I know that I’m basing a whole story on a single ice cream. But it’s no ordinary ice cream, believe me on this. It’s from Berthillon, a famed luxury ice cream maker whose flagship store is on my favourite place of all in Paris, the Île St Louis. This small connected island boasts some of the prettiest shops and streets, it’s like walking in a movie set. It seems that shopkeepers here have not been bitten by the rude bug like many others in Paris. Or maybe I’m so in love with the area that I don’t even notice. Berthillon is so good that they incredibly, shut their shop for 2 weeks in August during Summer and are closed on Mondays, although you can buy their ice cream from several stores on the Île Saint Louis and elsewhere that proudly display the Berthillon logo.
I will confess now that I am not a huge ice cream lover. Actually let me be more specific, I love ice cream but can only eat at best 1/4 or 1/3 of a scoop. Something stops me and I think “No, that’s enough”. That can probably save me from a future of obesity (ok my pastry addiction cancels that safety net out). But at Berthillon I can eat the whole thing and I do - selfishly.
The line of course is long for the ice creams here. It’s no secret that their ice creams are wonderful. What is especially wonderful is that a flavour tastes of theirs always tastes so strongly, intensely and unmistakably like that exact flavour. Case in point is Pistachio: I once tried their Pistachio ice cream and it has ruined me for life. I tried one in Sydney at a supposedly fantastic ice cream shop only to be bitterly disappointed. You see it wasn’t even vaguely Pistachioey enough. Berthillon’s is unashamedly full of flavour, if someone served you a scoop of any of their ice creams and didn’t tell you the flavour, you’d guess it within the first blissful lick.
Abricot and Pistache ice cream double cornet €4.20
I choose a double scoop, one scoop of Pistachio and one scoop of Apricot. A single cornet is €3, a double €4.20, a triple €6 and a quadruple €8. The apricot sends me into raptures, it’s sweet true Apricot flavour sings through every single lick of this delicious ice cream. The pistachio, a pale green hue, not one of those lurid strong greens, is voluptuously creamy and so nutty it’s a complete delight as always.
Things this deep and intense should come with a warning label.
Range of cheeses in a shop on the Île St Louis
How cute are these umbrellas?
I think this shopkeeper is tired of people dripping Bethillon everywhere!
Berthillon
31 Rue St.-Louis-en-l’Ile Paris
Tel: 33-1-43-54-31-61
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19 Comments | Add your own
I was going to comment about the ice cream shop that shuts down for 2 months in summer (OMG!) but then I saw the cheese shop (DROOL!) and then that was eclipsed by the umbrellas (MUST HAVE!).
This is making me want to visit Paris. Which, to my regret, I haven’t managed to do yet. (Starts collecting coins to buy ticket to France.)
Oh yes please! I am sadly lactose intolerant but still manage to sneak in a bit of ice-cream here and there when I am not being monitored by my friends who have become my dairy police. I guess its fair enough, because when I do have too much dairy, I can feel my heart as if it were beating out of my chest.
So few places have “real” tasting icecream flavours. In Melbourne there is Trampoline which does a pretty good job.
Great choice of flavours! I always sample the pistachio, as its such an interesting flavour. I always feel so silly saying, wow it tastes so real! But really, thats the way it should be.
oh goodness. we loved ile st louis too - beautiful!
Yummo looking ice cream - but that cheese shop is amaaaaazing.
Hi SydneyGal-It is crazy to shut an ice cream shop for 2 months but even crazier that we don’t have a cheese shop like that! I was standing agape at the types of goat’s cheeses (and the prices) in their windows.
Hi Maria-Oh no, dairy police are no fun but it’s nice that they’re looking out for you
I know what you mean, I’m surprised and so happy when I can taste a true and resonant flavour!
Hi arundathi-It’s so gorgeous there, if I lived in Paris it would have to be there.
Hi Belimda-Seeing is believing, the cheeses there were amazing!
Those umbrellas are soooo sweet! I would have bought at leat four.
u know, i have to say that the umbrellas look better than the ice cream (am not really a fan unless i can take the ice cream home and let it melt).
do u know what the name of the umbrella store is?
Nothing beats Berthillon.
I had such great memories of it as a kid that last time I was in Paris, I was able to lead my friends to it without a map or an address.
Your great photos make me to miss the unique atmosphere of Paris… The fun and cute umbrellas look like true Parisienne ladies
Hi Sharon-Very cute indeed, although London and Tokyo also had good umbrellas!
Hi blythe-You can get it in a cup. It was very hot so it would’ve melted pretty quickly. No I don’t but it’s on the Ile Saint Louis main street.
Hi Brittany-Must have been a vivid memory. The telltale queues also help I find!
Hi tuulikki-Perhaps another trip is in order?
while you have trouble eating more than a few bites of ice cream, i have trouble stopping myself. i can seriously put away over a pint in one sitting. it’s not pretty. it’s yummy (at first), but not pretty.
Hi grace-Hehe does it fall into the not pretty but helluva lot of fun category?
Love the ice cream, love the cheese, love the brollies. It’s all about love today, I’ve decided!
Hi Y-I love the Ile St Louis! It’s all about love when I’m there
The icecream sounds delicious, I wish it was summer here, even though I can’t enjoy such delicious icecreams!
Hi Popeye-I know, Winter means no urge for ice cream!
I’m so glad you got to eat your favourite pistachio icecream. You were singing its praises to me months ago. I appreciate your reviews because I will definitely seek this icecream out when in France!
I just love how the umbrella’s are displayed and marketed as people in coats!
Those cheeses in the window look so lovely too. I don’t know how I’d live in France and lose weight. I’m not really an icecream fan..and I feel like I’m forcing myself to eat it when I do. A couple of licks of my daughters icecreams satisfy me.
I hope things are going ok for you Lorraine? I’m all caught up with your lovely site now. Now I just need to make a point of logging into it each day so I don’t get so far behind. It isn’t always possible.. but I love NQN enough to catch-up. It helped as a needed mental distraction tonight.. so thank you!
Hi Maria-I couldn’t go to Paris without trying some. My husband loves ice cream and it was nicely warm so it was perfect for the day.
My friend Queen Viv actually received one of those umbrellas, it’s very cute!
Things are going very well thankyou. Hope everything is good for you?
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[...] With Daring Bakers I knew we could make variations and I wasn’t under any delusions, I knew the Caramel et Sel (caramel and salt) version would be popular, the saltiness heightening the flavour of the caramel but I also liked the idea of adding cardamom to the mix. I have eaten some lovely cakes flavoured with cardamon both here and overseas and one of my favourite pancake recipes, the Norwegian pancake, is flavoured by cardamon. The Fleur de Sel was one that I bought from my recent trip to Paris, from a little supermarket in the Île St Louis. [...]
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