Items Selected:
Strawberry, Biscuit, Butter Caramel,…read morePistachio Macaron
Butter and Vanilla Caramels
Tarte Tatin
St. Honore with Crème Caramel Base
Baba au Rhum
Originally targeted for another day, but finding itself slotted in on Monday as an evening walk led directly past its still-open doors, Chokola par Sebastien Bouillet proved every bit what the rumors had alleged of the patisserie now spread as far as Tokyo, the products amongst the very best in any city while the service is so indifferent that one wonders how the stores even manage to make a sale.
Small in size, and in a way 'overcrowded' with confections crawling up to the door plus two glass cases featuring macarons and plated desserts sitting to the right and at the back of the store, entry to Chokola is perhaps an intended case of sensory overload as notes of cocoa and sugar permeate the air, the guest at first seemingly left alone to take it all in and peruse the options but later a bit disconcerting when the staff barely acknowledges a "bonsoir" or request for assistance at the glass jars containing caramels just a few meters away.
Undeterred by the ennui, largely as a result of being impressed by the craftsmanship shown in almost every concoction from tablets of chocolate to classic desserts given an upgrade through whimsical inspirations, it was finally after approximately ten minutes of gathering and boxing that 29.45€ was exchanged for nine different selections, and taking the items to the street for consumption later on the first bites of caramel proved a bit less flavorful than expected, the vanilla version a far better investment with a good melt and plenty of butter, a similar flavor profile found in the Butter Caramel macaron while the rest of the small cookies ranged from a jammy and delicious strawberry to Pistachio that was too sweet and almost 'gummy,' the latter likely a result of having sat in the case for too long.
Enjoying the rest of the items after dinner while relaxing alongside the river outside the hotel, suffice it to say that by focusing on favorites there was little chance that Bouillet was going to fail in impressing a prone palate, yet as much as I anticipated enjoying the trio selected there was no way to anticipate just how good each of the three items would be - the fully saturated baba using a meringue-like topping to temper the alcohol while both the tarte tatin and St. Honore saw a traditional preparation placed atop a flaky butter crust, the former absolutely packed with caramelized apples while the balls of stuffed choux and light cream rested on a crème caramel that poured forth just seconds after fork cracked the base.
