paris | Sugared & Spiced

2014/01/252015/08/05

[Paris] Dessance

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Dessance

Add: 74 rue des Archives, 75003
Tel: 01 42 77 23 62
Hours: [Wed-Thu] 2~11pm [Fri-Sat] 12pm~12am [Sun] 12~11pm
Website: www.dessance.fr
Price: [dessert menu] €19~42
Visited on: Jan 2013

Dessance, Paris’ first gastronomic dessert bar, opened quietly about 4 weeks ago. I say “quietly” because until very recently, I could barely find any information about it on the internet. Curious, I dropped by on a Saturday afternoon with Lindsay to find out what it’s about.

paris dessance

The two-floor space consists of a bar+open kitchen on the right as you enter, and about ten tables on the left and up on the mezzanine.

paris dessance

Right behind the bar is pastry chef Christophe Boucher, previously at Ledoyen (three Michelin stars) and Le Grand Véfour (two Michelin stars).

paris dessance

There are two menus to choose from. The smaller menu (€19) includes a mise en bouche, a dessert of choice, and mignardises. The larger “carte blanche” menu (€36) includes a mise en bouche, 4 desserts at the chef’s choice, and mignardises. Thirsty? Non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage pairing available at additional prices. There are also two savory options for those who need a bit of salt to balance out the sugar.

paris dessance

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2014/01/192015/08/05

[Paris] Café Kitsuné

paris

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Café Kitsuné

Add: 51 Galerie Montpensier, Paris 75001
Tel: +33 1 42 60 34 28
Hours: 8:30am~6:30pm
Website: www.kitsune.fr
Price: [coffee] €2.50~4.20
Visited on: Jan 2014

French fashion and music label Maison Kitsuné, after launching their first cafe in Tokyo last Febraruy, opened a second cafe here in Paris just two days ago, right amidst the frenzy of Fashion Week. This intimate, standing room-only space nestles inside the arcades of Palais Royal, its ultra clean and modern design contrasting drastically with the neighboring classical architecture. Interesting.

paris café kitsuné

The concise menu offers premium London-roasted coffee, tea, juices from Bob’s Juice Bar, and gluten-free pastries and cakes from Noglu.

paris café kitsuné

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2014/01/192015/08/05

[Paris] Lockwood

paris

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Lockwood

Add: 73 Rue d’Aboukir, 75002 Paris
Tel: +33 1 77 32 97 21
Hours: 8am~2am (closed on Sun)
Website: www.lockwoodparis.com
Price: [coffee] €2.50~5 [pastries] €2~5 [plates] €6~14 [cocktails] €6~10
Visited on: Jan 2014

Lockwood: coffee shop by day, cocktail bar by night. Just opened a month ago in December 2013, this “espresso/aperitivo” spot is a collaboration between three Lehoux brothers (ex-Ten Belle, Silencio, and a few bars in London and Sydney). I visited on a calm Saturday afternoon and was an immediate fan of the decor, the music, the food, and already I can’t wait to come back at a later hour for aperitivo.

paris lockwood

But what initially drew me here was AJ (you’ve already read about him here and here), an uber talented classmate from Ferrandi and now the man in Lockwood’s kitchen. He alone whips up all the pastries, lunch plates, and light bites for aperitivo. Good food, guaranteed.

paris lockwood

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2014/01/052014/01/11

2013 In Retrospect

paris

January

Hello 2013! The year started with counting down and feasting in London, followed by a Ferrandi end-of-the program trip filled with oysters, Grand Manier, and other good stuff.

2013 retrospect january

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2013/12/222015/08/05

[Paris] Des Gâteaux et du Pain (4)

paris

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Des Gâteaux et du Pain

Add: 89 rue du Bac , 75007 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 45 48 30 74
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 9am~8pm [Sun] 9am~6pm
Website: www.desgateauxetdupain.com
Price: [pastries] €5~6
Tasted on: Dec 2013

Newly opened! A second boutique of Des Gâteaux et du Pain, just steps from La Pâtisserie des Rêves on rue du Bac. If you’ve read my previous posts on this pâtisserie here, here, and here, you know it’s one of my favorites in Paris. The new boutique is designed in the same style as the original on boulevard Pasteur – sleek, modern, elegant, a bit too much so for my personal preference – but anyway, let’s focus on the pastries.

paris des gateaux et du pain

On the left side of the boutique is a long display of petits gâteaux, and on the right is a lineup of viennoiseries, gâteaux de voyage, confitures, etc.

paris des gateaux et du pain

My acquisitions of the day.

paris des gateaux et du pain

‘Tis the season for chestnuts, and Claire Damon came up with her interpretation of this popular winter ingredient. Mont-Blanc Cassis (€6) from the bottom up: shortcrust pastry tart shell, black currant compote, bits of glazed chestnuts and meringue, chestnut paste, and chantilly. Pastries from Des Gâteaux et du Pain tend to be quite light, and in comparison this one is more on the sweet side. Having said that, it’s still less sugar-loaded than the traditional mont blanc, and the thin layer of sour black currant compote does well in cutting the sweetness. Like.

paris des gateaux et du pain

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2013/12/132015/08/05

[Paris] Jacques Genin (3)

paris

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Jacques Genin

Add: 33 rue de Turenne 75003 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 45 77 29 01
Hours: Tue-Sun 11am~7pm (8pm on Sat, closed on Mon)
Website: jacquesgenin.fr
Price: [pastries] €6.50~13 [drinks] €4.50~11.00
Tasted on: Nov 2013

If it seems like I go to Jacques Genin all the time, that’s because it’s true. I’ve already talked about this chocolatier/pâtisserie/salon de thé here and there, but I just couldn’t resist putting up yet more photos of this place…

I mean, just look at this chocolat chaud traditionnel (€7). So rich that it seems to ooze out of the pot rather than flow from it. And no, it’s not too sweet or too thick. For me, it’s perfect.

And the Paris-Brest (€8), with its gorgeous hazelnut praline cream piped generously between two rings of choux pastry. Just divine.

I also tried Genin’s Saint-Honoré (€8) for the first time on this visit. What it is: three petit choux filled with vanilla pastry cream and glazed with crunchy caramel, lined with more vanilla pastry cream and chantilly cream, all sitting on top of a piece of puff pastry. Excellently done in all aspects – the choux, the pastry cream, the caramel, the chantilly, the puff pastry – but as I’m generally not a fan of pastry cream, this isn’t one of my favorites.

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2013/12/132015/08/05

[Paris] Gâteaux Thoumieux

paris

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Gâteaux Thoumieux

Add: 58 rue Saint Dominique, 75007 Paris
Tel: +33 1 45 51 12 12
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 10am~8pm [Sun] 8:30am~5pm (closed on Tue)
Website: www.gateauxthoumieux.com
Price: €2~5/pastry
Visited on: Nov 2013

I was very excited about Gâteaux Thoumieux, the new pastry shop from famed French chef Jean-François Piège. I had been to his Brasserie Thoumieux once and remember fondly of his beautiful and delicious tarte au citron, so right when his pastry shop opened about 3 weeks ago, I went in for a look.

A soft blue-green interior, which can be either soothing or dull depending on your taste.

Jean-François Piège was there himself, arranging the pastries on display and serving clients. His pastry chef in the kitchen is Ludovic Chaussard, previously at Ducasse, Fauchon, and Tour d’Argent among other establishments.

The selection includes petits gâteaux (tarts, eclairs, choux, etc.), gâteaux de voyage, macarons, viennoiseries, and breads.

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2013/12/122016/01/04

[Paris] Holybelly

paris

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Holybelly

Add: 19 Rue Lucien Sampaix, 75010 Paris
Tel: +33 9 73 60 13 64
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 8am~6pm [Sat-Sun] 10am~6pm (closed on Tue)
Website: www.facebook.com/holybellycafe
Price: €2.50~4/coffee, €4~13/breakfast items, €9~12/lunch items
Visited on: Oct 2013

Yes, bacon-glazed brownies do exist in this world, and you may have them with a cup of glorious latte at Holybelly here in Paris. Nico Avery and Sarah Mouchot, a very sweet French couple, have spent some time working in the food and coffee scene in Melbourne, and are bringing back that simple deliciousness to Paris. I have actually been to Nico’s old workplace Market Lane when I visited Melbourne two Springs ago, and can attest that it’s a very charming place. Holybelly opened just two months ago, and the difficult but rewarding process has been chronicled on their blog – a fun read for those who are interested in dipping their toes in the F&B business, myself included.

By the way, absolutely love these patterns.

sugared & spiced - paris holybelly

That’s Nico, behind the bar.

That’s Sarah in the kitchen, accompanied by Lise, who is actually a classmate from Ferrandi.

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2013/12/112015/08/05

[Paris] Fondation Cafe

paris

Fondation Cafe

Add: 16 rue Dupetit-Thouars
Hours: 9am~6pm (open daily)
Price: €2.50~5/coffee
Visited on: Nov 2013

Sunday afternoon with the ladies from Lost In Cheeseland and Paris In Four Month at Fondation Coffee, a newly-opened espresso bar by Australian barista Chris Nielsen (ex-Ten Belles, that lovely cafe near Canal St. Martin). Standing room included, the tiny space fits no more than 12 people, but there is a terrace if you are up for the Parisian wintry air. The interior, designed by Chris’ Swedish wife, is simple and cozy (but no toilet…in case you were planning to stay long). And the coffee? One of the best in town, I hear.

Café crème (€4), I say it’s a cup of fluffy dreams.

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2013/12/022015/08/05

[Paris] Le Chocolat de H

paris

The last time I had chocolates from Japanese chocolatier Hironobu Tsujiguchi was almost a year and half ago, when a friend graciously hand-carried a box back for me from his boutique in Tokyo. I had almost forgotten how divine his chocolates are, until I tasted them again at Paris’ annual Salon du Chocolat last month. This was Mr. Tsujiguchi’s first time appearing at Paris’ Salon de Chocolat, and his chocolates were awarded “5 bars”, the highest recognition by the Club des Croqueurs des Chocolat (CCC). That sounds like a big deal.

On another note, I spotted Mr. Carl Marletti at buying Le Chocolat de H at Le Salon du Chocolat. He told me that he has been to the boutique in Tokyo several times, and is a huge fan. Great minds, you know.

I took home a box of 8 flavors (€2 each), and after tasting all of them in one single sitting, I immediately regretted not buying more of these…