Just a few months ago, France’s oldest tea house, Mariage Frères, opened its largest boutique to date in Covent Garden. In 1854, Parisian brothers Henri and Edouard Mariage established their first tea emporium and salon de thé on rue Bourg-Tibourg in the Marais and there are now seven locations in Paris and across Japan.
The elegant five-storey Georgian townhouse on upscale King Street, just a few steps from the Piazza, is home to an enormous tea emporium where you can find the largest collection of teas in the world at an impressive 1000 varieties from 36 different countries, a take-away tea and pâtisserie counter and the first floor salon de thé.
I know Mariage Frères teas well (Wedding Imperial and Marco Polo are favourites), but dining there was high on my wish list, so I was excited to visit for Saturday lunch to start January in style. The soft launch discount of 50% off food was also most welcome, as we were able to order a little more freely.
We were warmly welcomed by the friendly staff and were shown to the bright, modern front room with palms and a patterned floor inspired by the Paris original. This is where you can enjoy a decadent lunch, afternoon tea, weekend brunch or simply tea and cake.
What really makes Mariage Frères stand out is that all dishes and pâtisserie feature the brand’s most iconic teas, chosen to complement and enhance the flavours. With this in mind, the name ‘salon de thé’ feels somewhat modest, as the style of the menu and the standard of Head Chef Felix Richard’s cooking are what you’d expect to find in a restaurant.
We started by sharing Avocado ‘guacamole style’ with Japanese matcha tea, sweet potato crisps and roasted peanuts. The velvety crushed avocado was packed with lots of high quality, verdant matcha and had a strong zesty flavour from the fresh lime. It went perfectly with the curly sweet potato crisps and crunchy peanuts and was ideal for sharing.
I followed with Roasted chicken supreme and smoky black leopard tea jus with roasted shiitakes and button mushrooms, cauliflower and turmeric puree. The presentation was just stunning and there were so many contrasting flavours at play.
The succulent chicken was elevated by the rich jus and well matched with the smooth turmeric purée, soy-infused mushrooms, tangy pickled cauliflower and punchy red currants (only the roasted peanuts seemed a little out of place).
Saumon matcha with sautéed spinach, toasted sesame and fragrant Siam rice with barberry was another hit. The salmon was incredibly fresh and plump with delicate wilted spinach, nutty sesame and an aromatic, creamy matcha sauce. The cute little pot of fluffy steamed rice was a simple yet well-balanced accompaniment.
It was a real joy to then saunter over to the chariot de pâtisseries and be guided through the overwhelming selection of dazzling treats. After much deliberation on whether to go for a tarte, mousse, éclair or seasonal Galette des Rois, I was drawn to the most bold, eye-catching cakes.
The Mille cake was bright red and meticulously layered with joconde sponge and cherry compote, infused with the sweet rooibos Thé Sexy and topped with gold leaf. This dessert was intense like a perfume with refreshing red berry notes and a lingering vanilla taste with every bite.
The Gold cake not only looked incredibly decadent, and was generously-sized, but it had the most wonderful melange of flavours. The buttery, dense chocolate and vanilla pound cake had a centre of heavenly gianduja and candied orange peel and was infused with spiced Christmas tea.
As if that wasn’t enough, it was entirely enrobed in a thick layer of gold-painted milk chocolate. It was the most luxurious teatime cake I’ve ever tasted, however its price was equally gilded at £13 a slice. A word of advice here is to try not to be dazzled by the array of cakes and pay attention when ordering.
An even bigger decision was selecting a tea from the hundreds on the menu, however we were given a helping hand with The French Art of Tea – a compendium of tea handily placed on the table – and precise recommendations from the very knowledgeable tea masters. Tzar Alexandre was a smoky yet mellow tea with a plesantly medicinal flavour while Earl Grey French Blue was light and floral with blue cornflowers and fragrant bergamot.
Our lunch at Mariage Frères was an absolute delight and we were particularly surprised by the artistry of the main dishes. Service was also immaculate yet warm and the staff looked after us so well. It was quite easy for the bill to soar when dining à la carte, however if you’re flexible there are better value options such as the Brunch Parisien, afternoon tea and the prix-fixe Tea Lunch. I can’t wait to go back and work my way through the different teas.
For more information and reservations, visit: www.mariagefreres.com
All photos by Chérie City
