I discovered Belle Epicurean purely based upon smell. I can honestly say this is the first place I’ve been tempted to try because my nose led me there. And after I left Seattle, I seriously kept thinking about it.

Belle Epicurean is a tiny pastry/coffee shop located on the bottom floor of the Fairmont Hotel. Stepping out of the elevator on my first morning there, I was greeted by the sweet smell of fresh bakery goods. I was tempted to go investigate the source, but alas, I didn’t want to be late on the first day of the week of work, so I passed. I now regret that decision. What I would give for one more day of Belle Epicurean!

On the second day, we ventured over to discover the smell. Since we were in a rush, we ordered a pastry to go. While we were waiting for the car, the doorman noticed the Belle Epicurean in our hands and raved for about 5 minutes about how wonderful it was. I thought he was just doing his job to promote the hotel’s stores, but I would soon find out that he wasn’t exaggerating. Upon arrival at the work location, we dove into our pear and almond brioches… and subsequently started drooling all over oursevles. it was SO INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS. Usually with rolled pastries, the outsides are a little overdone while the middles may be a little on the raw side… but Belle Epicureans’ brioche was perfectly cooked all the way through, and the outside was nice and crisp, the inside soft and fluffy… the consistency perfect, the pear puree (which seemed to be soaked in a bit of alcohol) exquisite… it really was perfection. Well, nearly. I could have done without the golden raisins that were also inside.

So the next day, we made it a point to wake up early so we can have a peaceful sit down breakfast, and today we can actually ask the girls behind the counter what they recommend. She highly recommended the citrus brioche, and also informed us that their caramel lattes (they make their own caramel) and mochas (made with imported belgian chocolate, with 70% cocoa) are delicious as well. And again, Belle did not disappoint. The caramel latte wasn’t as sweet as something you’d get from starbucks… but the aftertaste is this rich, buttery, pure caramel flavor – like caramels you get from chocolate shops, not like thin, syrupy caramel you find in most lattes. Absolutely yummy. The mocha tasted like liquid bittersweet chocolate – may be a little bitter for those who like very sweet mochas, but i thought this was so rich and incredible.

There were tons of other things I saw in the display that I wanted to try (pistachio creme brulee, and lots of customers ordered almond croissants), but alas, I ran out of days there.

The only down side is that their hours are 6 am – 6 pm, so unless you live or work in downtown Seattle, you probably won’t get to have it until a weekend. So sad.