Du Pain et Des Idees

Chocolate, pastries, coffee, conversation and affairs of the heart are probably the staple diet of any self respecting Parisienne. 

I had planned on tasting and reviewing a bar of chocolate from Divine but, alas, chocolate will have to play second fiddle to the seductress that is pastry, especially French pastries.

If you are in Paris at this very moment or planning to go to Paris sometime in the near future then you must head straight to Du Pain et Des Idees without fail. Forget sightseeing, leave it be until you're bored with eating or until you can't physically move.

Confronted with such a magnificent range of artisan breads
and mouthwatering pastries I challenge anybody not to be seduced by the scene that confronts them. 

My appetite springs into overdrive and in an instant I manifest into a savage and ruthless freshwater pike that will empty a pond of its fish stocks in seconds! 

Choose from hunks of bread as big as pavement slabs or dainty apple turnovers or perhaps bright green pain au pistachio (that's what I'm calling them). All made with delicious, organic, 'full fat' ingredients, including Valrhona chocolate. Fortunately, none will be found in a Weight Watchers guide.

There is a queue from dawn to dusk for Le Pain. While you wait you can soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the glass painted ceilings and beveled mirrors before being served by the master himself, Christophe Vasseur. 

Open Monday to Friday, 06:45 to 20:00. Address: 34 Rue Yves Toudic 75010 Paris. Nearest tube - Republique.  

To avoid 'derriere enlargement' I suggest a stroll along Rue Du Seine and take in the artwork for a few hours or more.

Framboise by Damyel

Not a brand name that I'm familiar with but Damyel is a Kosher Salon with several outlets throughout Paris.  Unfortunately, I wasn't lucky enough to be in Paris at the time and I had to rely on the kindness of a fellow chocoholic to snap up a bar for me.  However, with the proviso that I left him a few morsels to taste. Sounds like a good deal to me. My O-Level French didn't set me up for translating web pages and before you ask I did try Google Translate but I couldn't cut and paste! So, I can't tell you too much about this company.

If you are fluent in French then visit their site by clicking on this link. Alternatively, follow this link to a blog called, French Kosher Cuisine. From what I can glean Damyel produce a wide range of chocolates including pralines, ganache filled chocolates, macaroons and 100g bars.  


There are eight different bars including almonds, coffee, orange, hazelnuts and raspberries. Essentially, kosher chocolate must be totally free of animal products. 

In terms of packaging the bar is very well presented as are the other products in their range. The bar is well made, divided up into ten equal sized rectangles for easy snapping! 

Available from Yarden £2.99

A 54% dark chocolate with a lovely raspberry aroma. The pink raspberry granules are certainly not as vibrant in the 'flesh' and appear washed out, unless they've use white raspberries!  Personally I'd like a bit more sharpness from a raspberry flavoured bar. 

This is a fairly agreeable bar of chocolate but me for it lacks umph and charisma.  Very well presented and put together but just missing a bit of extra flavour, 7/10. To buy this bar.......cross Le Channel.  No, I jest!  To buy this bar follow the link to Yarden, the home of fine kosher foods in the UK.

Abanico- Chocolat de Création

My problem with birds of the feathered variety seems to be continuing. Not only do they wake me at 4am with their lovely bird song but they're now using me for target practice. It was probably my mistake as I spooked a Wood Pigeon this morning and for my troubles it promptly deposited a little gift on my shoulder! I've been told it is good luck so, I'm off to buy a scratch card. If I never blog again you'll know I've either died or won the lottery!  


Abanico - Chocolate de Creation - When it comes to patisserie and chocolate delights the French are up there with the chocolate Gods. Agreed. I know the French scoff at our English cuisine but you have to admit they are pretty good at the sweet stuff. Well, when Chloe from Abanico offered me the chance to sample some of their chocolate I jumped at the opportunity.

History: Victoire Finaz is the creator behind the label and Abanico was launched over a year ago. A brave step in these difficult times. Their range of chocolates have been designed to awaken the senses for an enhanced tasting experience. To quote, "Meaning "fan" in Spanish, Abanico's chocolates open up a world of flavours. Our exquisite selection offers something for every taste; from crispy and delicately crunchy pralines to our salty caramel-filled palets. We take pride in developing recipes that bring together different tastes in perfect harmony". They also have their own blog page, Pas un Jour sans chocolat, where they talk about their passion for chocolate. 


To produce their fine range of chocolates they procure cocoa beans from Costa-Rica, Tanzania and the Islands of Vanuatu (east of Australia) and from Papua New Guinea. Apparently Victoire selected these regions because of the aromas produced by their cacao beans. In fact, they use all three types of cacoa to give their chocolates their unique taste. The Trinitario beans are sourced from Papua New Guinea and the Island of Vanuatu, Forastero from Tanzania and the Criollo from Costa Rica. 

The Chocolate: Typically the English weather sent temperatures sky high and then spiralled out of control as the heavens opened! I'm afraid the fine selection of ganaches and pralines are slightly dull, possibly due to temperature fluctuations over the weekend. 

From top left Caramel Ganache; Blue Flower Tea;
Ali Baba; Praline Feuillete and Moroccan Mint

These are particularly delicate and the chocolate casing is wafer thin.  For the benefit of doubt this is the definition of a praline:


Praline - Praline refers to two different confectionery products: either almonds cooked in boiling sugar, or a thick chocolate candy filled and coated with chocolate.  Praliné - A paste ground more or less finely, composed of powdered sugar, almonds and/or hazelnuts, oven-toasted and caramelised.


Caramel Ganache flavoured with delightfully fruity raspberry. The texture of the ganache is 'jelly' like and it reminds me of a Jaffa Cake centre. It is delicious. The dark chocolate works really well with the raspberry.

Caramel Ganache

Blue Flower Tea - Described as a dark ganache with a romantic blend that conjures up images of lazy summer afternoons. A good dark ganache but lazy summer afternoons, no. I don't get this one at all. The flavour is so delicate and subtle that I can't describe it at all.

Blue Flower Tea

Ali Baba Praline - I love the name. Adorned with tiny shards of sesame seeds and boasting caramelised nougat. Soft milky ganache with toasted sesame seed is fantastic and I wish there was more.

Ali Baba Praline

Moroccan Mint Ganache - Described as a creamy and refreshing dark ganache with hints of Moroccan mint. The dark ganache has a lovely tobacco aroma and the ganache is certainly creamy. Brush your hand through fresh mint and this is the taste sensation. Excellent! 

Moroccan Mint

Praline Feuillete - Last but not least. This little praline is described as offering almond and hazelnut with a laced crepe. Not sure about the crepe maybe this is lost in translation? A truly nutty, crunchy and concentrated almond ganache. They've maximised the nutty flavour in the praline which works really well. 

When I saw that the chocolate was a bit dull I thought this is going to be disappointing. However, ignoring the finish the flavours were excellent and I enjoyed tasting and experiencing them. If you want to stuff your face then these little beauties are not for you. They're sophisticated, delicate and definitely something that you should savour and contemplate. Great for that special occasion.


Wearing my 'green' hat the packaging was a bit over the top however they were beautifully presented. Overall 7/10 for taste and presentation. I definitely want to taste more. Prices based on 15 chocolates, 60g, expect to pay 10.50€ which equates to £9.26 including taxes and dont'f forget to add delivery. Abanico are heading to the UK so expect a boutique to open soon! If you can't wait until then they will deliver to the UK.