Tea time at the Shangri-La

When Lady Métro and I were invited for tea at the Hotel Shangri-La over at 10, avenue d'Lena, we had only one thing to say. "Bien sur!" She wore her dessert-preparedness uniform so we could model how the desserts measured up. Being a fan of colour-theory, she also made sure to sit in front of the wall that went well with her glasses. (And matches the cover of my book.)

Design Seeds is a delightful tour through handsome hues. They measure up well against tea time treats at the Shangri-La.

First we start with tea. Naturally.

The tea sommelier convinced me that a rose et a la vanille infusion was parfait for me. And for Carol,  there was no hesitation. "Rosehips et hibiscus flowers pour moi!"

And what better treat with tea than TREATS.

We started with three-tiered plate of  the  Tea Time Classic, a "section of pastries, finger sandwiches, French biscuits." Soon after we moved onto the Charlotte aue Fraise, a "soft strawberry sponge cake, strawberry jam and yogurt mousse." And green icing topper!Look at how those hues work well together. They taste good together, too.

But we didn't stop there.

Next up was the Extremet Façon "Ile Flottante" which was also a soft sponge cake but this time it was filled with caramel and had a floating island on top.And just when we couldn't eat another bite, the chef came out and saw that we didn't have the Marbré Cacao-Vanille, which is a fancy French way of calling something Marble Cake. He had the waiter bring it out tout suite.This marble cake ruined me. It was the best cake I have ever had IN MY LIFE. Every other cake pales in comparison. I can no longer put up with another. It was divine, as was our delightful chef.He was recently on the French TV show, Qui sera le prochain grand Patissier? Translation: Who will be the next big pastry chef?  He's François Perret and in my books he wins the prize for the most charming pastry chef.I'm going back there for the marble cake. OMD... Oh Mon Dieu.Save