In November 2014, two university students met on a tennis court in Shanghai. On one side of the court, Thomas, from Brittany, had travelled all around China to see what people knew about his hometown’s renown crêpes and galettes. On the other side of the court, Arnaud, from Brussels, had learnt his grandmother’s waffle craft through years of generous tasting as a kid and dreamt of showing the world what a real Belgian waffle was. This unlikely encounter did not only mark the start of a great friendship, but also the beginning of an ambitious project: bring their hometown’s favorite delicacies to the Middle Kingdom.

Why China?

Because firstly, and most importantly, we could not find our beloved desserts, even in the culturally-diverse metropolis that Shanghai is. At least, not the ones that reminded us of the childhood memories we were chasing.

Besides, we were amazed by how fast new trends started in this city, and how quickly people embraced them. The consumer’s curiosity and adaptability push businesses to consistently innovate.

Finally, we realized that the emerging Chinese middle class was growlingly looking for authentic and accessible Western food options, and we saw an opportunity in addressing these new needs with our authentic and handmade waffles and crêpes.

So is this all just about waffles and crêpes?

Travelling teaches you a lot of things. Through the process of opening yourself up to another culture, you start questioning yourself and, as a result, understand where you come from better. It teaches you to feel the importance and subtlety of cultural differences, which we experienced through learning the language, spending time with local friends, learning their history, and exploring their cuisine. During this exchange, we realized food tells a lot.

We realized that food is a simple medium to connect people coming from different places and background, which pushed us to create our concept, Au Beurre Salé.

By promoting a way of life, and the cultural background behind our products, we identify ourselves as a lifestyle brand, holding three fundamental values at its core: Passion, Culture, and Craftsmanship.

Combining these three cores values as the back bone of our concept, we are convinced we can create a truly unique and innovative brand. Au Beurre Salé aims to become a new culinary door to European food culture and lifestyle in Asia.

We want our concept to come to life through a typical French-style bistro, where we would welcome our guests in a simple and warm “à la bonne franquette” atmosphere with a full-day menu: a waffle and a good cup of coffee for breakfast, a crispy galette with a glass of wine for lunch or dinner, and a soft and sweet crêpe with a cup of tea as an afternoon snack.

Since our humble beginnings in the kitchens of our university dorms, we’ve been offering our products through different channels to different crowds, including markets, festivals, corporate events, and online delivery. It’s been almost five years since the seeds of our project were planted, during which we’ve been accumulating precious experience, through many successes and failures, and we now feel ready to move on to the next step. Will you join us on this journey?