Ladurée is a real institution in Paris and every Christmas, thousands of Parisians treat themselves to some seasonal macaroons, pastries or finely iced cakes. The queue at the Rue Royale store almost curves around the Place de la Madeleine, it really is that popular.
The first time I visited Ladurée was when I treated my mum to afternoon tea there for her birthday during our trip to Paris together two years ago. We had tea, cakes macaroons at the cosy Rue Royale tea room with cherubs on the ceiling and left with some of their Marie-Antoinette and Mélange Ladurée tea in powdered pink and green boxes with gold trim. It was a very special afternoon, so I always feel kind of sentimental towards Ladurée.
For our last few hours in Paris, we met up with Coralie and although I had loose plans to visit Angelina, another tea room with covetable cakes on the Rue de Rivoli, we were drawn in by the window of pastel, illustrated treats at Ladurée on the Champs Elysées.
We were shown into the upstairs pistachio green dining room and got one of the best tables overlooking the Champs Elysées. It feels like having tea in a grand stately home with all of the portraits, antiques and lavish drapes and every rooms has a different atmosphere.
Undeterred by the ridiculous amount of sugar already consumer that day, Steven and I both ordered the chocolat chaud Ladurée (€6.50) and shared a Religieuse à la Rose (€7) and a Religieuse à la Violette (€6). The hot chocolate comes in a lovely silver jug and is thick, warming and not too sweet, although I prefer the hot chocolate at Les Deux Magots in Saint-Germain, as it is a lot smoother there.
Coralie had a noisette (a French version of a macchiato) and a spiced apple and caramel macaroon dessert (€7) that tasted just like Christmas.
The Religieuses were like perfect, pastel pieces of joy, with a thick filling of slightly perfumed crème patisserie encased in a light choux pastry bun and sugary icing.
When I was assisting on a shoot for a glossy women’s magazine, I got to take home a box of Ladurée Religieuses that had been used as props and I remember the London version of the Religieuse à la Violette being an almost toxic-looking shade of purple. Either the Parisian bakers have got it right, or Ladurée have revised the recipe since last year.
Downstairs is Ladurée Le Bar, designed by Roxane Rodriguez, where you can order macaroon-flavoured cocktails, including rose, coffee and pistachio. It’s decorated in art nouveau style, with lace-effect high stools and butterflies on the walls, and has an icy blue, other-worldly ambiance that seems miles away from the delicate tea room.
If you don’t have time for tea, you can order any of the cakes, pastries and breads to take-away. Ladurée also have a range of gorgeous candles and a fragrance and bath collection which I haven’t yet tried. Not sure how much I would want to smell of an almond macaroon, but I would munch on them at Ladurée any day!
Ladurée, 75 avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris