Elssi Pâtisserie

April 23, 2023

In a small and modest space just a stone's throw away from Délices metro stop is Lausanne's newest patisserie, Elssi. Mathilde Roumier smiles as she presents her gorgeous creations, all made by her using the kitchen equipment that sits just behind her. Even the most discerning eye and palate would be surprised to realize that everything in Elssi Pâtisserie is both gluten and lactose free.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. And we’ll add to that by saying that the best inventions or creations come from those who need the product the most themselves. This is the case with Mathilde Roumier, founder and pâtissière extraordinaire of Elssi Pâtisserie. Open since March 2023, every single gorgeous and delicious offering you’ll find in Elssi is both gluten-free and lactose-free because Mathilde herself is intolerant to both.

The shop is small, the selection curated, and in our opinion, every single item should be tasted. Offering both sweet and savory delicacies, Mathilde makes everything by hand on-site, using her previous experiences as an apprentice of Laurent Buet and as a pastry chef at the Starling Hotel.

We took home a selection of the pastries: the tartelette citron meringuée, the raspberry lime entremet, the mango passion fruit cheesecake, and the tout chocolat sponge cake. The desserts were extremely balanced, not too sweet, with delicate textures and flavors. Even though we were sharing amongst family, we couldn’t help but sneak extra bites of each one (which is saying quite a lot, as we’re not huge dessert people). We also picked up a few slices of quiche for lunch, which we paired with a simple salad. We popped them in the oven at home for a few minutes to warm them up and they were absolutely incredible. The crust was perfectly flaky, and the leek filling was savory and creamy but not too rich. The slices were portioned so generously that we actually divided them in half and found they could easily fill you up for lunch.

Suffice it to say, Elssi Pâtisserie is an absolute must-visit for everyone in Lausanne regardless of dietary restrictions because these sweet and savory treats should be enjoyed by all. And we bet you won’t be able to tell they’re gluten or lactose free.