‘Annie in Paris’: The very best chocolat chaud

After our first day of French class, I pulled Gabby apart. “Wanna go get sizzling chocolate?” I stated. “That sounds good,” stated Gabby. I didn’t know Gabby, not effectively. We had mutual buddies. I had met her earlier than. However I wished to attempt Parisian sizzling chocolate, and it was chilly and Gabby appeared like the best associate for the job.

It seems Gabby was the right associate. Gabby loves sizzling chocolate, possibly greater than I do. What started that late afternoon in an off-shoot of the tearoom Angelina subsequent to Jardin de Luxembourg turned a quarter-long quest to seek out the perfect Chocolat Chaud within the metropolis. This isn’t a job that Gabby and I took frivolously. Angelina is the vacationer favourite, however we requested locals for his or her opinions too. Our French instructor really useful locations to us: Le Procope (dangerous) and La Coupole (additionally dangerous). The web really useful Carette, and at first sip it was a delight, however it had this unusual texture that was clearly because of thickening brokers that I couldn’t recover from, so it, too, was dangerous. It was stunning what some locations would attempt to get away with: Amarino charged us 5 euro, and proceeded to serve us sizzling chocolate powder blended with steamed milk. As if!

By means of our travels throughout Paris, I saved in thoughts an necessary distinction, which is how to order sizzling chocolate in French. Many menus supply just a few issues: Chocolat Chaud is the final translation of sizzling chocolate. Nevertheless, this may generally check with boring, run-of-the-mill, American-style sizzling chocolate. Or it may be the thick and creamy sort — it will depend on the institution. Chocolat viennois, (Viennese chocolate) might be sizzling chocolate with whipped cream. If chocolat chaud à l’ancienne is on the menu, that is your finest wager. The purpose is, there isn’t any clear distinction between good sizzling cocoa and powder blended, so for those who’re ever in search of a thick Parisian sizzling chocolate, I counsel talking with the employees.

Our Standards:

• Taste: Dense chocolate. Virtually too dense earlier than the whipped cream is added.
• Texture: must be thick, leaving a skinny layer on the sting of the cup. Mustn’t have the grittiness of added cornstarch or different thickening brokers.
• Expertise: Sizzling chocolate is supposed to be loved, not consumed. We most well-liked so as to add the whipped cream ourselves, having it primarily served in separate trays, not haphazardly piled on high.

Outcomes:

• Finest General: Angelina, Rue de Rivoli
  • Notice: I want that Angelina wasn’t the perfect one. I want I may let you know {that a} smaller, quainter, much less touristy store had thicker and extra velvety sizzling chocolate. That might merely be dishonest. Angelina, at this particular location, is the perfect. We additionally tried the Jardin de Luxembourg location and the Rue de Bac location, and neither held as much as the model right here. Moreover, we tried it at this location each to eat in and perform. Want I say it? It’s higher for those who eat in.
• Shut Runner Up: Grom (close to the Pantheon)
  • The second-best sizzling chocolate in Paris could shock you, as a result of it has neither good ambiance, nor self-serve whipped cream, however that could be a testomony to the flavour and texture of this one. Grom is an Italian gelato chain, however their whipped cream was higher than some other I discovered in Paris; I desire the density of Italian whipped cream. Don’t miss this sudden gem.
• Additionally is nice and price consuming: Pierre Herme 
  • In case you have a candy tooth, Pierre Herme’s sizzling cocoa just isn’t for you. In case you like consuming sizzling chocolate that tastes medicinal, buttery and goes straight to your core: come right here and deal with your self to a paper cup together with a flower-topped macaron (be aware: additionally the perfect macarons in Paris, on this author’s not-so-humble opinion).

Cliche or not, my favourite a part of discovering the perfect sizzling chocolate in Paris was not the decadent drink however moderately making a brand new shut connection over mugs of the steamy confection. Traversing via arrondissements, metros and crowded streets, previous Haussmann structure and weiner canines, Gabby and I talked of French males, French politics and dissected our lives — previous, current, and future. Being away from Stanford and the comforts of america made somebody I barely knew earlier than really feel like residence.