Pastry chef Francois Payard’s gleaming new café, FP Patisserie, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side features pyramids of macarons, shelves of dark chocolate creations and a long pastry case of elegant tarts, set against color-splashed oil paintings and under a David Rockwell glass chandelier, according to the New York Times.

There’s a small wine/coffee bar at the back of the shop, which opens discreetly into a spare salon, with 30 seats for breakfast, lunch and early dinner.

Payard devotees, thrilled to see the hot chocolate on the limited menu, will not yet find the onion soup they loved from the 74th and Lexington location, which closed in 2009, according to the Times. But despite competition from a bustling new boulangerie across the street, the patisserie draws a steady crowd craving an experience of refined familiarity. And an éclair or three.

François Payard is a third generation French Pastry Chef, born in Nice on July 16th, 1966. François cultivated his passion for the art of pastry as a child in his grandfather’s acclaimed shop, Au Nid des Friandises on the Riviera. Having grown up surrounded by delicious French pastries, François continues his family legacy, hand-crafting traditional and class French pastries today.

In September 2010, François opened FPB, a casual bakery on West Houston Street in downtown New York City, where guests can enjoy a variety of sweet and savory selections in an inviting, casual setting. FPB is the first of several collaborative projects from François and restaurateur Marlon Abela of Marlon Abela Restaurant Corporation (MARC), whose portfolio also includes the A Voce restaurants in New York City, as well as other restaurants in the U.S. and London.