Louis Sergeant, Wellington (New Zealand) by Bilby Blue

How can you describe utter perfection? Words and photos can only go so far. If I was marking Louis Sergeant out of 10, it would score about a 12. This is not food, it is high art that just happens to be absolutely delicious. And it is my benchmark against which all else is measured. While there are a few places back home in Melbourne offering fancy cakes, I have yet to find one that comes close to the experience of Louis Sergeant.

So when Rose Pink invited me to lunch on a recent visit to Wellington, I was eager to return. It had been around a year since my last fix of fine French patisserie with Benny.


Louis Sergeant is most famous for its patisserie, however the savoury lunch options are also excellent.


Rose chose the Chicken Caésar – medallions of free range chicken, with shards of crispy Bayonne ham, a semi-runny egg, croutons, cos lettuce and a luscious green dressing. It was a very substantial dish, and every element was excellent.


I find it difficult to go past the various baguette options – always made fresh to order with wonderfully crusty baguettes that were just like you would get in France. On this visit I had Le Saumon – herb infused salmon rillettes with pickled beetroot and mesclun served with horseradish mayonnaise. Very tasty, and again quite a substantial lunch option.

Then came the highlight of our visit – choosing treats from the magnificent array of patisserie in the cabinet. Always a tough choice…


The patisserie at Louis Sergeant always looks immaculate – not a crumb out of place, vibrant colours, superb finish on every element. And the flavours totally live up to the appearance.


It is easy to guess Rose’s favourite colour, so when she saw the magnificent tower of pale pinkness that was Marie Antoinette, she was totally smitten. Not only the colour – it also included another of her favourites – Crème Brûlée – together with vanilla mousse and a Veuve Clicquot Rosé and berry centre. It was topped with a macaron and decorated with gold leaf and tiny pink rosebuds. It looked and tasted fantastic. Rose loved it.


My choice was J’Adore – a teetering construction of a choux pastry ball with gooey praline centre, covered with almonds, milk chocolate and gold, capped by a disc of chocolate, then a swirl of hazelnut praline mousse and finally topped with a piece of gold leaf. Light and creamy – c’était magnifique (it was wonderful).

Verdict

We loved it.

Overall

Describing itself as a contemporary Salon du Thé, Louis Sergeant offers exquisite edible art that tastes just as good as it looks. While the patisserie is undoubtedly the highlight of any visit, the savoury lunch options are also very good.

Find it at

Louis Sergeant
146 Featherston Street
Wellington
New Zealand
Telephone: +64 4 499 8475