The best pastry shops in Brabant
If anyone knows where to go for the most delicious pastries in Brabant, it’s Master Patissier Hidde de Brabander. These are his three ultimate favorites, plus a bonus address as a gift.
Hidde: “There are more and more great places across the country, which is a good sign. In the past, there were only one or two good pastry chefs; now they’re spread much more widely. And definitely not only in Amsterdam. I’m not called De Brabander for nothing!”
Pastry Club in Eindhoven
“Eindhoven may not be the place people drive to every week for good pastries, but the Pastry Club, located in a beautiful industrial building, is actually worth the trip. I couldn’t recommend just one pastry, because their selection changes very often. Really, the best thing to do is simply walk in and ask: ‘What is the thing I absolutely have to try right now?’ They don’t like anything standard; it’s different every time, and that’s what makes it so much fun.”
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Jacques van Bragt in Geldrop
“For truly great classics, you have to go to Jacques, an extremely skilled pastry chef. He’s less well known because he’s incredibly modest, and he’s not really into all that social media stuff [ed.: although he does dutifully do it], ‘just let me bake,’ he says. I’d actually like him to show more of himself, but it also suits him well. Besides the classics, you can also get very tasty sausage rolls here.”
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Patisserie Joep in Breda
“It belongs to Joep Mermans, a young guy who started this business a few years ago. He’s going incredibly fast and does a lot of cool things. Besides pastries and chocolate, he’s increasingly making bread and savory products too. I’m enormously proud of young entrepreneurs like this who go for it and then succeed as well.”
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Friandries in Tilburg
“Another young guy who dares to do a lot is Dries Michels. It’s not a pastry shop, but at his business, Chocolaterie Frandries, you can get incredibly delicious bonbons. He makes bonbons with great combinations: beurre noisette with salted popcorn, for example, or beetroot and salty licorice. Very distinctive.”
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