Hot Chocolate

A few years back, water bars were hot, after first being introduced by the Paris concept store Colette. Then came the eyelash bar, invented by Japanese cosmetics brand Shu Uemura. The newest on the scene: the bar à chocolat. Mauboussin jewelers has just opened a chocolate bar upstairs at its Champs-Elysées boutique. With a striking, colorful graphic decor by Japanese artist Aki Kuroda, the bar can accommodate a maximum of 24 people at a time and serves only chocolate concoctions. “We want to be like the literary cafés which flourished early in the 20th century,” says Alain Nemarq, the jeweler’s general manager. 66 ave des Champs-Elysées, 8th.

Originally published in the February 2008 issue of France Today.