There are also a couple videos on youtube, which might give you a better idea (what with having sound and mouvement as well…).

Chocolate places that are normally easily found in Paris were a bit less on the priority as we paid more attention to exhibitors from outside of Paris and from abroad. Of course, it’s not all about chocolate. Other delights include macarons, praline, cupcakes, nougat, ice cream, fudge etc.

Mälarchocolaterie and macarons of Christophe Roussel

Eiffel Tower chocolates and fudge selections

Chocolate cupcakes and Mode du Chocolat

Crunchy chocolate bites and Giant Chocorat

One of our favourite stands in previous years was Madame Setsuko, and last year, we also learnt that on the last day of the chocolate festival (i.e. Sunday), there might not be any of the ganache left. Therefore, upon entry, we decided to seek Madame Setsuko before checking out everything else.

Weird, in place where the stand for Madame Setsuko had been previously, was Tokyo Chocolate instead. Recognising the logo on the packaging as that of the mother company that owns Madame Setsuko, it dawned on us there must had been a swap, or perhaps a corporate merger sometime between last year and this year. We probably should have asked… Nonetheless I was excited to get a few boxes of the last of green tea ganache, as I’ve planned to give them as gifts to a few friends.

Arriving home, I took a peek into one of the boxes and my reaction was “uh oh”. It seemed like not only Madame Setsuko had changed into something else, the packaging and attention to details had altered too. The ganache were no longer packed in vacuum sealed opaque bag, but looked like hastily assembled and filled plastic bag, selotaped over. I was dismayed to see that in the lack of proper seal and moist absorbing sachet, the ganache were looking “wet” with dark patches. There was no information label anywhere either that I wouldn’t even know when the ganache would expire.

How am I supposed to present any of these as gifts, looking relatively battered and without any expiry date, particularly when I had planned to post a couple of the boxes away? :(

Tokyo Chocolate green tea ganache

Ganache straight from the boxes and rescued pieces

I attempted a rescue mission, by tossing some of them in matcha green tea powder that I have at home. Alas, the variety/grade must have been different, as the taste became slightly altered and the colour somehat different.

Oh well, what a shame. I guess I’m going to send my friends some other chocolates that I’ve bought instead and eat the ganache myself. And while I eat, I am typing this. They still taste good despite appearances… ;-)

Ps: my favourite bounty from the salon was milk chocolate with sea salt from Mälarchocolaterie. I’ve been told they have an excellent tearoom in Stockholm too. Perhaps it’s time to look into accepting a visiting invitation from my ex-housemate!

It is well known that the Mesoamerican civilisations were the first to put xocolātl into conscious knowledge and subsequent reverence, and to this day, I can’t thank them enough for this wonderful discovery and cultivation of theirs. And in Teotihuacan, it was the Drink of Gods.

Chocolate sculpture by Pierre Hermé

This weekend, in conjunction with the exhibition and cultural trail, Pierre Hermé is going to put his brand of magic through chocolate drinks. Four chocolate drinks, created based on inspirations drew from Mexican chocolates, promise to “retrace the history of chocolate through the ages, from the ritual drink of Teotihuacan to the present day”. It sounds so delicious already, isn’t it?

Therefore, either today (24th Oct) or tomorrow (25th Oct), between 2.30pm and 6.30pm, make your way to the foyer of the Claude Lévi-Strauss theatre at the musuem, enjoy the occasion and be inspired by the wonder of trickling hot chocolate conjured by the master himself. The event is free and open to all.

Better still, why not be there earlier and take some time to see the exhibition and learn the story of the Teotihuacan? There are also tons of other special programmes for this week, in the lead up to the All Saints Day on 1st November.

Ps: morbid as it sounds, the rituals of the deads really have me quite fascinated and a “Ball of the Deads” will be taking place on 1st November (that’s next Sunday) from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, with performances by Isaura Corlay and the ballet dancers of la Maison du Mexique. They will be accompanied by El mariachi Mezcal!

Now, here’s something you shouldn’t miss. And frankly, there’s no excuse to miss it either – you’ll see later what I mean by this. I know we have talked a good bit of the famous Parisian tower in recent months, but it is just such a significant landmark for celebratory events that we couldn’t help ourselves.

Tonight, a new fête begins.

Eiffel Group and its party/commercial partner Citroën are bringing 10 weeks of spectacular light show on the Trocadéro façade by using state-of-the-art LED spotlights. The colours will change and shimmer and do all the pretty little things in between. Against the dark night sky, it’s going to be fa-bu-lous.

For the opening night (i.e this evening!) the shows are running at 9pm, 9.30pm, 10pm, 10.30pm and 11pm. That’s every half-hourly between 9pm and 11pm. For 12 minutes (each representing 10 years of Eiffel Tower’s existence) of colour fest, it’s worth taking a pause to take in this eye-candy.

If you’re not in Paris (or whatever reason can’t make it all the way to Trocadéro), then login to Citroën Opération Tour Eiffel which will be streaming the show from 10 key viewpoints nearby. See, told you there’s no excuse to miss it. ;)

After tonight, there’s still plenty of time for you to catch the show in person. Until the 31st December, the light performance will be taking place on the hour between 8pm and 11pm, on a daily basis. And if you wonder what will happen to the bright sparkles, good news – they’re going to sparkle as usual for the first five minutes.

Now, that’s what I call double the merriment, double the joy, double the fun! Ah yes, and the Iron Lady will bask in full blown glory. :D

Ps: for more info, here’s the linky to Eiffel’s website.

L’autre soir, je suis allée voir “Les 39 marches” au théâtre de La Bruyère et c’était tout simplement fantastique !

Une adaptation singulière du film du même nom réalisé par Alfred Hitchcock (attention “spoilers” si vous suivez le lien) mise en scène par Eric Metayer (/swoon) : 4 acteurs pour ‘150 personnages’ (bon moi j’ai pas compté hein mais c’est crédible) et des accessoires impressionnants de simplicité et de réalisme.

La lande écossaise, ses cascades, ses paysans et ses petits hôtels 100% typiques, des courses folles à pied, en train ou en voiture, de l’action à couper le souffle… et ENORMEMENT d’humour ! ‘Tous les moments forts du film’, j’avoue que je sais pas (j’aimerai bien voir maintenant) mais en tout cas un condensé de moments forts en soi ! Malheureusement, on ne peut pas adopter le chat à la fin, snif, il était tellement adorable pourtant…

Superbes jeux d’acteurs, bravo à Eric Metayer et ses co-acteurs : Andréa Bescond, Christophe Laubion et Jean-Philippe Bèche.

A voir du 10 octobre au 20 décembre 2009. En plus les places sont à moitié prix il me semble jusqu’au 23 octobre… Merci à la rentrée des théâtres ;) Alors comment pourriez-vous résister ?

Salon du Chocolat (pictures from 2007 & 2008 editions)

You can buy your ticket ahead at Fnac Spectacles, where dated tickets (seem to be available only for weekdays) are €12 each and open tickets (for Saturday and Sunday) are €14 each. You may also buy tickets at the door although queues may be long. Since the website of the Salon du Chocolat indicates the ticket price to be €12 each, I’m assuming that’s the price you’ll be paying regardless of the day, so long as you buy it at the door.

The event runs from 14th October (today) until 18th October (Sunday) and opens daily from 10pm to 7pm, with extended opening on 16th October (Friday) until 9pm, at Porte de Versailles.

But of course, as big as chocolate can be, this week in Paris is not all about the dark stuff. This week also marks the 20th anniversary of La Semaine du Goût!

La Semaine du Goût

The week kicked off on Saturday 10th October and will run until Sunday 18th October, and for a solid 8-days period, plenty of foodie events to keep everyone happy. Perhaps with exception the folks who have just wrapped up the Paris Fashion Week and still lingering in town, but too self-conscious to eat more than they normally dare to? (Just kidding. No one can be in France and not take advantage of the culinary smorgasbord on offered!)

Some restaurants are running special menus in conjuction with the week, there are chefs that are opening the doors to their kitchens/workshops for demos, classes or tours, and to encourage children to appreciate the joy of food, there are specially designed workshops for children as well. Check out the full programme of the restaurants and the workshops.

Of course, this week-long celebration is not confined to just Paris and Ile-de-France region. It’s nationwide, rightly so because everyone can do with a nice foodie treat now and then.

And oh, before we sign off, tomorrow (Monday 12th October) morning at around 9am, about 500 chefs will assemble at Trocadéro for a photocall to celebrate the 20 years of la Semaine du Goût. If you are in the area, why not join the festivities and play “spot-the-celebrity-chef” or something similar? ;)

Bon appétit!

Ps: for something a little different, check out la Balade du Goût in Ile-de-France on Saturday 17th October and Sunday 18th October. Nothing like the present to understand better the origin of the delicious morsels of food that we’re savouring everyday, right?

The special illumination runs every evening between 6th and 11th October, in conjunction with La Saison de la Turquie. It’s time to go out and take a few pics, if not a short video or two. It’s gorgeous!

And oh, if you look careful enough, with the top antenna being blue, you’re getting the French colours too! ;)

Eiffel Tower in Turkish colours (Photograph by Jean-Philippe Baltel)

Quleques photos d’une visite passée au Palais du Luxembourg / Sénat…

Starting at 12pm, from Place Denfert-Rochereau, the parade will move along the following streets to get to Bastille between 5pm-8pm.

• Avenue Denfert-Rochereau
• Boulevard Saint Michel
• Boulevard Saint Germain
• Pont de Sully
• Boulevard Henri IV

For the passionate technoids, this is your time to put your party shoes on! It will be extravagant, it will be loud, people will climb the poles and the bus shelters and whats not, but most of all, it’s a rave in the open broad daylight and there’ll be dancing aplenty!

Check out this video from the set of DJ Greg Cerrone last year.

[Update : We apologise for the date previously published in error. The information is now corrected.]