Saint Jean, Stuck in purgatory ?
Instagram’s favourite Amsterdam Bakery, does it live up to the hype?
I first heard about Saint Jean through a friend on IG. He was completely besotted by the Pistachio Cruffin, posting about it several times across a couple of days. I did some googling and found the internet was similarly enthralled. So during my short day stay in Amsterdam, I made it one of my must hit spots.
The Vibe
The vibes are very reminiscent of modern bakeries in large cities. Everything is very clean and absent of colour. It just feels a bit boring and lazy nowadays, take a risk and do something fun. I’m looking forward to when we move away from this aesthetic, I’m not going to lie. Imagine a coffee shop/bakery in Shoreditch, that’s the vibe inside as well. It’s pleasant and chill place to be when it’s empty. When it’s packed, which is most of the time, however it is loud and not somewhere I’d want to chill at.
The Food
Pistachio Cruffin
The main attraction. The reason I trekked to Saint Jean. The reason I stood in a 15 minute queue.1 Was it worth it ? Not really… It’s a nice pastry but it’s not perfect. It is nice and buttery as you can see from the stain on the paper bag but that also means it’s not super crispy/flakey. Also the way they’ve filled it means it can get cloying after a while because it’s not crispy pastry. Moving on to the pistachio cream/creme, it was also just fine. My friend had fallen in love with this cream and sang from the hilltops about how amazing it was. I think he needs to mosey over to Lidl, M&S or Costco and get a tub of their pistachio creme that they sell. I’d argue the supermarket versions are slightly ahead because they have a deeper/richer flavour of pistachio than the Saint’s. Maybe because it had been hyped so much I’m being a bit harsh on the cruffin because it was still pretty good. As with life, expectations widely impacted my reality.
Rating 7.0/10
Kouign Amann
This is what my girlfriend got at Saint Jean. She thought the cruffin would be too sweet so wanted something else. It was one of the BEST things I’ve ever tasted. I had never had one before. Think of a croissant but they’ve added even more butter and in this case, browned butter with caramelized sugar. Creating an uber delicious treat that, as it closed my arteries, I enjoyed and wished I could steal from my partner. I look forward to trying more Kouigns in the future to understand if Saint Jean’s worked their magic or if I’m in love with KA.
Rating 8.9/10
Conclusion
If you’re about, I’d recommend Saint Jean for sure as a nice coffee shop with delicious pastries and juices. On a summer’s day the passionfruit spritz was particularly refreshing. However if you’re nowhere near or if you see a massive line, I’d probably head to another coffee shop to get your high.2
Something that seems to be the case anywhere half decent in Amsterdam. Like at 2pm a coffee shop shouldn’t be this deep. The lore is strong.
#Pun