Pierre Hermé is a world-renowned French pastry chef, often called the “Picasso of Pastry”. He is most famous for his macarons and has shops throughout the city that sell only these, offered in a range of different flavours, both classic and surprising.
The hot chocolate on offer is based on the in-store version made with 67% dark chocolate with vanilla and prepared with water. It was served from one of the clear glass containers that heats and continuously mixes pre-prepared hot chocolate, ready to serve when an order comes in, rather than made to order. The machine was almost empty, even though it was soon after opening, and the chocolate inside, which ended up in my cup, was thick and gluggy, like a sweet pudding. It wasn’t good, and should never have been served to anyone, but it was served to me.
With no staff around to comment on this (perhaps they were out back preparing a new batch?) we left after enjoying our cakes and macarons, which were, as one would expect, beautiful. Given it is Pierre Hermé, I expect, when properly prepared, this is likely a nice hot chocolate. I’ll have to wait until my next trip to try it again.
