Filou's Artisan Patissier

I discovered this French bakery within my first month of living in Melbourne, and if I could have frequented everyday, I would have. To this day, I cannot begin describing how I felt when I first walked in, but I will attempt to.

Close your eyes and imagine the most joyous moment in your life. Keep that elation. Now add on the perfect olfactory balance of sugary sweetness and warm butter with a pinch of coffee. That is what walking into Filou's is like. I finally felt like I was home, even though I was an entire ocean away. The adorable French lady that greeted me with a "bonjour!" also helped and I ended up purchasing way too many sweets.

The shop is tiny, with about two or three tables and a countertop bar. Perhaps a tight squeeze, but I find it the perfect size for an intimate conversation between two or leisurely read-through of the morning paper. The majority of the space is taken up by the display cases (sweet or savoury?! ah!) and the finer workings of the shop (espresso machine, cash register, et cetera).

Filou's is located on the corner of Lygon and Fenwick Streets, across from Melbourne General Cemetery, and is further highlighted by their muted orange signs.

You cannot miss it, and to be honest, you do not want to miss it. I would highly, highly recommend getting their almond croissant - best one I have ever tasted yet, even surpasses all the ones I consumed in Paris. Go try it, and then please give me a recommendation for almond croissants if you feel it was subpar. My tastebuds thank you in advance.

I still have dreams about this.

A shot of the inside

For more photographs and candid thoughts on what I ate, click here, here, here and here for the diary entries.

Filou's Patisserie

187 Fenwick Street

Carlton North, VIC 3054

+61 3 9347 4029

http://www.filous.com.au/