A Dreamlike Haute Couture Ice Cream at LV DREAM

Paris’s pastry world is going through a real revolution. Not too long ago, Paris was something of an ice cream desert, but over the past few years, ice cream has become more and more sought after, even in the City of Light. Heatwaves keep getting longer, hot days keep multiplying, and both Parisians and tourists are on the hunt for a few minutes of cold, sweet relief.

Beyond the ice cream boutiques popping up around Paris like mushrooms after the rain, pastry chefs themselves understand that they have to adapt to the climate shifts sweeping the continent. On the hottest days, demand for whipped cream desserts and rich creams drops significantly, and it becomes essential to introduce products that can keep the business moving and meet what customers are craving.

Take Pierre Hermé, who opened an ice cream pop up at Galeries Lafayette, or Matthieu Carlin from the luxurious Hotel Crillon, who offers his own special ice cream desserts, or PLAQ chocolate, who serves an exceptional chocolate sorbet. And this summer, a new name joined the game: a dreamy, haute couture ice cream!

When I started writing about French pastry about 17 years ago, I realized I was actually writing about another channel of fashion, of design, a world with its own collections, trends, basic brands, premium brands, and yes, haute couture too.

I remember running into plenty of skepticism at first, even a bit of condescension, comments like “what does pastry have to do with fashion?” or “it’s just cakes, after all.” Those reactions made it clear how much I still had to explain in this field.

Today, I think that pushback was actually one of the strongest driving forces behind my own growth in French pastry research, a field I have spent years devoted to. Several years have passed, and now it is obvious to everyone that French pastry is, without question, another channel of fashion. The leading pastry chefs are the haute couturiers of pastry. They set the trends, develop new techniques, and work according to seasonal and thematic collections. Today this all seems self evident, but honestly, it took quite a while for that message to sink in.

More than three years ago, the LVMH group turned that claim into an established fact. No longer content with simply presenting new collections in the windows of its confectionery boutiques, the group opened an entire department devoted to desserts and chocolate on the second floor of its LV DREAM complex. In other words, this was no longer a verbal or conceptual connection, but a physical one, giving real, tangible weight to the now very clear idea that pastry is part of the world of fashion and design.

The space, called Café Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton, is led by pastry chef Maxime Frédéric, one of the most interesting and talented pastry chefs working in the world today. Alongside his role within the LVMH group, Frédéric also runs Pleincœur, the home base for all of his activity across pastry, chocolate, and even bakery. 

Back to the second floor of the LV DREAM complex: it’s made up of a Louis Vuitton gift shop, the brand’s chocolaterie, and of course Maxime Frédéric’s café. If you like, it’s a meeting point between Louis Vuitton’s craft and Frédéric’s own, between the Savoir-faire of the fashion house and that of the pastry chef.

At the café, you can enjoy a range of hot drinks, alcohol, cocktails, lunch, and of course, the highlight: Frédéric’s exquisite creations, made especially for the café by his team, led by pastry chef Martin Jarroux, who works closely alongside him.

I wrote not long ago about the tea time served at the LV café; it’s one of the very best tea times in Paris as of this writing, if not the best. You can read all the details here.

And this very summer, true to a brand that stays dynamic and tuned into local and global trends, LV decided to step into the world of ice cream as well. With this move, the brand continues its remarkable transformation from a haute fashion label into a house of excellence across all kinds of consumer experiences.

Just like every other item served at the LV café, the ice cream dishes here reflect the same research and creativity so characteristic of Frédéric and his team. This is not just ice cream, it’s the haute couture of ice cream, a true work of fashion art whose appearance alone is a showcase of design and style, and once you taste it, you understand just how exceptional the brand’s pastry team really is.

Before I describe what each dish is made of, keep in mind that this isn’t ice cream in its usual form. It’s an elaborate, by no means inexpensive creation, made up of different layers and components, each one prepared separately, and of course, handmade ice cream cones bearing the flower motif so closely associated with the brand.

The Louis Vuitton Monogram Flower is one of the most recognizable and iconic elements in the world of fashion and luxury. It’s an inseparable part of the brand’s famous monogram print, first launched in 1896 by Georges Vuitton, son of the fashion house’s founder, with the goal of preventing counterfeits and branding the company’s high quality travel trunks.

This summer, the café is offering two different ice cream cones. The first is the chocolate version, made of a crisp chocolate cone filled with layers of skyr vanilla tonka ice cream, vanilla caramel with chocolate cremeux, chocolate ice cream, crisp chocolate crepe shards, marbled cake cubes, and warm chocolate sauce. It’s honestly one of the best ice cream desserts I’ve tasted. The combination of textures and flavors is wonderful, and the use of skyr in the ice cream gives it a lovely tang alongside a very deep flavor.

The second flavor on offer is raspberry, and it’s naturally the one Gali is partial to, though after tasting both, she admitted it was hard to choose. The raspberry cone is made of a classic crisp cone filled with layers of skyr vanilla tonka ice cream, refreshing raspberry sorbet, raspberry confit, fresh raspberry pieces, crisp crepe shards, and a rich raspberry sauce. If you’re a fan of red fruits, this ice cream dessert is exactly for you, and there’s no doubt that on a hot day, it’s a wonderfully refreshing, luxurious treat.

Address: 2 Rue du Pont Neuf,
75001 Paris

The café is currently open every day from 11:00 to 19:00.

Yours,
Sharon