Comptoirs de France is the only bakery in Beijing to boast French ownership. That's right, all the other “Paris” cafes and pastry shops are in fact Korean owned, and so forth. Hence, that is why it is dreadfully difficult to find authentic and dreamy French pastries and bread.

Founded three years ago Comptoirs’ artisan traditions and values have made it a rare and precious haven for premium French goods. Each branch cafe is managed by an actual French native, to ensure high standards. They have taught the staff to never say no, sorry or I don’t know. Rather the staff can actually think for themselves and do their very best to serve whatever you desire.

The food is incomparable to other cafe food and is undoubtedly superior. All their products are freshly baked and made in their factory, including their home made ice cream, gingerbread houses and chocolate Santa, and they strive to import their flour, butter and Valharona chocolate from France and Germany. Even more attractive is that everything is prepared by a French chef, and picky French connoisseurs can even give praise to Comptoirs’ breakfasts (Continental, American, Fapai, and Junior from 38 to 78rmb), salads (35 to 45 rmb), and sandwiches (35 to 45rmb).

The most popular dishes are the Rich chocolate truffle, American breakfast and Chef Salad, though everything on the menu is commendable. They offer everything from omelets, to pancakes, to fruit, to yogurt to and cold cuts. We were unable to resist the Chef Salad and the Oriental Chicken Sandwich, and were astounded pleasantly by the freshness and presentation.

The Oriental Chicken Salad was made with crunchy bread and we could see and smell the fresh tomato, onion, and crispy lettuce. Marinated with 5 spice, the chicken sandwich was gratifyingly satisfying and one of the best sandwiches we have had.

The Chef Salad was equally appetizing, and the smell and texture of the egg, cheese, ham and lettuce gave it a dainty and mellow yet scrumptious taste. The Balsamic dressing made it tantalizingly sweet yet was not over doused onto the salad like most places making it a soggy and sloppy mess. There was just a light touch of dressing to boost the natural taste of the glistening unprocessed greens. The salad was definitely equal to the healthy salads you would find in France.

The fresh white crispy bread served with the salad was definitely parallel to traditional French bread, and could not be faulted, and the Rye bread was quintessential Rye bread (harder to find here than one might think) and had the distinct Rye taste of lightly sour and sturdy texture rather than just being a variation of whole wheat. It had a deep flavor, a flavor of the earth, a flavor full of character, a flat feel on the back of your tongue that gradually fills your whole mouth, and it was appropriately chewy. The breads can be served with the meal or taken to go.

Comptoirs’ menu changes every three months and they offer soups for the winter and cocktail juices for summer. The special of the month was the Cauliflower Soup and was thick and creamy yet smooth with a strong peppered cauliflower taste and green grass color.

However, the high note was the Yule Log desserts. The Yule log has also come to refer to log-shaped Christmas cakes, also known as chocolate logs and Buche de Noël. It is a chocolate cake rolled up with a filling and frosted to resemble a real holiday Yule log, and Comptoirs’ were divine and luscious! The White-raspberry was light fluffy white chocolate with a crackerjack kick of raspberry to electrify the taste buds, and the best dessert yet in Beijing. The Hazelnut was equally yummy and rich and creamy, a perfect dessert for your Christmas Eve dinner or Winter Solstice celebration, especially when paired with their unique modern Banana rum hot chocolate with chunks of banana and chocolate, and their commendable frothy cappuccino.

Comptoirs’ is a place to come to again and again, and they even have a strong following of the French ex-pats. The French management and use of actual French products make this place a shining star above the other cafes and bakeries/pastry shops in Beijing. Comptoirs even offers a loyalty discount card for anyone who comes 9 times in one month. A perfect card to get now, so as to take advantage of the incredible Christmas products they are offering, such as Santa Claus chocolates, Galette de Rois, Christmas Trees, Stolen, and mince pies and puddings. Any person would squeal with joy to find any of those finely decorated desserts in their stocking. Finally for those to impatient to make a trip to the cafe, Comptoirs’ does do small and large party catering, take-away, and they even make specialty cakes for any occasion!

Comptoirs de France Bakery has stated that this is the place to discover real quality goods and the true taste of France. They are not lying, and that is all I need to say.