We stopped by Pains d'Exclamation to pick out some bakery items for our long drive home. Having…read morestuffed myself with croissant from all the top-rated bakery in downtown Quebec-city a week earlier, I really wasn't expecting anything comparable from a tiny local bakery in La Malbaie. Well let's just say I was pleasantly surprised...
My eyes popped open when I took my first bite into their croissant. It was so incredibly flaky throughout and the outer crust near the edges were delightfully crispy. I would say in terms of flakiness/crispiness, it's as good if not better than the croissants at Le Croquembouche and Paillard in QC. It's not quite as airy as the other two places I mentioned, but it's still in the top-3 of my favorite croissant places in QC (or anywhere for that matter).
We also had the strawberry brioche, which was also very good. It wasn't too sweet which I liked, but by the time we ate it, the fruit had leaked into the bread making it a little soggy. Still delicious and eating that fresh would have been amazing.
The two bakery items we tried were fantastic, however, I felt the service could have been better. We got a little attitude when we were ordering because we had a difficult time deciding what to get and felt we were rushed. Could have been the language barrier, but I think she could have been more patient. Regardless, putting up with a little attitude from auntie is a small price to pay for tasting their delightful baked goods. Would definitely recommend stopping by if you are in the area!