We love tea rooms, Mom and I. She was in Paris for six days ; we went to five tea rooms for a pause gourmande. (This phrase might be translated as "gourmet snack" or even "indulgent snack.") Though we both like tea, it has to be said that we really know nothing about it. At a couple of these salons de thé we received booklets, which might as well have been written in Greek, of literally hundreds of choices in tea. We learned a little about it, but what we really learned about is those elusive hybrids, tea rooms, themselves. Here is a little guide to the ones we frequented:
Mariage frères*
Carrousel du Louvre (1er)
30, rue du Bourg-Tibourg (4e)
13, rue des Grands-Augustins (6e)
260 Faubourg Saint-Honoré (8e)
Mariage freres is famous for its tea. Even their simplest brews are delicious - Earl Gray, English Breakfast, bring it on! I had a Proustian-madeleine moment when I took a sip of Mom's Earl Gray. A French friend of mine brewed me a cup about two years ago, and I had never forgotten the taste. Tasting it again made me feel like I had found a lost friend. The gourmande part of this pause gourmande wasn't as good as the tea. If you need help choosing from the overwhelming list, the well groomed waiters, dressed in all white suits, are more than happy to lend a hand.
À Priori Thé
35 Galerie Vivienne (2e)
Ding ding ding! We have a winner for cleverest tea shop name! The phrase "a priori" is a cornerstone of the French intelligentsia's lingo; you can't make it through a week in university, or I would guess a week in many work places, without hearing it. (The phrase is exactly the same in English - thanks Latin!) The "Priori Thé" makes a homophone with "priorité," which means "priority." A little pricey, but incredibly delicious for lunch as well as a pause gourmande. Reservations are not a bad idea since this restaurant is cute as a button and about the same size as one.
L'heure Gourmande
22 Passage Dauphine (6e)
The drink of all chocolate drinks is the chocolat à l'ancienne. (I know, not a tea.) I think that solid chocolate is melted and poured into ambrosia to make it. It's thick as mud (almost) and as filling as dinner (almost). And it's great at L'heure Gourmande. Tucked away in the Passage Dauphine, this little shop sports an impressive collection of novelty tea pots including a head of lettuce, a cat in a dress, an elephant, an owl, a toad - basically the entire cast of Mother Goose. These are pleasingly at odds with the slightly Asian, buddha-centric decor of the rest of the salon.
Ladurée
21, rue Bonaparte (6e)
16, rue Royale (8e)
75, avenue des Champs Elysées (8e)
64, boulevard Haussmann (9e)
Ladurée is most famous for its macarons, but it also boasts nice little tea rooms. In the sixth arrondissement, the salon is done in light teal and 1920s chinoiserie. It is full of hidey-holes with low slung leather camp chairs and warm, low light. Mom was convinced that it was an established trysting ground. Go for the tea, stay for the people watching.
Foucher
134, rue du Bac (7e)
The smell of chocolate hits you the moment you open the door of Foucher, the chocolate store with a salon de thé. The family has been in the chocolate business for over 200 years, and boy have they figured it out. This was not my top pick in terms of ambiance, but it was far and away the winner in terms of the "gourmande" part of the pause gourmande. Mom and I had the cake of the day, a rich, airy chocolate situation, and it was pretty out of this world. Also a great place to shop for gifts made of chocolate.
Indulging,
Maria
* Asterisk denotes top choice, though it was a close race.
Mariage frères*
Carrousel du Louvre (1er)
30, rue du Bourg-Tibourg (4e)
13, rue des Grands-Augustins (6e)
260 Faubourg Saint-Honoré (8e)
Mariage freres is famous for its tea. Even their simplest brews are delicious - Earl Gray, English Breakfast, bring it on! I had a Proustian-madeleine moment when I took a sip of Mom's Earl Gray. A French friend of mine brewed me a cup about two years ago, and I had never forgotten the taste. Tasting it again made me feel like I had found a lost friend. The gourmande part of this pause gourmande wasn't as good as the tea. If you need help choosing from the overwhelming list, the well groomed waiters, dressed in all white suits, are more than happy to lend a hand.
À Priori Thé
35 Galerie Vivienne (2e)
Ding ding ding! We have a winner for cleverest tea shop name! The phrase "a priori" is a cornerstone of the French intelligentsia's lingo; you can't make it through a week in university, or I would guess a week in many work places, without hearing it. (The phrase is exactly the same in English - thanks Latin!) The "Priori Thé" makes a homophone with "priorité," which means "priority." A little pricey, but incredibly delicious for lunch as well as a pause gourmande. Reservations are not a bad idea since this restaurant is cute as a button and about the same size as one.
L'heure Gourmande
22 Passage Dauphine (6e)
The drink of all chocolate drinks is the chocolat à l'ancienne. (I know, not a tea.) I think that solid chocolate is melted and poured into ambrosia to make it. It's thick as mud (almost) and as filling as dinner (almost). And it's great at L'heure Gourmande. Tucked away in the Passage Dauphine, this little shop sports an impressive collection of novelty tea pots including a head of lettuce, a cat in a dress, an elephant, an owl, a toad - basically the entire cast of Mother Goose. These are pleasingly at odds with the slightly Asian, buddha-centric decor of the rest of the salon.
Ladurée
21, rue Bonaparte (6e)
16, rue Royale (8e)
75, avenue des Champs Elysées (8e)
64, boulevard Haussmann (9e)
Ladurée is most famous for its macarons, but it also boasts nice little tea rooms. In the sixth arrondissement, the salon is done in light teal and 1920s chinoiserie. It is full of hidey-holes with low slung leather camp chairs and warm, low light. Mom was convinced that it was an established trysting ground. Go for the tea, stay for the people watching.
Foucher
134, rue du Bac (7e)
The smell of chocolate hits you the moment you open the door of Foucher, the chocolate store with a salon de thé. The family has been in the chocolate business for over 200 years, and boy have they figured it out. This was not my top pick in terms of ambiance, but it was far and away the winner in terms of the "gourmande" part of the pause gourmande. Mom and I had the cake of the day, a rich, airy chocolate situation, and it was pretty out of this world. Also a great place to shop for gifts made of chocolate.
Indulging,
Maria
* Asterisk denotes top choice, though it was a close race.
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