Austin Y.
Yelp
3.5 stars - during my two months of study abroad in Paris, I made numerous trips to Aki for lunch. At first I loved it (as a huge fan of matcha), but as I had the chance to experience more and more boulangeries and pâtisseries (Sadaharu Aoki in particular), Aki fell down the priority list a bit. It's definitely good, but a bit overrated in my opinion. I tried:
Melon pain (2.20 - 2.80€): My favorite item from Aki, and I don't know of any other boulanger in Paris who makes it, which is really a shame. They are small round buns, lightly sweetened with a brioche-like consistency on the inside, but a bit fluffier, less dense and buttery. The top is my favorite part, crunchy and reminiscent of a cookie. I think I tried pretty much all of the flavors, and the matcha (with white chocolate chunks) and strawberry were my favorites. Perfect amount of sweetness, terrific texture.
Matcha cookie (2.50€): green tea cookie with white chocolate chunks, very straightforward. Great flavor combination, the sweet white chocolate went very well with the bitter matcha, which is very pronounced. They definitely aim for crispy/crumbly cookies rather than soft, chewy ones, but are generally very good.
Aki-Brest (3.70€): open-faced pâte à choux (éclair-type puff pastry) split lengthwise with a red bean mousseline piped inside, dusted in matcha powder. I had this a few times and liked it at first, but on later tries I wasn't a fan of the choux pastry, which was a bit dry, with the consistency of having absorbed too much air. The red bean mousseline tastes great and is the perfect level of sweetness, but I found the texture a bit too greasy, the kind that leaves an unpleasant feeling on your lips and tongue after you eat it.
Yuzu & Matcha éclairs (3.20€): Really liked the yuzu, which was just tart enough, but I thought the matcha flavor wasn't very pronounced in the matcha crème. As opposed to the Aki-Brest, the choux pastry in their eclairs was consistently good, just a tiny bit crunchy without being at all soggy or doughy, really appreciate the restraint in using sugar.
In the end, still a very good choice, and I'm rounding up for the incredibly kind, efficient, and courteous service (without exception!)