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Hot Chocolate and Éclairs at Angelina Paris

February 21, 2012 by cheriecity

One of the joys of visiting Paris in the winter is ordering a thick, traditional hot chocolate and some of the best can be found at Angelina, the historic tea salon within the arcades of the rue de Rivoli.

Founded in 1903 by Austrian confectioner Antoine Rumpelmeyer, Angelina was furnished by Belle Époque designer Edouard-Jean Niermans and occupies a prime spot just opposite the Tuileries.

Famous guests

Originally a haunt of Coco Chanel, Marcel Proust and later Audrey Hepburn and Catherine Deneuve, Angelina continues to charm Parisians and visitors today with its signature African Hot Chocolate and famous Mont Blanc cake.

We visited at the end of the day, not knowing that Angelina closes at 7pm, but even though time was ticking, we still couldn’t resist having a late afternoon tea.

The problem with arriving at this time is that the usually bounteous pastry counter was looking a bit sparse, but we managed to bag the last two éclairs of the day – one Éclair au Chocolat (€7) and one Éclair Toute Vanille (€7.50).

The hot chocolate

Perhaps it was chocolate overload, but we just had to try Angelina’s much-loved Chocolat Chaud à l’ancienne dit ‘L’Africain’ (€7.90) and Chocolat Chaud au Chocolat Blanc (€7.90).

The African hot chocolate, made with cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast, was rich, slightly spicy and full-bodied. By contrast, the white hot chocolate was super sweet, creamy, smooth and just heavenly. Each hot chocolate was served in a china jug with a small pot of whipped cream and a glass of iced water. I recommend ordering one of each and sharing, starting with the white hot chocolate, as there is enough for two cups.

The éclairs

The éclairs were incredibly indulgent and the best I’ve ever tasted. The choux pastry was fresh, not at all dry, filled with thick, rich chocolate crème patissière and topped with a crisp layer of dark chocolate.

The vanilla éclair was filled with fragrant vanilla-infused crème pâtissière and topped with a layer of white chocolate containing crunchy little vanilla pod seeds.

Angelina is full of old-world character with faded wall murals, white wood panelling and marble-topped tables. It features a large white marble counter where you can buy cakes, macarons and hot drinks to take out. There is also a little boutique, so you can pick up gifts including tea, coffee, chocolate and jams, all with the pretty Angelina packaging.

Angelina isn’t quite as palatial and frivolous as Ladurée, but it has a certain charm and that white chocolate must be tried at least once in life!

Angelina, 226 rue de Rivoli, 75001, Paris. Open daily from 8am-7pm.

Cafes, London, Patisserie

Afternoon Tea At Ladurée Covent Garden

January 22, 2012 by cheriecity

Towards the end of last summer, I met up with my French pal Coralie of Tea Time in Wonderland for an indulgent afternoon treat at Ladurée Covent Garden.

The latest London outpost of the iconic Paris pâtisserie and tea salon, Ladurée Covent Garden occupies an enviable position on the edge of the piazza. The space may be small, but it manages to include a chic terrace, upstairs tea salons with outdoor balcony seating, a marble-covered pâtisserie counter and petite boutique.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been working my way through the macaron counter and my favourite new discoveries have been Salted Caramel and Violet Blackcurrant.

We ordered pots of thé violette and thé rose, which came served in large silver teapots with monogrammed paper handle covers and Ladurée’s exquisite signature pastel-coloured, gilt-edged china.

Coralie ordered a Raspberry Rose Saint-Honoré – an impressive dessert including a choux pastry base filled with rose-flavoured crème patisserie and rose icing with mini iced choux buns, whipped creme Chantilly and fresh raspberries.

My usual favourite is a Rose Religieuse, but this time I tried the chocolate flavour – a double choux pastry dessert filled with chocolate crème patissiere and covered in dark chocolate icing. Both were deliciously fresh and typically perfect – an indulgent Ladurée delight.

The two tea salons are small and cute, in a colour palette of Ladurée’s signature colours, with illustrations of birds and trees on the walls and comfy red velvet seating. The outside terrace and upstair balcony are perfect in the summer for people watching and basking in the sun over a macaron ice cream coupe.

Ladurée Covent Garden may not have the exquisite, palatial interiors of the Champs-Elysées salon or the gloss of the Harrods store, but it’s perfect for a relaxing break, or a hard-to-resist macaron-fix.

Afternoon tea, Hotels - Design, Hotels - Luxury, London

Ruinart and Miller Harris at Covent Garden Hotel

June 10, 2010 by cheriecity

While having a decadent breakfast of Eggs Benedict, coffee and mixed berry juice at the Covent Garden Hotel yesterday with the girls from Indigo PR, I found that the Ruinart and Miller Harris Champagne afternoon tea can now be taken in the hotel’s elegant Brasserie Max.

Following the success of the Ruinart Champagne afternoon tea at the Miller Harris tea salon, you can now experience the Ruinart and Miller Harris Sensory Tea in the stylish, cosy setting of any of the West End Firmdale hotels, including the Soho Hotel, Charlotte Street Hotel and Haymarket Hotel.

Spend the afternoon relaxing in the library, drawing room or brasserie with a glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne, a pot of finely blended Miller Harris tea and a selection of delicate sandwiches and cakes prepared by Firmdale Hotel chefs.

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne is perfect for the summer, with refreshing notes of citrus and white peach, and Ruinart Chef de Cave, Frederic Panaiotis, describes Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne as “like drinking liquid sunshine”.

To accompany the champagne, there is a selection of four teas created by perfumer Lyn Harris, including Thé Bergamot, Thé Bigarade, Thé Pétales or Thé Violette. I can personally recommend the rose scented Thé Pétales and the Thé Bergamot, a second flush Darjeeling that Earl Grey fans will enjoy.

Lemon cupcakes, peach and vanilla friands and raspberry tarlets were chosen to bring out the notes of citrus and white peach in Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and come with traditional cut sandwiches.

The Ruinart and Miller Harris connection is a story of mutual admiration that begun when Lyn Harris visited the Ruinart cellars in Reims and found parallels between their traditional methods of winemaking and perfumery.

The relationship between Lyn Harris and Kit Kemp is long established, with each of the seven Firmdale hotels providing complimentary Miller Harris bath and body products in all guest rooms.

Read my review of the Ruinart Champagne afternoon tea at the Miller Harris Mayfair tea salon and flagship store and see the photos of the scrumptious tea.

The Ruinart and Miller Harris Sensory Tea is priced at £35 per person and is available until September 2010. For more information, visit the Firmdale website.