Ladurée Le Bar, Paris

Ladur&#233e may have been resting safe on their laurels as far as afternoon tea and sweets went, safe in the knowledge that there wasn’t much they could do to improve their produce. But that didn’t meant they couldn’t expand into newer markets and as a result the brand new Ladur&#233e Le Bar serves up a mouthwatering menu of sophisticated savoury dishes as well as a sumptuous cocktail menu to boot.

The bar itself, created by designer and antiques dealer Roxane Rodriguez, is a flamoboyant neo Art Nouveau affair and a far cry from the traditional dining room of the original Ladur&#233e patisserie. Stained glass in which butterflies are trapped lines the walls, while the long stand-alone resin bar undulates through the room, encircled by metallic stools that resemble chrysalises.
A la carte includes dishes such as blinis, carpaccio and a more hearty potatoes a la ’Belle de Fontenay du Loiret’. But the real reason to come by here, time and time again, is the macaroon cocktail that comes in a host of flavours including rose, pistachio and coffee.