My experience at Jacques Genin Chocolate shop, Paris

The day started with a drizzle and was cold.  So we could not explore much. Hence we decided to go visit the famous chocolatier Jacques Genin’s chocolate shop at Rue de Turenne. My 5 year old was absolutely delighted to see all the candy around her. She walks upto the counter and says, “I want vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream in that cone”, as she points to the cone. The young girl at the counter simply smiles at her and says “sure”. She picks out the ice cream tubs from their individual tiny refrigerators. Sets the tubs on the counter and asks me if chocolate should go to the bottom of the cone or vanilla. I ask her to put vanilla on top as my tot loves vanilla ice cream. She scoops out two well rounded scoops, places them as requested into the waffle cone and hands the cone over to my tot. Dotty goes to the steps and sits down comfortably as she takes the first lick. I ask her how it was, she gives the ice cream a second lick then answers, “yummy mummy” delightedly. I ask her if I can get a taste. She obliges willingly after two more licks and a bite of the cone. I take a tiny bite and I have to say the scoop was worth the 6 euros each. First the flavor, it is the most sublime vanilla flavor I have ever tasted. There is no other smell that emanates from the ice cream like most of the American ice creams do. The ice cream just melts away like a pleasant dream into your mouth. The ice cream itself is solid, cold and melty. When I bit into the ice cream and ate it, it did not hit my sinuses. It was the perfect cold temperature  to keep the ice cream solid but not so cold that one would get a brain freeze. The creamy texture, combined with the aroma of vanilla just enhances the overall experience of ice cream eating. My kiddo actually ate the ice cream before it melted and ran into puddles attesting to the fact that the ice cream was optimally frozen for human to consume immediately. I would recommend people to go give it a try if you really want to taste a tiny bit of ice cream heaven. 

                                             

My little one in front of the Jacques Genin Chocolate shop

                                      We then walked to the fruit jujubes counter; this counter was so colorful that it would bring the child in you out. My tot was absolutely delighted looking at the lovely collection of colorful candy. We packed a dozen of them in all colors and fruit flavors to eat. The fruit jujubes too were not the kind we usually end up eating. They are more melty, jammy, flavorful and not the gelatinous goop that I abhor eating. Infact, in the end my dotty did not like the jujubes and I ended up tucking all the lovely candy. The Kiwi, pear, rhubarb are the highly recommended flavors from me. They taste as if the raw fruit was just melted into square shapes and given a sugar dusting. 

Fruit Jujubes neatly stacked 

Chocolates. – The milk chocolates are made with 33% cocoa. The dark chocolates are made with 66% cocoa. The little square heavens are basically chocolate shell that is filled with coffee, mint, orange, lemon, basil, fruit ganache. The secret is the pure cocoa butter that is used to prepare the chocolates.  

Trays of chocolates lined up

Trays of sinful pleasure lined up 

Caramel candies – The caramel candies are nothing like the pedestrian caramels that we keep having all the time. These candies were definitely worth the accolades, they are melt in the mouth liquid gold. With so many flavors to choose from no caramel lover would ever leave the shop disappointed.

A little about the chocolate rebel Jacques Genin; Jacques ran away from his abusive home at the age of 12. He worked in a slaughter house for many years to sustain himself. He worked in various restaurants and then eventually opened a restaurant of his own eventually at the age of 28. He later sold it up and then went to work for La Mason Du Chocolat as the head pâtissier. He eventually left La Mason Du Chocolat to set up his own chocolate workshop and started supplying chocolates to 200 top hotels and restaurants in France. He opened his own chocolate shop in 2009 named, La Chocolaterie de Jacques Genin. He is a self taught chocolatier who did not get any sort of formal education as other French chocolatiers. The chocolate foundry where chocolates are made fresh is located a floor above , and as we are eating the ice cream in one corner one of the chefs in pristine white coat comes down carrying the delicious, mouth watering treats neatly arranged in a tray. She delivers it to the young lady at the counter and disappears quietly just the way she came in. This little piece of heaven is located in 133 rue de Turenne, 75003. Go at your own peril, the most delicious candies will tempt you in ways that candies can never do.