Afternoon Tea at Salon Proust
Ritz Paris
While in Paris, enjoying l'esprit de la fine cuisine parisienne is a must. Afternoon tea at Salon Proust embodies this feeling, providing an upscale tea experience at a place that's known for its luxury: the Ritz Paris.
As you are seated, your host provides you with the choice of having the Tea à la Française or Royal Tea à la française. Tea à la Française comes with your choice of tea or coffee whereas Royal Tea is afternoon tea served with the Ritz “house” Rothschild champagne or a cocktail of your choice. No matter the choice, both include a variety of sweets prepared by pastry chef François Perret.
The Ritz offers a wide variety of teas from all over the globe. After studying and debating, my sister and I decided on two champagne afternoon teas, with a ginger, lemon and honey tea for my sister and the Vendôme, a Ritz Paris signature blend of rooibos, sweet spices, and citrus notes, for myself.
Our experience began with miniature madeleines, a lemon flavored cake which is a classic of French cuisine. The waiter then poured lemon infused milk into the cup and instructed us to leave the milk for a minute to let the flavor of the madeleine infuse into the milk. The taste was a sublime but delicately lemon flavoured warm milk, and a light, tasty little madeleine. Once finished with our madeleines, we were then served a raspberry infused brioche with a light cream. This was served with the house champagne, which was perfectly paired. We were off to a good start.
At this point in the afternoon we already forgot that there’s more to our tea experience because of all the pre-tea treats. So when our teas and pastries arrived, our eyes marveled. It was 3-tiers of heavenly cakes and cookies with a beautiful aroma coming from our teas. Everything was beyond our expectations. The teas were refreshing and brought out the different flavors of the pastries we tried. We both loved the chocolate covered marble cake slices, caramel cookies, and ginger snaps. With the remaining pastries, our host prepared a box for us so that we can enjoy the pastries at home.
This experience is perfect for any occasion and raises the standards for luxurious afternoon tea. Salon Proust is reservation only and is open from 2:30pm to 6pm, with the last afternoon tea booking available at 5pm. To book this experience, head to the Ritz Paris hotel site and find the tea time information in the dining section.