Introduction

The Rue de Rivoli runs parallel to the Jardin des Tuileries between the obelisk at Place de la Concorde and the Palais du Louvre. Midway between the two sits the fabulous Le Meurice Hotel, which is a member of the Dorchester Collection. On weekends they serve an opulent afternoon tea at Le Dalí Restaurant. I can highly recommend the Meurice for its afternoon tea and the experience. But whatever you do, make sure to make reservations well in advance!

The Service

The staff at the Meurice have obviously been well trained. They have impeccable manners. When we arrive just before 15h30, the hostess takes our coats and asks us to take a seat in the foyer until our waiter comes to take us in to the restaurant.

Throughout the meal, the waiting staff make sure to keep drinks topped up. In addition, they pass through with additional pastries that are additional to the items on the menu. More about that later.

The table is very nicely set. The fine bone China is elegant and simple in its design, and so is the silverware.

The Afternoon Tea Experience

We both go for the traditional afternoon experience without champagne. I make the mistake of ordering a chocolat chaud from a recipe by Alain Ducasse, which is excellent but just so outrageously rich. It’s basically melted chocolate that is then diluted with warm milk. Luckily, the staff keep my glass replenished with orange infused water at all times, to at least give me an outside chance of surviving this feast!

Below is a picture of the chocolat chaud before dilution.

The scones are served with raw cream, and homemade preserves, which are just lovely.

The food is served on a three tier étagère. On the bottom tray are three toasted finger sandwiches. One is with boild egg and pickled cucumber, one with smoked salmon and crème fraîche, and the third is a very traditional croque monsieur.

On the middle tier are two plain scones and two pear scones with crumble. I’m not sure if my moma would have approved and whether these even are, technically, scones. They look suspiciously like muffins to me. Whatever the case may be. They are truly delectable. They’re very moist and have a rich buttery flavour that goes well with the cream and the preserves.

While I’m still eating the scones, the staff make a first pass by our table with a tray of warm madeleines fresh out of the oven. They have a strong smell of vanilla and have been soaked in honey, so they’re crunchy on top, but nice and gooey on the bottom.

The sweets on the top tier are by maître pâtissier Cédric Grolet, who has several shops around Paris, in Singapore and Dubai. One of his specialties is that he creates truffes and pralines that look like what they are filled with, such as the lemon and the macadamia in the photos below.

The staff pass our table once more. This time, they’re offering a rich, warm brioche. The holes on the surface are where they dripped melted, creamy salted butter into the brioche that oozes out the sides as I bite into it. As far as I’m concerned, this one is the showstopper of this afternoon tea, with a luxurious velvety texture and a sinfully wholesome taste.

And just as I think I can’t take anymore, a young man appears at our table to deliver the coup de grace, which comes in the guise of an obscenely chocolaty and buttery marble cake that is just divine.

Conclusion

This one must be the most oppulent and plentiful afternoon teas I’ve ever had and the quality of the individual items is impressive. For EUR80 I also think it’s good value for money – it’s a great way to spend an afternoon and a truly remarkable experience. For my taste, the étagère was leaning a bit too heavily on the sweets, to the detriment of the savouries. While the sweets were all exceptionally good, as some point, I had reached saturation and could hardly take anymore sugar. Even so, if you’re in Paris, I would highly recommend a visit to Le Meurice for the afternoon tea. Juat perhaps stay away from the chocolat chaud.