Paris’ Christmas lights — and delights — at Sofitel

I love Paris in the springtime,” the legendary Frank Sinatra once sang in his dreamy baritone voice. “I love Paris in the fall. I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles ...” And you’ll love Paris even more when the City of Light (as it was originally nicknamed because it was a vast center of education and ideas during the Age of Enlightenment) lights up for the holidays. But you don’t really have to fly to Paris for a whiff of Parisian Christmas. Be dazzled by the City of (Christmas) Lights — and culinary delights — at Sofitel’s Noel a Paris.

Step into the lobby of Sofitel Philippine Plaza and let the glow of Christmas lift your sagging spirits. A replica of the iconic Eiffel Tower stirs your romantic heart while a towering Christmas tree (a 21-foot sculptural creation) by the Spiral staircase, surrounded by a humongous European Christmas spread, dazzles your senses. Indeed, it’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas as Spiral lays out a holiday feast: glazed leg of ham, savory rack of lamb, roast suckling pig porchetta, roast turkey with bread stuffing, and the decadent three-in-one turducken (turkey stuffed with duck that’s stuffed with chicken and foie gras).

“I know that in the Philippines, Christmas starts earlier; the Christmas decorations are up in September,” observes Adam Laker, Sofitel Philippine Plaza general manager.

For the long holiday season, Sofitel guests get to feel — and taste — what Christmas is like in Paris as the hotel recreates Champs-Elysees’s world-famous Christmas market. “Last year, we had roasted chestnuts and mulled wine; we didn’t do the whole market, just a little of it,” says Adam with a glow in his eyes. “And a lot of guests loved the little European touches and flavors. So, this year, we take it to the next stage. We want to recreate the market feel so when you walk towards the bar at Galette, you feel like you’re in Paris on a cold Christmas day.”

Picture a lighted boulevard (Champs-Elysees) lined with Christmas stalls selling assorted goods and goodies, all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. As you amble down the market, you catch the fragrant whiff of freshly roasted chestnuts and the heady aroma of heated mulled wine enough to warm the heart and the belly. A traditional holiday treat in many Old World countries, nothing beats a toasty mug of sweetened, spiced mulled wine on a cold winter night.

I stop by the stalls and my eyes light up at the sight of the gingerbread houses, chocolate Santas, fruit cakes, stollen breads, pralines, macarons, cookies and other sweet treats, foie gras, cheeses, jams, pates, truffle oil, honey, and other bottled delights.

There are stalls selling candied apples, waffles, crepes, popcorn, and cotton candy to delight kids and kids-at-heart.

As a child, Adam, who was born and raised in England, recalls his white Christmases with the family gathered around the Christmas table groaning with glorious holiday food. He remembers the big Christmas lunch where “we ate too much.” He adds, “Turkey may be served on Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, we would normally have roast chicken with cheese, cold cuts, and wine, a little bit too much alcohol.”

By way of saying merci beaucoup to its loyal patrons, Sofitel is bringing in the finest French wines and champagnes that you’ll probably only find at Sofitel (wine was flowing out of the head of a reindeer ice sculpture at the opening of Noel a Paris). The hotel added, to its 21 different ateliers/cooking stations, some French cheeses and soft cheeses, which are very popular for Christmas.

And what’s Christmas without toys? As a child, Christmas morning just wasn’t complete without finding a toy that Santa had left beside my pillow on Christmas Eve. 

“We have little handmade toys,” says Adam. “We try to bring back those childhood memories, the reason why we fell in love with Christmas.”

Damien Marchenay, Sofitel Philippine Plaza director of food and beverage, tells us, “We had a demo on how to make those handcarved toys; all these toys and nice Christmas decorations are locally made by Filipino artisans. We help the local community.”

Damien’s children — a five-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son who was born in the Philippines — will surely wake up to find toys underneath a fresh Christmas tree at the Marchenay home. What they will miss though is the Advent Calendar. “It’s the only thing we don’t do anymore for Christmas, now that we live in another country,” Damien relates. “There are 24 windows for the 24 days before Christmas. You’re allowed to open one window every day and you’ll find a surprise item behind every window — maybe a small toy or a chocolate. On Christmas Day, you get a bigger toy or a bigger chocolate.”

Don’t you just love Christmas in Paris right here in Manila? Oui!

* * *

To find out more about Sofitel’s Christmas eats and treats, call 551-5555 or email h6308-fb12@sofitel.com.