Molten Pleasure
In the midst of a Parisian winter, a cup of hot chocolate is a delicious way to banish the chill.
Few things bring such pure pleasure on a cold day in the French capital as a cup of intoxicating, wickedly thick chocolat chaud à l’ancienne. When it comes to chocolate, the French prefer it made the old fashioned way. Le goût amer is dark and bittersweet, so the hot drink is classically rich in taste with very little sugar. If you prefer it sweeter and creamier, ask for a pot of whipped cream.
Steiger
20 rue des Capucines, 75002.
(01) 42 61 20 82.
At this unassuming chocolatier near the jewel-encrusted Place Vendôme, Madame Constantin creates a hot chocolate so thick you can almost stand a spoon up in it. She melts a tablet of quality dark chocolate made of pure cocoa butter from the Ivory Coast, and adds just a cloud of milk - it’s rather like drinking sauce from a superb chocolate pudding.
Ladurée
16 rue Royale, 75008.
(01) 42 60 21 79.
Drop into this gorgeous 19th-century green and gold jewel box for a chocolat chaud Ladurée. Made from pure chocolat noir and poured from a silver jug, this dreamy, molten creation - from a secret recipe - swirls and lingers on the palate before caressing the throat. Don’t leave without savouring a plate of famous mini-macaroons in a rainbow of flavours.
Maison du Chocolat
52 rue Francois 1er, 75008.
(01) 47 23 38 25.
Monsieur Linxe and his creative director Pascal Le Gac reign supreme in the Paris chocolate world. Sit at the bar surrounded by exquisite handmade confections in this chocolate-brown boutique off the Champs Elysées and indulge in one of the intensely flavoured hot chocolates. Guayaquil is an experience of pure pleasure, remarkably balanced with a velvety texture and rich aroma. Caracus is a dark, full-bodied blend, reserved for discerning lovers of bitter chocolate. For total decadence, order a sinful chocolate degustation platter to accompany your cup of heaven.
La Charlotte de l’Ile
24 rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Ile, 75004.
(01) 43 54 25 83.
This poetic, postage stamp-sized café on the enchanting Ile St-Louis offers a potent, delicious dose of bittersweet hot chocolate served in quirky little ceramic pots, accompanied by a small carafe of water and a tiny glass.
Angelina
226 rue de Rivoli, 75001.
(01) 42 60 82 00.
For the richest hot chocolate in the city, head to Angelina’s for a lethal chocolat à l’Africain. The unctuous, century-old recipe is made from melted chocolate and served with lashings of Chantilly cream. Once the haunt of Audrey Hepburn and Coco Chanel, this grand beaux-arts salon opposite the Louvre is a favourite of the fashion set.
Christian Constant
18 rue de Fleurus, 75006.
(01) 53 63 15 15.
Steps away from the Luxembourg Gardens, modern French chocolatier Christian Constant offers four fabulous hot chocolates in his sleek grey-and-white tearoom. The tablets are melted in the workshop below, raised by dumb waiter and reheated by vapour. Classic Guanaja - one of the best hot chocolates that will ever pass your lips - is lush, perfumed and satiny-smooth, served in a large pitcher alongside two perfect squares of ganache. Mexicain is scented with cinnamon and traces of chilli.
Musée Jacquemart-André
158 blvd Haussmann, 75008.
(01) 45 62 11 59.
Slung with 18th-century tapestries and red velvet drapes, the museum’s cafe is one of the most beautiful in Paris. Pause for a china pot of smooth, luxurious chocolate and a feather-light millefeuille.
Jean-Paul Hévin
231 rue Saint-Honoré, 75001.
(01) 55 35 35 96.
On the first floor of his elegant boutique on the chic rue Saint-Honoré, purist chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin serves a silky, dense, not-too-sweet potion that will stay in your dreams.
