Lavender Croissants? A Saturday Morning at L’Appartement 4F
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Last Saturday morning I found myself, a blurry-eyed mother of a five-month-old, in line for croissants at 7:50am. While my sleep-deprived mind was quietly questioning my lifetime decisions at that moment, I observed the line growing behind me. All in the last few minutes before the French bakery opened at 8am.
The bakery in question, of course, is L’Appartement 4F, a neighborhood sensation that sells freshly-baked croissants, bread, mini croissant cereal, and cookies. Born in a small Cobble Hill (Brooklyn) apartment, it relocated to a commercial space on the nearby Brooklyn Heights’ Montague Street. The bakery is run by a husband and wife team with a growing number of helpers.
This particular Saturday morning was one of their special collaboration weekends with another NYC business. Teaming up with Apparis, a stylish vegan lifestyle brand, this Saturday they were offering lavender croissants and hot chocolate alongside their normal menu. And, of course, items from Apparis for purchase.
I was there for the lavender croissants. And, as the 30th in line, I was hoping to grab one for myself and one for my husband. Happily, I was successful—and even got a free pair of fluffy gloves from Apparis too!
Lavender Croissants
Lavender is generally always good in baking, but I did honestly have some reservations about lavender croissants. Would the croissants be too rich tasting? Would the lavender be too sweetened? Blah blah blah.
Or maybe I was simply being health-conscious and making excuses of why I should skip croissants entirely.
Either way, I’m happy to report that the lavender croissants exceeded expectations! While they were of course sweet croissants, the lavender was recognizably lavender and therefore not overly sweet. In fact, they reminded me of almond lavender croissants—a perfect combination!
I hope that L’Appartement 4F revisits the lavender croissants in the future. And while I am on the subject, can I also ask for a revisit of their matcha chocolate croissants they did a few months ago too?
On the regular menu, my favorite are the raspberry (Le framboise) croissants, followed by the Nutella and Plain croissants. This particular morning I also wanted a ham and cheese (jambon fromage) croissant. Basically, you can’t really go wrong with any of the croissants!
Lavender Hot Chocolate
Unfortunately the lavender hot chocolate was not worth the early morning wait in line. Served in a very small cup, it was very (oat) milky and was far too sweet. I could barely recognize it as lavender flavored. If you want lavender hot chocolate, I highly suggest you take a longer walk down Court Street to Maman for a good lavender and dark chocolate concoction.
Montague Street
While you’re in the area, feel free to meander through the other shops on Montague Street—the main business street within the historic Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. New shops have opened recently, including a new location for the bookstore Books Are Magic and a new spot for the Brooklyn Women’s Exchange. These shops join the Brooklyn Cat Cafe, Häagen-Daz, Blank Street Coffee, Vietnamese restaurant Hanco’s, and Thai restaurant Lantern, to name just a few favorites. Basically, there’s enough to warrant a good look!
So take your croissant and coffee for a walk (or enjoy inside), check out the shops, and perhaps also find a cozy bench on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for a good view of the waterfront and lower Manhattan. Just be sure to get to the bakery early—due to limited kitchen space and the time required to make croissants, they do tend to sell out quickly. But I promise, even with some extra sleep-deprivation, it is worth it.
