Tunis-based outlet Les Galets allows you to order
fresh and delectable pastries online, and delivers
them right here in Doha. By Umer Nangiana
Are you tempted by escaping your daily routine for a brief moment in time? What if you are offered a delicious cup of tea accompanied by sweet delights from the country of jasmine?
Do you wish to travel inexpensively and enjoy the exotica of a country in North Africa called Tunisia? Several choices are available to you; buy a plane ticket, get yourself music record from the Maghreb or, even better, enjoy the flavours and smell the aromas of this 1,000-year-old country.
This is exactly what the pastry shop Les Galets allows you to do. Yes, the taste artisan brings you fresh and delectable pastries from Tunisia right to the comfort of your home.
Right here in Doha, you can get the original natural delights from Tunisia, free of any preservatives, within just three days. “Our pastries are hand-made, use only first-choice natural ingredients and do not contain any preservatives. They are 100% handmade, 100% natural, 100% fresh and 100% delicious,” claims the pastry shop, and the taste indeed testifies the claims.
The pastries are soft and tender to the core. Even the toppings of pine nuts and walnut would just melt in your mouth along with the bite-size pastry. They are also very light on stomach. So it is very difficult to withdraw your hand after you pick your first from the box. And then, each one of the assortments has its own unique taste and texture. We received the box within three days and the pastries inside were as fresh as just packed. “Our pastries are fresh, light, refined and come in several flavours. Close your eyes, taste one of our delights and you will be enchanted,” challenges the pastry shop.
A genuine institution whose knowledge of culinary art has been passed down from generation to generation for a little over a century, the foundation of the Les Galets pastry shop by Menna Kabani in January 1977 is as much due to her culinary skills as to her perseverance.
How the shop came into being? Kabani was a civil servant in an embassy in Tunis from 1968 until 1977. At the time, she was very involved in the social activities of the embassy and she liked organising events that bring people together.
She wondered what was to be done to cheer up and make these social gatherings attractive for her colleagues. She had the idea to seduce their tastebuds and palates by bringing pastries she made at home. Her cakes were so popular that she had to bring them for all occasions, in order not to disappoint the guests.
Impressed by Kabani’s cakes, one of her colleagues who came back to live in New York City, proposed her to establish a pastry shop over there. Being very attached to the culture of her country, she refused the invitation, but the idea of starting a business continued to grow in her mind.
Why not establish the business here in Tunis, she wondered? With the help of her colleagues at the embassy, she thus founded her first pastry shop near the embassy. That is how Les Galets opened its doors on January 25, 1977, benefiting from an already conquered clientele.
“Our delicious pastry is made with the highest quality ingredients, all entirely natural, and free of preservatives, colourants and artificial flavours. Striving to bring you the quintessential flavours, our pastry shop uses for its preparations dried fruits, carefully selected, and fresh butter,” says the pastry-makers.
It has a collection of 11 assortments listed on its website which you can select from. The pastries come in 22-70 pieces packages and in the price range of $39-$85.The assortments include dates extravaganza, nutty nuts, royalty nuts, honey temptation, honey bliss, pleasure nuggets, yummy delights, hazy hazelnut, baklava feast, Arabian nights and ultimate pistachio.
The assortments are the answer to all those looking for an original gift idea for anyone with a refined taste, appreciating new discoveries, who has a demanding palate and is difficult to surprise. An everlasting impression is guaranteed by one of the best in the business.
The pastries are all shipped in a prestigious gift box decorated with a beautiful Fatma’s hand (khomsa) which, the shops says, symbolises good fortune and protects against the evil eye.
And it is quite simple to place an order. All you need to do is to visit the website at patiserrielesgalets.com, select an assortment, order online and your sweet pastries will be shipped to you within the time of five working days. For Middle East, the shipping time is three working days.
“Our Tunisian cakes are renowned for their lightness and refinement and the wide variety of flavours is likely to satisfy all the food lovers and the gourmets as well. Whatever the occasion, at lunchtime or in the evening, with friends or family, we propose a wide range of assortments of pastries that will liven up your get-togethers,” says the shop.
So, indulge in the flavours, the colours and exotic fragrances from the country of jasmine that will definitely satisfy your palate.