It's a cold, grey evening. It just rained heavily, but you have an umbrella and feel smug.

It's almost dinnertime as you wander around the old cobbled streets of Lille.

You spy a long winding queue.

You try to see what the fuss is about, peering and bobbing this way and that.

Then you see it.

A new cake.

A sweet delight you have not yet tried.

Should I have cake before dinner? Should I have two cakes before dinner?

You deliberate by the store window. Its soft, warm glow invites you in. You magically find yourself in the store.

"Oui madame?"

Your eyes roam the store, trying to find the name of the thing you want to eat.

There are so many! Chocolate coated, cherry flavoured, filled with coffee whipped cream.

"Le Magnifique, s'il vous plait"

It is shaped like the walnut whip from my youth. But it is not dipped in chocolate. The meringue and cream filling is studded with crushed caramelised almonds and hazelnuts. It almost shines.

It is like a fluffy pyramid on a base of a thin wafer-like meringue.

She places the mysterious dessert in a dainty box. Just the right size to accommodate the singular delight.

Outside I take a bite.

No need to chew. It's so sweet and light. The crunchiness of the nuts adds texture to the yielding praline whipped cream and meringue.

It's finished.

The new cake experience is over but not forgotten.