It can be difficult to choose among the many ice cream parlours in the Marais, but as soon as you enter Une Glace à Paris on Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, you know you’re in safe hands. Signs everywhere remind you that this boutique-cum-tearoom is the joint venture of Emmanuel Ryon, once awarded a Meilleur Ouvrier de France for patisserie and former head of desserts at Maison Pic, and prolific restaurateur Olivier Ménard, who was previously at Pierre Hermé and Harrods, London. It’s a formidable pairing, for sure, and they certainly live up to their reputation.
Light and airy, the shop has a narrow exterior, but is surprisingly roomy inside, with two lavish counters, elegant furnishing and seating space for around 20. There are 24 flavours, all made in the basement below using fresh, seasonal produce and served in perfectly rounded scoops at just-about-to-melt temperature. The beech-smoked vanilla and chocolate flavours are the house speciality, but although impressive, the standout is the Rum Baba ice cream, which combines brilliantly squelchy chunks of rum-soaked cake with the smoked vanilla cream. There’s also a great selection of sorbets, including a fantastically rich orange, carrot and ginger and a fragrant matcha green tea.
Prices are what you’d expect for this quality in this area (it’s €3.80 for one scoop, €5.10 two, €6.40 three, and €5.60 for a ‘discovery’ selection of three different vanillas or chocolates). At the higher end, the second counter offers modern twists on traditional pâtisseries glacées to share, like a green tea and alphonso mango vacherin cake (€68). There’s no rush at the till, as the staff are friendly and patient, and you can try before you buy.