me or do people just LOVE to miscalculate when I’m around? You see, I got some macarons because I’ve had the itch ever since I pretty much ate all half dozen from Bouchon Bakery (Venetian-​Las Vegas) this past weekend. So, on my way to my eye exam I made it a POINT to grab some before my appointment. I’m not even gonna lie, I picked this optometrists because De Paris is on the way.
Long story short, I paid for 14 macarons ($ 1.25/ea) & a pork pâté ($ 1/​ea) that cost me about $ 18.50. If you check out my picture you can clearly see only 13. I even thought about how I ordered and said, «well hot d@mn she shorted me!»
The good Lord knows I don’t need that missing macaron, but it sure as hell would have been another bite of AMAZING in my belly! Get this… I ate ALL 13 + 1 pork pâté within 1 hour! HOLY-​MOLY… I feel like a super heffer that most likely won’t eat dinner tonight because I’m such a glutton it scares the jeebis outta me.
Do I like these macarons?
I mean I only ate ALL 13! I got each flavor and I loved them. Not overly sweet but you can taste each flavor distinctly. All the «shells» aren’t as crispy as some might like but I don’t mind because once I bite into them they really melt. These macarons don’t have that artificial flavoring taste to them which is a big thumbs up in my book.
Hazelnut= This ties with pistachio for my fave & might even be a hair above my beloved p’town! This was the only one that was more on the chewy side. It might have also been a tad dated but not by much. Still a goodie!
Raspberry= The jam filling is firm but I personally don’t mind it. I only got one because I was a little bias against the jam but it really surprised me. This one was the most meringue-​y of them all.
Pistachio= GREAT amount of filling (if you like more filling in your macaron that is) & the flavor is stubble but yummy.
Chocolate= Thick chocolate filling. Not as gooey of a middle as some of the others (it’s velvety– if you will). This one almost tastes like a brownie in macaron formation. Tasty but not my favorite.
Coffee (or mocha/​who knows): Light coffee essence but just bold enough for you to know the flavor. Has a moist (LOL) middle like the pistachio.
Definitely not the very BEST out there but pretty good for being around my hood. There’s no doubt that I’ve had my alloted sugar for the month in one sitting. May the good Lord save my soul because I’m positive this is not my last binge. Time to drink hot green tea for the rest of the day. Thanks for reading my NOVEL!

I’m lost as to whether or not give this place 3 or 4 stars. the pâté chaud was amazzzzzzing! while the macarons did not have the crispyness that they normally have, though their flavors were wonderful. :/ :/
Came here while on the way home just cause it was on the way home. I came at about 3pmish so that could explain the way things were.
I ordered 4 things: a pâté chaud, 2 macarons (one hazelnut, one pistachio), and a cream puff — cause there has to be extra cream somewhere in the mix :) Their tiramisu looked pretty, a bunch of their pastries looked scrumptious but I only had my eyes on macarons that day. Turned out that my four items were a total of $ 4 :D
Once in my car, out pops my camera before consumption ensued. I really wanted to like these macarons but they TOTALLY! BOTH OF THEM! lacked the chewyness that macarons contain. I was so utterly disappointed because I’ve made macarons before, and out of the 3 tries, only one turned out damn good… but I digress. HOWEVER I will say that the hazelnut macaron had amazing flavor, I can’t believe it took me this long to try something hazelnutty. just it was missing the whole chewy/​crispy factor, points off for that :(The pistachio one was pistachio-​y.
The cream puff was not much to write home about. The custard was all right, it was a little too solid for me and the puff part of it was not good. It was slightly hard (being in the fridge) and just. yeah I don’t like crappy pâté choux.
The pâté chaud. omgggg the idea of yummy, delicious pork wrapped in flakey puff pastry. :) These were really good. The pork wasn’t some bland piece of pig, but it was wonderfully seasoned and went well with the yummy puff pastry. It wasn’t not flakey after 3 hours after buying it, and it was deliciously buttery.
Although the macarons weren’t the best in texture, taste wise was very good. The price is not high at all and their pâté chauds are freaking awesomeee :)

Crème Brule
I’m very particular with my french pastries due to my extensive background of french cuisine from my mother and friends.
The crème (or custard) was super thick and overly sweet. It seemed to have a thicker consistency of a spanish Flan (something you can hold with two fingers and won’t have it fall apart in your hands). The caramel was soft and uninviting. It didn’t give that shine or gloss, possibly due to the dessert sitting in the fridge for too long.
Overall, not satisfied. There are other places in the area that are better.

***Note: This bakery goes by two names «Au Coeur De Paris» and «Le Versailles Boulangerie & Patisserie.» Their store front says one, their business card says another. Confusing, I know, but you’ll manage.***
OMG… I’ve been searching far and wide for French Macarons in Sorthern California and now, who would’ve imagined, the store closest to my house has them! So close that it’s only 5 minute walk from my house. When’s the last time anyone walked anywhere from a house in OC? My mailbox is farther.
At $ 1.25 each, you’ve probably also found the most reasonably priced macaron in SoCal. My first visit there I ended up talking to the head pastry chef there, Michael and he explained to me that his macarons aren’t as sweet as others because he himself doesn’t like them overly sweet.
After numerous trips and tastings, I would agree, the cream in the macarons doesn’t jump out at you, like a flavorful tongue bomb, like you would get at Pierre Herme or Laduree in Paris. If you can get over that and accept that a little less sugar is good for you, you’ll find that the mini hamburger buns are baked to the perfect consistency, crunchy on the outside, that crumbles right into the chewy dough and cream on the inside.
They usually have four or five flavors on display. There’s always pistachio, and chocolate or coffee, but sometimes they make special flavors, like mango or lychee. Their macarons aren’t made daily, maybe every other day, so if you’re a «made today» purist, keep this in mind.
Their beautiful plain croissants are also a must have, I rate them my second favorite croissant in this area, my favorite croissant residing at Boulangerie Pierre on Brookhurst in Garden Grove. Boulangerie Pierre’s croissant is equally crispy on the outside, but just lavished with more butter throughout, making it the perfect sinful start to my morning. Unfortunately, croissants at Boulangerie Pierre are $ 2.00, which make them $.50 more than what you can get them for here, at Au Coeur De Paris/​Le Versailles Boulangerie & Patisserie. I’ll save my money and stick with the $ 1.50 croissants here.
This place is a hard-​to-​find hidden gem at the corner of Bushard and Edinger, at the bottom in a two story strip mall, next to State Farm agent and a liquor store. If you’re a macaron fan that lives in the OC, you definitely need to try this place out. It’s not Laduree, but at $ 1.25 each, it will save you $ 600 and an 11 hour flight to Paris.
Did I forget to mention… they make pistachio crème brûlée??? SO FRICKIN’ GOOD!!!

We came in very early on a rainy morning, just as the sun was rising. As we pulled up, the French pastry chef and the owner were sitting outside in the chilly air having a relaxing chat before the morning rush. It’s the quaint street corner bakery that I miss living in the stale suburbs of Phoenix.
We bought just about two of everything our first trip in because we were so excited to give this bakery a try. Everything lived up to our high expectations. I especially enjoyed the croissants, which were about the best I’ve ever had. The macarons were special as well, and it’s hard to find an excellent version of a French macaron. They had four typical flavors – pistachio, hazelnut, coffee, and chocolate – yum!
I’m not sure why others have spoken poorly of the service, perhaps when there are a lot of people, they get overwhelmed. However, the owner is very friendly; you can have a real conversation with him. I always prefer to patronize a place like this that not only makes a great product, but genuinely cares about their customers.

New name is Au Coeur De Paris
The coffee is good, the chef is French and he bakes most of the stuff.
Their pâté chaud is awesome. Their ham and cheese crossaints are awesome. Their cakes are awesome. Everything they have in here is awesome.

I love the pastries here. I hate the crowd that comes. It’s full of old pedophile lookin’ men.
Their pâté chaud is awesome. Their ham and cheese crossaints are awesome. Their cakes are awesome. Everything they have in here is awesome.
Their service sucks a$$. I’ve lived near by for YEARS and the service here has always been a fail. Too bad, for their food, I’d give 5 stars… but its the service that kind of kills it for me.

I was so excited to see the pictures on Unilocal showing millefuille, eclairs. So after my hair appt. i stop by here. around 4 pm today 8÷1÷10. Whn i arrive. the place is pretty empty. the stuff behind the glass case are limited.
i guess i should have read the reviews… to come early in the morning…
anyways i’m giving 2 stars due to the fact that my strawberry tarts were both moldy.
how could u still sell me moldy strawberry tart???
and $ 4??? for mold???
i’m utterly disappointed.

Open early, but they didn’t have much out yet so I didn’t have a chance to try much except the pâté chaud. It was warm and delicious but definitely needed more meat. I loved the coffee.
The French baker provided great, friendly service.

When I came here in the morning on a weekday the place looked like they were recently robbed by a pastry bandit. I kid you not. they had almost nothing in their display case and the lady boss was almost unapologetic and rather talk to the people in the back then tend to the store front.
Woman, look. I am man. I have money. I am hungry. I am willing to give you money in exchange for your pastries/​baked goods. What? You don’t have any for sale? At 8:30am? WTF?
The saving grace is that they did end up having one thing… freshly baked chocolate croissants right out of the oven. I can’t tell you the thrill of eating freshly baked croissants with the chocolate morals still melted and barely holding their form.
Oh yeah, I thought it was cruel when the lady boss turned away the pregnant woman and told her to wait because the baguettes weren’t ready yet.
Anyways, another thing that might be a sign that this place isn’t very clean is that the trash can wasn’t emptied out the night before. The small things always lead to bigger ones…

The Best Café Sua Da Around and Family Owned and Operated. «Mom makes the Coffee!!!»
I had to post an update.
I have only been coming here for a week now, but have been back three additional times. Four trips total with complete consistency.
~~Ambiance
It is not too busy here and is typical of the traditional French-​Vietnamese Cafes that use to dominate the Bolsa area. It is small and cozy. There are tables inside and out and you can sit and eat your food while having simple conversations and socializing with the other patrons (See photo).
***BONUS! Yes, it is family owned and the son told me this morning that «Mom makes the coffee strong!» I knew it! Mom makes it:)
~~Ice Coffee
The ice coffee is nice and strong. It has condensed milk and cream. It is the best I have had since Song Long. I recently tried four other places that could not match it! It costs about 2 bucks and they do not load it with too much ice. Is there even water in this thing? It tastes so so good and is completely smooth! And, like I said above.“Mom Makes It!” It all makes sense now.
~~Chicken Sandwich
I tried the Chicken Sandwich. It was ok. Not the best, but way better than some other banh mi I had recently. There is a selection of sandwiches here and I will try the others and re-​post.
Pastries are great. My favorite is the Opera.
A truly classic place and a keeper. Family owned and run. Thank you Le Versailles!