The origins of the Napoleon, or mille-feuille, are shrouded in mystery, with most accounts placing the earliest records to around the mid-17th century, with the great Marie-Antoine Carême taking the recipe and improving on it in the 19th century. There is little evidence to link the pastry with the diminutive emperor with which it shares its name. Why then, we might ask, is it so enduringly popular, and increasingly so in China? One look at the crisped layers and oozing pastry cream in the version at Aux Delices and you will struggle to remember the question.

The origin of the Napoleon (RMB 28) here at least is not in question, since the mastermind behind it can still be found working in the kitchen every day. Sprightly Japanese chef Sugita-san is Aux Delices’ pastry chef and trademark holder, and his 50 years of experience in chocolate and pastry in both Japan and Europe shines through in all the desserts on offer. His Napoleon is an exercise in classic technique, the puff pastry crumbling easily under the weight of a spoon to be scooped up with bites of a crème pâtissière that is the essence of smoothness. The sizable portion errs ever so slightly on the sweet side, all the better to wash it down with a strong black coffee (RMB 28).

Be sure to stock up on some of Sugita-san’s signature chocolates (he studied chocolate in Switzerland for six years) before you leave, especially since for many the trek out to Shunyi will be an occasional one. Probably best to grab a bag of chocolate-covered orange peel (RMB 60 per pack) for the trip then, just in case.

More stories by this author here.

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Photos: Uni