the tea time is not just a “four-o’clock”, but a real savory and sweet service accompanied by a hot drink. If most of those in this selection are located in Parisian palaces, it is because, in France, the trend is not yet very developed elsewhere and the quality of what you will taste there is unmatched. Admittedly, the prices are sometimes high (from 22 to 75 euros), but the setting is exceptional and the quantity of food, often gargantuan! A bubble of pleasure and luxury that can also be shared.
The Peninsula Paris
The Peninsula Paris was erected in 2014 in place of a former mansion, where Gershwin is said to have composed the film’s soundtrack An American in Paris. In this magnificent Belle Epoque place with its high ceilings and refined moldings, the two-starred chef David Bizet and his pastry chef Anne Coruble offer an admirable tea time where the salty is as good as the sweet.
Visually trompe-l’oeil, the savory canapés are served in the same spirit as the amuse-bouche of a gourmet restaurant (baba langoustine, lemongrass/coriander, Cremona; roasted pepper shortbread, black truffle, Comté cheese, dried duck; crispy scallops, saffron mandarin, caviar).
As for the sweet offer, we start with the froth of fromage blanc, milk jam with calluna honey, then comes the scone with grains of vanilla sugar. The two mini-pastries are top notch: a Meyer lemon confit, crunchy meringue and tangy caviar, and, above all, grilled Tahitian vanilla and caramelized tobacco leaf. We finish with a very gourmet chocolate and black olive cookie. One of the favorites of our selection.
Price: €58 per person (with a hot drink). 19, avenue Kleber, Paris 16and.
Louvre Hotel
For a snack, sit under a splendid glass roof in L’Officine du Louvre, a hushed, vegetated bar that gives pride of place to climbing plants. Even if Julien Delhome is not the most famous pastry chef of the moment, he has real know-how and clever creativity.
You must first choose a dessert from a chocolate and hazelnut dessert, a fig tartlet, a Saint-Honoré and a seasonal fruit salad, before tasting a small assortment of very well prepared travel cakes (vanilla flan, pecan praline cookie and a creation of the moment). For hot drinks, there is a fine selection of teas from the Dammann Frères house or an organic and fair trade coffee. Very good value for money.
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