On one of my first trips to Paris, I had the pleasure of meeting,
5 times in the space of 5 days, Ladurée .
Staring wide eyed and
open mouthed at the rows and rows of round discs that looked so delectably airy
and spanned the entire spectrum of colour, I was 7 how many colours would I
have encountered at this stage anyway?!, I was captivated.
A different time and an entirely city later, Ladurée still stands
as one of my favourite tea houses in London. Lets face it- it’s an institution!
Bathed in Parisian glamour,
the front half of Ladurée Harrods is
seamlessly carved out of a Princess wedding dream. Hues of white, powder pink
and mint green swim across the furnishings, and encapsulate you in a regal
state of mind that transports you back to the times of Marie Antoinette.
“Let them
eat cake?” If you insist Marie.
Needless to say, I was
more than a little excited to see the over indulgent list of Afternoon Tea Menu’s.
Pages littered with sugary treats whose titles although unpalatable, my French is
a little rusty, but key buzzwords such as “Chocolate”
and “Brioche” sent my imagination
reeling.
The concept is simple;
you choose 2 finger sandwiches, 2 Mini Pastries, 2 Full Pastries, a selection of
2 flavoured macaroons and then choose whether you would like to be rolled or
shimmied out through the door frame (totally kidding- but it’s more than enough
food for one individual!) Its accompanied by a Laduree Coffee, Laduree Tea or
hot chocolate. If given the chance, definitely go for the Thé au Caramel- who knew
tea could be so tasty!
Although Ladurée Harrods was filled to
beyond capacity, I was pleasantly surprised at the speed at which the waiters
brought over our food- partly because we were quite visibly drooling over our
neighbouring tables selection.
A tower so
beautiful arrived, decorated with the finest patisserie delights that a girl
could ask for!
My favourites were
the Ladurée Plaisir Sucré, a Hazelnut
meringue sandwich cake with crushed hazelnuts and praline filled with cream and
milk chocolate, and the Ispahan, a rose flavored macaroon biscuit filled with fresh rose petal cream, raspberries and
lychees. (Both taste just as beautiful as they sound).
After, quite
literally, breathing in the contents of the tower- we thought it wise to order
a box of Salted Caramel Macaroons to go and trotted off for a day of mindless
wandering around Harrods- oh the joy!
If you haven’t
given it a go, or if you’re from across the pond and planning a trip, Ladurée is well worth stumbling into on a lazy
London Afternoon.
You’ll find them
here:
Harrods
87-135 Brompton Rd
Greater London
SW1X 7XL
Just FYI you may
have to bare a short wait pre-tea, but it is well worth the wait!
