A taste of Paris in Hong Kong: lunch options for under US$8 at Maison Eric Kayser in Tsim Sha Tsui
- The famous French bakery first opened in Hong Kong in 2012; we tried its newest outlet, which opened in December, and came away satisfied
- Sandwiches come ready-made or you can build your own with mix-and-match options and add on a drink or side dishes
The Parisian boulangerie-patisserie Maison Eric Kayser, which opened its first Hong Kong store in 2012, has opened two more in the past four months. The new Tsim Sha Tsui and Sheung Wan shops raise the number of Kayser outlets in Hong Kong to eight.
The existing stores, with their signature freshly baked artisan breads, sandwiches and pastries, have won a loyal following. We went to see if the newest branch in Tsim Sha Tsui, which opened in December, was holding up the bar.
The shop, in a corner location on Minden Avenue near the K11 mall, was filled with natural light and the sounds of jazzy piano on a recent Friday afternoon. The usual array of freshly baked baguettes and nicely decorated pastries and tarts greeted us, very much in line with other Maison Eric Kayser shops.
Extensive mix-and-match lunch set options are available from 11am. For HK$60 to HK$120 (US$7.70 to US$15.30) we had the option to pair a main course with a drink and/or a number of different side dishes, ranging from pastries to small salads and soups, at prices cheaper than if you ordered each item individually.
There were several refrigerated sandwiches on offer for mains, but we opted to build our lunch set with the French-style sandwiches out of the case, ordering a classic ham and cheese baguette, and a more creative chia seeds and avocado sandwich on turmeric ciabatta (both HK$59 if not in the set).
Other ready-made sandwich options included a chicken curry salad, tuna salad, and mortadella on cranberry bread.