27 August 2017
The French have long finessed food and flavour, culminating in the creation of experiential haute cuisine, creme de la creme of cheeses and vintage French wine. In the widely regarded French gastronomic capital, Lyon, also home to the father of French cooking – the three Michelin starred chef Paul Bocuse, these elements come together harmoniously to create a heaven for the connoisseurs.
Where do chocolates fit in to this immersive culture of fine foods and wines? In and amongst traditional bouchons, multiple Michelin starred and plated restaurants, patisseries at every street corner and the many French markets including the revered Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, I sought to address this all important question.
French chocolate perfection best describes Bernachon. From three generations of chocolate mastery, one wouldn’t expect anything less.
The chocolate experiences here are expansive, from generous-sized chocolate bon bons and bars to beautifully handcrafted pastries and cakes. The piece de resistance is the famous Le President, originally created in 1975 for the then French president. It’s a chocolate cake or, more accurately, a genoise containing hazelnut praline, cherry confit and tempered chocolate delicately shaved and shaped to resemble a blooming carnation.
Equally as revered is the Palets d’Or, a decadent dark chocolate ganache decorated with edible gold leaf. My personal favourite is the Kalouga, gooey salted caramel in a dark chocolate bar with the perfect balance of sweetness, savouriness and texture.
Established by Maurice Bernachon in 1953, Bernachon was subsequently handed down to his son Jean-Jacques and is now run by grandson Philippe, who also happens to be the grandson of Paul Bocuse.
The Bernachon chocolaterie, patisserie and confiserie is located next door to their tea salon/ restaurant, on Cours Franklin Roosevelt in the trendy 6th arrondissement of Lyon.
Y
ou can’t miss a Francois Pralus boutique, even if you tried. It beckons to you with its crimson shopfront, glass display of the famous Praluline and the bright colours that have become characteristic of the brand.
The Praluline has been a speciality here since 1955. It’s a brioche flavoured with Lyonnaise praline pieces, made of Valencia almonds and Piedmont hazelnuts coated in rose sugar and then cracked. The other key attraction is of course the Pralus wall of fame – the highly regarded bean to bar chocolates – over twenty varieties and predominantly single origin. These are made to Francois’ own specifications, using carefully sourced beans from across Latin America and Indonesia.
Francois has obviously followed in the footsteps of his father Auguste Pralus, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France patissier and creator of the Praluline. Receiving his initial training at Bernachon, Francois subsequently branched out to specialise in bean to bar, single origin chocolate creations.
Be wowed by the Pralus experience at one of two boutiques in Lyon – Saint Jean or Presqu’ile.
Voisin is almost as synonymous with Lyon as the traditional bouchons of the city. Regarded as one of Lyon’s leading chocolate makers, it was established in 1897 as a purveyor of coffee but soon expanded into chocolates.
The must try here is the Lyonnaise confectionery and French national specialty known as Le Coussin de Lyon or The Cushion of Lyon. This sweet specialty was inspired by the annual tradition to commemorate the city’s triumph over the plaque epidemic in the 15th century. The tradition involves a procession up to the statue of the Virgin Mary, at the top of Fourvière Hill, with offerings of a golden coin and a seven-pound candle placed on a silk cushion. The Coussin de Lyon comprises a chocolate ganache enveloped in a thin layer of coloured marzipan, flavoured with a touch of Curacao liqueur.
Voisin remains family owned after four generations, in partnership with the Boucaud-Maitre family, and is currently run by Franck Boucaud-Maitre.
Thankfully, you won’t need to look far to get a taste of Voisin’s Le Coussin de Lyon. There are fifteen Voisin shops throughout Lyon.
The world of Chokola is one where beauty, emotion and taste melds to create a visual and sensory feast. Every pastry, cake, bon bons, chocolate bar, macaroon, ice cream and chocolate lipstick is brought to life with this mission in mind.
I stumbled upon Chokola’s praline kisses in the Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse – a fortuitous discovery indeed. Perfectly shaped and plump lips with a crisp hazelnut praline and chewy vanilla caramel, encased in a thin chocolate shell. My only regret was not buying more. Another highlight is the special edition tablette, with an indulgent combination of gianduja, caramel and biscuit pieces, encased in dark chocolate.
Sebastien Bouillet is the artisan behind Chokola. An accomplished patissier and chocolatier by trade, he inherited the family patisserie from his father and in the last 17 years, has lent his creativity to its expansion into chocolates, macaroons, ice cream and beyond.
The full Chokola experience awaits at the top of the La Croix-Rousse. Alternatively, you may visit the corner shop at the Les Halles De Lyon Paul Bocuse or one of five shops in Japan.
Fine French bon bons are the flavour of the day, everyday, at Philippe Bel. Here, you will find delicate and dainty ganaches, pralines and caramels with interesting flavours such as Nepalese pepper, yuzu, coriander and rosemary, as well as a selection of single and blended origin chocolate bars, all perfectly handcrafted and immaculately presented.
Philippe, an award winning Meilleur Ouvrier de France chocolatier, is the creative force behind these fine chocolate creations.
Head to Rue Tupin, behind Printempts, for a taste of Philippe Bel’s chocolates.
The Verdict:
The French flair for fine chocolates is undeniable. In Lyon, it’s plain to see that the impressive range of artisanal chocolates finessed through generational mastery fits perfectly into the city’s immersive culture of fine foods and wines. In my opinion, it’s the ultimate French chocolate experience for the passionate connoisseur, outside of Paris!
There are some cities in the world that you can’t quite figure out but leave you with a lasting impression. I’d put Lisbon in that category. Lively yet fairly laid back, it’s quite unlike most capitals in western Europe. With its Mediterranean climate of hot and dry summers plus mild winters, surely such conditions are suboptimal to spawn chocolate artisans?
Contrary to what the name suggests, the chocolates do not come from Ecuador. They are in fact made bean to bar in Porto, using beans sourced from Latin America, including Ecuador, and Africa.
Deceivingly small on the outside, be prepared to be awed by the depth and breath of chocolate experience in the cavern-like, retro shop. Bean to bar chocolates for the purists, retro wrapped flavoured bars and minibars for the more adventurous, and bright coloured jewels of bon bons spanning an expansive glass display, just to name a few. Indulge in the flavours of Portugal with the dark or milk chocolate with Ginja (Portuguese sour cherry liquor) or port wine ganache, or tease your tastebuds with the dark or milk chocolate with explosive caramel.
The creative minds of designer Celestino Fonseca, visual merchandiser Teresa Almeida and a Portuguese chocolatier are behind Chocolataria Equador, established in 2009. This explains the clever strategy and eye for design behind this brand.
If you’re into the aesthetics of chocolate as much as the taste, then De Negro! should be on your Lisbon chocolate itinerary.
The bon bon flavours range from traditional to contemporary, with a common theme to showcase locally sourced Portuguese ingredients. For example, the sea buckthorn with sea salt ganache is made using sea salt sourced from Castro Marim in Algarve, the olive oil ganache is made using olive oil from Acushla in Alto Douro and the banana with aguardente (aged Portuguese brandy) ganache is made using aguardente from Ramos Pinto.
You don’t need to wreck your brains over choices at Landeau. Fans come here for one thing, and one thing only. Landeau’s chocolate cake is a great example of needing only one earth shattering recipe to run a chocolate business. And believe me – the chocolate cake is life changing!
Sofia Landeau lends her name to this chocolate creation. A London-trained interior designer, she started making her chocolate cake while working as a cafe manager in Lisbon. The rest, as they say, is history.
From the outside, the Bettina and Niccolo Corallo Cafe may look like any other, serving coffee and chocolate treats. Venture in and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. And if you’re a chocolate aficionado like me, you may end up staying for a bit.
The chocolate experience at the Cafe starts with Bettina at the serving counter, who happens to be the wife of Claudio Corallo – one of the pioneers of craft bean to bar chocolates based in São Tomé. Their sons Niccolo and Amadeo run the back of the shop, roasting the precious commodities and turning them into tasty treats.
The Bettina and Niccolo Corallo Cafe is located along the