The world would be a less delicious place without the crescent-shaped, flaky, buttery croissant. It's a symbol of French cuisine, replicated by pastry chefs all over the world. But you only have to peel through a few layers of history to find that, while the French may have lifted the pastry to the peak of culinary perfection, the croissant could well have originated in Austria. The pastry has given rise to a number of legends. One suggests that when the Ottoman Turks besieged Vienna in 1683, it was a baker who alerted the Austrian military to the enemy tunneling beneath the city, saving the day. He then baked crescent shaped pastries that symbolised the Turks' Islamic moon so his fellow citizens could celebrate the victory. Budapest lays claim to a similar story. Yet another tale decrees that Marie Antoinette demanded that the French court's bakers copy her favourite Austrian bread. Hong Kong is stacked with cafes selling good, bad and indifferent replicas of the croissant and its flavoured variants. A couple of newer cafes have chosen very different ways to celebrate chocolate-filled versions of the pastry. Tony Cheng's Le Salon Restaurant and Croissanterie has just opened on the 13th floor of the new Hysan Place mall in Causeway Bay. The restaurant is all smooth white tablecloths and traditional French dishes. It is a stylish pit stop serving coffees and croissants. The marble tables and woven chairs under white umbrellas evoke an alfresco ambiance. But the longer you linger, the more the mall's muzak makes its presence felt. At the counter, there's an extensive menu of hot, iced and frappé drinks, and four snacks: tiramisu, chestnut, chocolate, and caramel croissants (HK$20). During my visit, the only choice was chocolate, so I had one with an iced latte. The croissants are appropriately crescent-shaped and displayed in a coned paper bag, perfect for a takeaway. The outside is decorated with hardened fondant sugar and a dusting of hazelnuts. The inside is nicely buttery and flakey. But it takes a few bites before you strike chocolate. It's not the traditional dark chocolate you'd expect, but custard. I checked with the staff to make sure it was indeed the chocolate croissant. I was informed that the filling is Valrhona chocolate cream, and the hazelnuts are salted and caramelised. The combination of sugar on the outside and cream on the inside makes the snack very sweet. The hazelnuts could have done with more salt, and if you are going to use premium brand Valrhona, then more chocolate and less cream would be a good idea. At the La Rose Noire-owned Passion by Gerard Dubois, in Wan Chai, the attractive corner shop's alfresco table and chairs seem more for decoration than use. Eating next to hurried shoppers and traffic is hardly relaxing. But inside the cafe, you'll find a mouthwatering showcase of freshly baked breads in wicker baskets, along with a counter of croissants, macarons and pastries. There are also savoury dishes, such as salads, quiches, and another classic, the croque monsieur. At the back of the shop, there is an open kitchen with ovens for baking bread and staff making pizzas and slicing meats. The tables seem constantly busy. Here, the pain au chocolat is rectangular, and the top is ungarnished. Two sticks of dark chocolate peek out. The light texture of the pastry, which is soft on the inside and flakier towards the outside, and the intense dark flavour of the chocolate make it an almost savoury experience in comparison with Le Salon. It is a sophisticated adult snack without bells and whistles, as opposed to the crunchy, candy-like version. Verdict: Gerard Dubois has resisted tampering with the recipe and comes out on top. Le Salon Restaurant and Croissanterie Shop 1302 Hysan Place, 500 Hennessey Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2115 3328 Passion by Gerard Dubois Shop 1, G/F Fraser Suites, 74-80 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2529 1311
