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It used to be that if you wanted ice cream in Paris, you went to Berthillon. While there were other notable places on my list (circa 2007), if you wanted a scoop of ice cream after dark in other parts of the cities, you were out of luck. Like bakeries, ice cream options tend to be few and far between in the evening, and there were not a lot of glaceries open after dark. So if you wanted to go for a post-supper stroll for a few boules de glace, it was often pas possible.

Fortunately, that’s changed in recent years as several pastry chefs opened upscale ice cream shops in the Marais (and elsewhere), and younger talents, like Henri at Glazed and Bachir from Lebanon, have also jumped into the mix. Even better, Folderol has arrived, an ice cream shop & wine bar from the husband and wife team that brought us Le Rigmarole restaurant. This goes to show that good things come to those (like me) who wait…even if it takes fourteen years.

As businesses in Paris rebound from the long period of closures due to the pandemic, the ‘period of pivoting’ gave time for creative talents like pastry chef Jessica Yang, and her husband, chef Robert Compagnon, the chance to dive into the world of ice cream fait maison, made in-house, as well as offering wines by the bottle or by the glass in this hybrid glacerie/bar à vin – ice cream shop and wine bar.

Like their restaurant Le Rigmarole, which Robert (who is French/American) admits uses a word that doesn’t exist in French (“rigmarole,”) when I asked what Folderol meant, he said it meant something is trivial, nonsensical, or useless.

Proving that not everything translates, there’s nothing useless about ice cream, or wine, for that matter. But methinks it’s meant to demystify what they are serving as Robert likes to be playful with the food at his restaurant, where French ingredients are expertly cooked on a Japanese charcoal grill.

Another thing that doesn’t necessarily translate between French and American culture is that the French don’t eat traditionally outside of prescribed mealtimes.

I’ve tried to explain that humans are animals, and animals eat when they are hungry, not when the clock says it’s 8 o’clock. But that argument hasn’t worked around here, for some reason, and I still remember Romain’s father saw me eating a bowl of sliced fruit mid-morning, and was astonished – “C’est formidable !” – he exclaimed when he saw me eating at 10 am. I’m pretty sure he was a little envious, too, as he liked to eat as much as I did.

One of the challenges French people faced during Covid lockdowns and curfews was changing eating habits, and times. But they soon adapted and rallied to the cause – because who doesn’t want to eat? But they didn’t have much of a choice when restaurants and café closed at 7 pm or 9 pm, pushing them to eat earlier than normal if they wanted to eat out. (Which people did.) When cafés had to close at 6 pm, cafés near me were packed for apéro hour by 4 pm…or earlier (!)

Like most restaurants in Paris, the handwritten menu of ice cream and sorbet flavors at Folderol changes daily, depending on the season, and the whims of Jessica and Robert. I often run into Robert at the local market and we exchange tips on who, and which stand, has what. He’s so discerning that several vendors let him go behind the stand and pick out his own produce. I’m not there yet, but they trust his judgment, and so do I.

The menu might have Cherry Yogurt Ice Cream, Olive Oil, Ethiopian Coffee, or Banana-Brownie on it. The Vanilla Ice Cream has the creaminess of real Mexican vanilla, rather than the usual Madagascar variety that’s touted in France.

The Chocolate Ice Cream is made from a mix of 70% dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and cocoa powder. Like NY-based baker Melissa Weller told me, she uses milk chocolate when she wants that taste of her childhood in something, which milk chocolate reminds her of. I use milk chocolate in Amaro-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream and Milk Chocolate-Black Pepper Ice Cream, as it contrasts nicely with the bitter and piquant flavors of amaro and pepper.

Apricot-Osmanthus Ice Cream has dried flowers they brought back from Taiwan. Soja (soy) is made with soy sauce, not soy milk, and brown sugar. When I asked about using soy milk he said that because they like to use only the best-tasting, freshest ingredients, they usually only use dairy since one can find great milk and cream in France. (Robert told me, “We love dairy!”) But if they found a good source for plant-based milk, they’d use it.

Robert told me that as a chef, he likes to give people strong flavors in small bites. And their wine shop and wine bar have an equally well-crafted and curated collection of wines on the shelves where one can do that in sips.

There are little snacks to go with the wine, and if you decide you want a bottle to drink on the spot, you can pull one off the shelf and pay a small droit de bouchon (corkage) to enjoy it there.

Folderol
10, rue du Grand-Prieuré (11th)
Tél: 01 43 55 02 57
Follow Folderol on Instagram.

Current opening hours: Wednesday – Friday, 4pm to midnight, Saturday and Sunday, 2pm to midnight (subject to change)

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22 comments

    • Alison

    Thanks for this! I will have to check them out. I’ve been living in Paris for 12 years (from US) and have always been bummed by the lack of good ice cream stores in France where you can walk in and walk out with a cone of ice cream. Still on the hunt for a good mint chocolate chip here! But I guess the pastries and baguettes are a good enough consolation…

    • I luv chicken

    Next step for France, getting rid of those pesky golfball sized ice cream scoops, and manufacturing proper sized utensils.

    • Rebecca

    At the age of 50, I visited a French friend I have known since I was 19. He took me to a village where I bought some artisanal chocolates. On the drive home, at 3:00 in the afternoon, I ate a chocolate and he berated me because it was not the right time to have a chocolate. I was so mad! I felt like a little kid for being chastised and I was a very grown up woman!! I love France, but the rigidity and bossiness of its people does get to me sometimes.

      • rose

      It’s funny I totally get the structured mealtimes. The French are perhaps the most knowledgeable about the capacity for human excess where pleasure is concerned so well-defined boundaries are a super healthy response to what would otherwise be a trend towards unlimited indulgence.

      Boundaries of restraint are one of the most advanced signs of intelligence and evolution. They are designed to save us from the demanding, childish part of ourselves that wants selfish pleasure at any cost. What’s not to love?

    • Laura

    Thank you! My husband and I had a wonderful meal at Le Rigmarole in 2019 and look forward to trying their ice cream on our next trip. I’m very envious to see abricot as it is one of my favorite flavors.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      It’s really good and I’ve had some great meals there too!

      • Diane Costello

      What town is Le Rigmarole in?
      Thank you

        • Ellen A.

        Not open at the present time per their website. Was in the 11th in Paris also.

    • S

    The apricot flavor looks incredible!

    • Susan

    Rigmarole and Folderol…Love those names! And the frozen dessert products (as I call them, since not all I make are ice cream) look amazing.

    • Corine

    Beautiful post.

    • maryellen

    David (aka Daveed) I’ve read all of your books so far and you are an excellent writer as well as a fabulous patissier! French was my first language, and it feels great to renew so much that I’ve lost. Also, I guaranty tha my kitchen is smaller than yours, and cooking is my passion.

    • Ellen A.

    How about that adorable Pac-Man-like logo on the takeaway containers!

    • JenniferC

    Ah! This is so amazing. I went to Le Rigamarole (on your rec, David) as a single diner in Paris bf the rest of my entourage arrived the following day – and had a wonderful 3-4 hr meal sitting at the bar watching jessica and Robert do their magic. It was really fun since Jessica went to UC Berkeley so we had a local connection in common – what a wonderful meal and magical evening that was. I’ll def have to check out Folderol next time I’m in Paris! (Folderol to me sounds like a French version of the word ‘balderdash’?)

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      It’s a great place to go as a single diner. I remember the first time we went. I didn’t know either of them but they made us feel warm and comfortable, and the good was excellent.

      • Page

      Folderol is an old English word.

    • rose

    @Robert
    The best vegan ice cream bases are coconut milk based. Vegan over 2o years here. You’re welcome and good luck!

    • rose

    I’ll sell you my recipe for a small price ; )

    • Rachel

    Hi!
    This is off topic, but I live in France and I am confused about the potatoes here. With the exception of the patate douce and new potatoes, to me, all of the potatoes available in France look the same – pale yellowish with thin skins.
    I have read the labels as to what they are supposedly used for, which is generally vapeur, purée, potage or frites. Even researching the name of the variety doesn’t offer much insight.
    I really miss the thicker skinned varieties available in the USA that make a great baked potato (crisp skins, fluffy interior) , and cannot find the right type.
    I have been experimenting, and the results are often disappointing. On very rare occasions – maybe once a year-I can find potatoes that are labeled “four-purée-barbecue” and these, too, are often disappointing when roasted in the oven or in coals.

    Would you enlighten me, and your readership about the types of potatoes in France?

    Merci in advance

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I generally just ask the people at the market who sell several varieties of potatoes what works best for what I am cooking. If you can find a producteur, someone who grows the produce they sell, they usually have the best advice. I’m not sure you’ll be able to find replicas of russet potatoes that are used for baked potatoes, but a Google image search in French might yield some results. “Pomme de terre sous les cendres” would be a helpful search term. Good luck!

        • Rachel

        I live in Seine et Marne region, and while I have good relations with the vendors at the various markets in my communauté, none really know much about potatoes (or any of their vegetables) >>C’est une pomme de terre, madame, épluchez-la et faites-la cuire.<<
        Even at Grand Frais, their knowledge about their produce is abominable. French people see me buying okra and ask me how I use it (much to their horror because they don't understand gumbo or any of the cuisine of their former colonies).

        I don't know why French food is so exalted when the boucherie is limited to 5 poorly cut morsels from beef, veal, pork and lamb offered at the supermarché (I have a budget,–I once ordered a whole turkey 6k from the boucherie and it cost €100–my Thanksgiving holiday is now celebrated with a label Rouge farm raised chicken. It just looks better on a platter than frozen chicken nuggets) and the choices of vegetables offered are just as sad. And it's a very sad répertoire of légumes. Consistently turnips, leeks, potatoes, lettuce, zucchini, peppers and champignon de Paris. Bleh.
        I cook very well with the choices given and my budget allowing, and my French family got tired of the classics real fast. (on a side note, during the pandemic, every food EXCEPT the French classics were sold out– the French prefered to eat microwave meals but not the tinned choucroute garni or cassoulet) and rather than the milk and bread, like Yankees would stock up on, the wine aisle was emptied.

        We appreciate a more Asian diet, (thank goodness for the diverse options in the poissonnerie and my ability to visit an Asian market in Melun)
        I have my own jardin de potager where I grow vegetables I can't find in any market, (including wasabi) but I can't grow russet potatoes because it's stock is unavailable in France.

        I have been in France since 2014 with no opportunity to go "home" and I'm really jonesing for a baked potato with crisp skin and fluffy interior. And corned beef.

        I apologize for sounding off my frustrations here. I'm doing my best to assimilate and acculturate, but it's not always easy.

        Thank you for responding to my original comment.
        The variety of baking potatoes that is so elusive is Agata.

        The history of potatoes in France is remarkable, and if you know the name Parmentier, he's responsable for the introduction of potatoes in France in an unusual way, just before the Revolution.

        Thank you again.

    • Karura

    This place sounds amazing, and I want to try all the flavours! I have no idea when I’ll next make it to Paris, but thanks to your blog I have plenty of places I want to visit.

A

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