Helmut Newcake (Paris, FRANCE) ★★★★☆

When it comes to gluten-free baked goods, Hong Kong is way behind everyone though in recent years, we're slowly showing signs of finally catching up. But that is still mostly limited to bread and cup cakes with very few choices of gluten-free pastries in the market (Check out Sweet Secret and The Cakery). Paris, on the other hand, has a much greater variety of gluten-free offerings available, from bread, cookies to pastries, providing Parisians a healthier way to eat desserts.

Opened at the end of 2011, Helmut Newcake is heralded as the first gluten-free bakery in Paris and first place to be 100% certified for its gluten-free pastries in the city.



Owners François and Marie Tagliaferro are very passionate with what they do. Apart from gluten-free bread and sweets, they also offer inexpensive gluten-free food such as simple soup, salad, sandwiches and quiches. I think only La Belle Vie Sans Gluten in the 7th arrondissement can match their impressive collection of gluten-free offerings in town.



What impresses me most about Helmut Newcake is its growing list of gluten-free pastries, consisting of mainly classic French pastries like eclairs, lemon tarts and Paris-Brest which they use a combination of organic flours, chestnut and buckwheat to re-create the same flavors so close to their originals.   



Sometimes, customers won't even notice they were actually having gluten-free desserts.



Cookies, financiers, madeleines and even chocolate cakes!



And I love these macaron chairs. So adorable!



Paris-Brest (€5.00) - I thought the choux pastry tasted a little funny at first (in a good way). It's a little more chewy and less spongy like the ones I was accustomed to. The praline flavored cream also tasted firmer like a purèe with very subtle chestnut flavor. Not bad at all. 








Food Rating: 6/10
Price: €€€
Address: 28 Rue Vignon, 75009 Paris, France
Closest Metro Station: Madeleine
Tel: +33 (0)1 8131-2831
Website: www.helmutnewcake.com