Tea time at Le Meurice by Cédric Grolet

Since 2013, Cédric Grolet has been delighting sweet tooths the world over at Le Meurice, rue de Rivoli in Paris. With his sculpted fruits, revisited pastries and ever-reinvented sweets, the chef quickly became theWorld's Best Pastry Chef in 2018, at just 33 years of age. While Cédric Grolet's desserts can be found on the menus of Le Meurice's restaurants, the ultimate moment of indulgence remains tea time, that English snack made up of a sweet and savory assortment!

Served daily between 3.30pm and 6pm, tea time is a breath of fresh air: even though we're in a historic palace, we feel right at home, curled up in the beautiful chairs. Here, you choose your hot drink from teas, coffee, cappuccino or Ducasse's signature hot chocolate, and all you have to do is relax and wait in this warm setting designed by Ara Starck...

In just a few minutes, the traditional English tea-time platter appears. Three floors, one for savoury sandwiches, one for scones and one for pastries.

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We marvel at Cédric Grolet's famous apple and vanilla tarts. Many people come from all over the world to taste his jewels, which have been available since March in the Cédric Grolet takeaway patisserie on the side of Le Meurice, rue de Castiglione. Nothing to say, the granny smith apple is a delight that captures exactly the flavors of fresh fruit, enhanced by a hint of dill, and the vanilla will delight fans of the spice with its delicate edge.

Underneath these jewels are two scones per person, one plain and the other topped with applesauce, to be eaten with clotted cream and homemade jam. They're light and tasty, with all the British flair (like the easily removable hat). On the top floor, tea time offers us an assortment of four rather classic sandwiches, filled with pastrami, salmon, egg and cucumber, so that we can keep our conscience clean while eating salty food!

Now that's a guilty pleasure!

Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.