Promenading in Paris: Laduree – Champs Elysees

Warning: I did not enjoy my time spent at Laduree Champs Elysees so, you know, negative review ahead.

It was a bad experience. The service was poor and it was hard getting the attention of any waiter. Although it was dinnertime, they seemed short-staffed, and those that are on duty seemed preoccupied and unwilling. As Laduree is considered fine dining, I naturally expected more from their service. There were no introductions made on the menu and I wondered if it was due to the language barrier (the waiter who took our order was not very fluent in English). Champs Elysees is a tourist street, and again, I expected the waiters to have a grasp of the menu in English. After some awkward back-and-forth between the less-than-patient waiter and the hungry-and-weary us, we managed to place our order.

Drinks.

Delicious butter with our bread rolls.

The so-so foie gras.

The delicious fruit toast that was served with the foie gras.

Besides the poor service, the food wasn't all that great. It was passable but certainly not worth the price. Every dish was dull and lacklustre. There was nothing special that pops and no surprising flavours to gush about. What I do like though, was the butter provided with the bread rolls. It comes rolled in a baby blue packaging with the name “Laduree” on it, very classy. The butter itself is not too rich, yet uncompromising in taste. The other thing I enjoyed was the fruity toast that was served with the foie gras. The foie gras itself was so-so. The rest of our meal was well, just plain. It’s not that they were bad or inedible; it is just that they disappoint. With all the hype about their brand and their macarons (which is quite good), you would expect a certain standard in their food and service. But it doesn’t match up and fall short of expectations.

A near-redeeming factor of Laduree is the decor, which is ornate and grand and matches their baroque styling. The ceiling is painted and adorned with cornices and chandeliers. However, it was slightly heavy-handed, and in my own opinion, gives the overall impression of trying-too-hard.

Overall I feel that Laduree is highly overrated and not worth the time at all. Also (this might be unjustified on my part) I felt that we were treated less well as compared to the locals. Maybe I’m overly sensitive but it seemed as if they could not be bothered to give us the same level of service because we were tourists (read: non-returning customers). The table beside us, occupied by a local well-dress (and possible well heeled – oh those gorgeous baby pink DIOR heels!) young lady and an older lady, seemed to enjoy more attention and better service.

Oh well… they are right in thinking that we will not return. I wouldn’t even recommend going there for a meal, not even for their macarons (you are better off with Pierre Herme) and their over-priced cutesy trinkets.

Website: https://www.laduree.com/en_int/