Ah, Paris – perhaps the most delicious city in the world, although there are many strong contenders to this title. Paris is a city of confection; from the candy colours of macarons at Ladurée to the towering cream of a Mont Blanc at Angelina’s and the glittering gold of letters on a café window, this city delights in extravagance and teases all the senses. The temptation starts early – when you board your flight to Paris, some airports even have Maison du Chocolat pop-up shops in the terminal. Grab a rich chocolate ganache and settle in for the ride – here are a few of our must-eats in Paris:
Angelina’s
Stepping off the Rue de Rivoli into Angelina’s is like walking into a dream. Gold paint glitters against cream walls and beautiful murals, and the clink of dishes in the elegant tearoom mingles with the smells of chocolate, coffee and exquisite sweets. Queue at the counter to pick up some hot chocolate for friends back home and grab few macarons to eat in the Tuileries Garden (directly opposite the tearoom, and just a few minutes’ walk from the Louvre). To experience real opulence, dine in the tearoom on Angelina’s famous Mont Blanc chestnut cream meringues and the best hot chocolate in Paris.
Ladurée
What is there to say? Ladurée’s reputation has spread around the world, and it is well deserved; Mr. Ladurée invented macarons, delicately flavoured meringue cookies sandwiched together with flavoured ganache. Macarons are now the most stylish food in Paris, and it’s easy to see why. Walk in the door to a beautiful oasis of calm, and head straight for the glossy wooden counter with neat piles of macarons in a rainbow of colours and flavours including raspberry and white chocolate, pistachio, and salted caramel. Sit in the tearoom for the meal of a lifetime, and enjoy the wall-to-wall murals of elegant Japanese cranes while eating one of the most elegant meals of your life. Finish with a life-changing apricot sorbet.
Jean-Charles Rochoux
This little shop is tucked away and takes a bit of looking, but Monsieur Rocheaux’s chocolaterie is amongst the best in Paris. His window displays feature incredible chocolate sculptures, and the delights to be found inside are no less a work of art. The smooth ganaches dissolve in the mouth, and his caramelised hazelnut bar deserves a place in the Louvre with perfectly roasted hazelnuts coated in thin, crisp caramel and enrobed in smooth dark chocolate. Buy a stack to take home as gifts, if you don’t eat them all yourself.
