By Elena del Valle
Photos by Gary Cox
The Mariage Frères Marais tea salon entrance
The best tea lunch I have had in Paris, on more than one occasion, was at the famed Mariage Frères Marais tea salon (30 rue du Bourg-Tibourg, 75004, Paris, France, www.mariagefreres.com, info@mariagefreres.com ). Arriving just before lunchtime on a quiet spring Monday, we had a choice of seats in the 100 square meter two level eatery with a staff of 10. The tables were set very close to each other, which made conversation with neighbors easy and privacy for anything above a whisper scarce. We selected a table beneath the salon’s skylight in the larger and most central of the salon’s two rooms. For a short while we delighted in having the salon to ourselves.
Natural light filled that section of the dining room through the skylight.
We selected two items with the assistance of Charly Chareyron, director, Food and Beverage, one from the Brunch Menu and the other from the Lunch Menu, and concluded our tasting with two of the salon’s signature desserts. Once we narrowed down the meal choices he recommended a tea to match each of our dishes as well as a shared tea for dessert. Had we preferred we could have picked our own teas from the extensive tea menu and the companion reference guide.
The Matcha San Brunch included a sweet champagne cocktail.
We had Snob Salad, a Mesclun seasoned with Parc Royal tea, cured salmon and shrimp, homemade duck foie gras, violet artichoke hearts and haricots verts, turmeric wheat, Matcha toast; and Matcha San Brunch, a Matcha Salmon, fromage blanc with Poudre de Jade dish, which was accompanied by a sweet champagne cocktail. Although both dishes were outstanding, I far preferred the Snob Salad.
We loved the Matcha Uji, a traditional whipped green tea from Japan served with raspberry and tea cakes.
Dessert was Étoile Mystérieuse, Luscious cheesecake glazed with Very Beautiful Fruit Tea French meringue polka dots, intense raspberry coulis speckled with 24 karat gold, and Carré d’or, Dark chocolate entremets flavored with Black Magic tea, salted butter caramel and chocolate cake wrapped with 24 karat gold leaf, very sweet red currant coulis.
The Marriage Snob Salad, a favorite
The dishes were served on branded ceramic dinnerware custom made for Mariage Frères. The elegant service included cotton tablecloth and napkins, and stainless steel flatware. Our English speaking servers wore refined linen suits in muted ecru.
The portion of the Matcha Salmon was generous.
Our off the menu teas were Matcha Uji, a traditional whipped green tea from Japan (a favorite despite the its lingering stimulating jolt); Yuzu Temple, a green tea flavored with Japanese yuzu; and Blanc & Rose, a white tea mixed with tender oriental rosebuds. The first two were served in Art Déco Teapots, ceramic teapots with a polished steel globe. Those teapots, used in the company’s tea salons since the beginning, were emblematic of Mariage Frères. We liked how well the teapot kept the beverage warm throughout the meal. The delicate and pretty white tea was served in a Cotton Club glass teapot with silver plated handle and lid.
The delicate Blanc & Rose was served in a Cotton Club glass teapot with silver plated handle and lid.
The teas paired with our dishes were outstanding. Having said that, the delicate tea flavors could easily have stood on their own. And, the homemade delectable dishes made from all fresh ingredients, clearly chosen with much care, would be enough to draw me back even if I didn’t drink tea. Fortunately I do, making lunch at the tea salon a double pleasure. So much so that later during our stay we returned and both ordered Snob Salads.
The Carré d’or was made with dark chocolate wrapped in gold foil and red currant coulis.
When we asked a company spokesperson what made their meal service so special she replied, “French savoir-faire based on a tradition of elegance, refined settings, and an innate sense of festivity. Mariage Frères has created the French Art of Tea with a special care of the preparation method, the quality of the water, correct steeping time, careful selection of the perfect tea and the perfect teapot.”
The Étoile Mystérieuse cheesecake
I was especially pleased to discover the company continually tests its teas for purity and content, and uses no artificial ingredients or preservatives in its teas. I also liked that some of the dishes were made with organic ingredients such as the smoked salmon, and that there were about 100 organic teas available. An added convenience was the ability to order tea from the shop while dining at the salon, an especially welcome amenity on days when the shop was over busy. The Mariage Frères Marais is at the top of my tea salons list and on my short list of Paris gourmet venues.
