[Paris] Jacques Genin (3)

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[Paris] Jacques Genin (3)

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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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[Paris] Jacques Genin (2)

Categories paris
[Paris] Jacques Genin (2)

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Jacques Genin

Add: 133 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: [desserts] €6.50~13 [drinks] €4.50~11.00
Tasted on: Sep 2013

I could hardly believe it myself. I had been living in Paris for over a year, yet I hadn’t tasted Jacques Genin’s famous Paris-Brest. It’s not that I don’t frequent his shop – I’d already been there 5 or 6 times – it’s just that ever since Genin has cut down his pastry production (details here), the offerings at his salon de thé have been elusive. You are likely to see mille feuille and tarte au citron (both are must-tries, by the way) on the menu, but items like Paris-Brest are not always there.

On my visit last week, however, I actually had a chance to try some of these rarer items – and not just one, but three! We managed to get Paris-Brest, cheesecake, and l’éphémère on the table, in the addition to the frequently-seen mille feuille and tarte citron.

Since I’ve already raved about the mille feuille and tarte au citron in a previous post, let’s go straight for the Paris-Brest (€8). What it is: a ring of choux pastry studded with crunchy hazelnuts, sandwiching swirls of gorgeous hazelnut praline cream. Holy, moly, heavenly – I was not disappointed despite ultra high expectation. It’s not too sweet or overly rich, but the serving is generous so sharing is recommended.

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[Paris] Jacques Genin

Categories paris
[Paris] Jacques Genin

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!

Jacques Genin

Add: 133 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: [desserts] €6.50~13.00 [drinks] €4.50~11.00
Visited on: Mar 2013

BREAKING NEWS: Jacques Genin has started selling pastries in his boutique again!

Here’s the back story. In Jan 2013, Genin put out a note saying that he is discontinuing his line of pastries so as to focus on his original passion – chocolate. (A more accurate reason is actually that Genin was experiencing some personnel issue in the kitchen due to his eccentric management style, but that’s a gossip we will save for another time.) In any case, this was an unfortunate and heart-breaking news to hear. Sure, the man is first and foremost an outstanding chocolatier – his factory supplies chocolates, caramels, and petits fours to more than 200 top French hotels and restaurants including Plaza Athénée, Hôtel de Crillon, and Le Meurice – but his beautiful pastries are also some of the best one can find in Paris. So when rumor has it that Genin’s boutique has re-started selling some pastries, I flocked over to verify whether this is true…and happily, YES.

Chocolates, caramels, and pâtes des fruits, all impeccably arranged in jewelry box-like display cases.

The pastries are no longer on display (the below picture was taken last year) and are available for dine in only, for now. Large size pastry (e.g. tarte au citron for 6 pax) can be pre-ordered in advance for take-out.

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