Ernest Hemingway famously referred to Paris as A Moveable Feast in his beloved memoir; and after my trip to the city earlier this year, I couldn’t agree more with the phrase, albeit for slightly different reasons. Paris, to me, was a feast in a very literal way, thanks to the vast and wonderful array of desserts that the city had to offer. If you share my affection for sugar, then here are six places you must visit while in Paris.
Cafe Angelina
A tea room that was established in the early 1900s, today, it commands a cult following for its luxurious hot chocolate, inconspicuously named Chocolat Africain . It tastes like a bar of excellent dark chocolate in liquid form, and its decadent, syrupy consistency will have you going back for more. It’s served with a rather liberal portion of freshly whipped cream to help cut through the richness.
Do not miss their ‘toast’ either. Instead of regular bread, they greet you with thick, golden slices of brioche slathered with butter. Angelina is known to have tourists waiting in line for a table; a reservation is recommended, especially on weekends.
Jeff de Bruges
They specialise in Belgian chocolate, and are famous for their confectionery, especially their chocolate-coated almonds called dragées. Although you’re likely to find a Jeff de Bruges in every arrondissement of Paris, the one in Champs-Elysées is renowned because they also sell ice-cream and frozen yoghurt.
Do try La Coupe Parfait, a custom layered sundae in a clear glass. Rich chocolate ice cream is studded with chopped roasted almonds that sit on a bed of fresh raspberries and meringue peas, and is then topped with a large swirl of Chantilly cream. Parfait in French also means perfect. Coincidence? I think not.
Breizh Café
The crêpe is perhaps the most Parisian dessert there ever was. There are plenty of little crêpe stalls all over the streets of Paris, offering toppings from Nutella and Oreos to plain sugar. If you want something a little more special though, head to Breizh Café in Marais.
Amorino Gelato
This gelateria that was born in Paris boasts of traditional Italian practices and the freshest, natural ingredients. What makes Amorino stand apart is that there are no restrictions on the number of flavours you can put on your cone! It’s also very interesting to see gelato being served with a spatula, as opposed to the scoop. The sorbets are so fresh that the flavours of the fruit burst in your mouth, and the traditional flavours, like chocolate and stracciatella, are rich without being overly so. There are quite a few outlets across the city, and they’re fairly easy to spot, too — just look for the gelato shop with the long queue.
Sébastien Gaudard
Often referred to as ‘the little prince’ of pastry, Sébastien Gaudard was elected ‘Best Pastry Chef’ in the year 2012. His deliberately old-fashioned bakery on Rue des Martyrs holds a variety of treats and pastries: some traditional, some modern, all delicious. All it takes is a bite, whether it’s of his dark chocolate tart with the delicious buttery, flaky crust and lush ganache, or of his vanilla éclair with the marvellously light crust and not-too-sweet vanilla filling, to see why this man is celebrated the way he is.
Pierre Hermé
When you’re in Paris, these macarons will stare at you from every glass window. But be warned that macarons, like men, are not created equal. If you’re not too careful about where you’re getting it from, you may be confronted with hard, chewy outer shells and a flavourless filling which will put you off this iconic dessert for life.
Pierre Hermé, which has been hailed by the greatest food critics across the world as the best place for macarons in Paris, should be your first stop. The shells were delicate and crisp and the filling was generous and flavourful. The caramel-flavoured macarons in particular were delightful, with that elusive crunch of charred sugar.
