The buzz: This French big-name patisserie brand caused long queues a couple of years back with its macarons. Now it looks to introduce a full Parisian tea-room experience to Siam Paragon with dishes that go beyond dessert.

 

The decor: The pastel-green facade and incredibly ornate details mimic the Laduree on Paris's Avenue des Champs-Elysees. Belying the mall location, out front offers a terrace-like vibe for dessert and afternoon tea. But inside is where you get the full white tablecloth experience, complete with heavy curtains and chandeliers. To match the plush surroundings, the service staff do a great job making you feel first-class.

 

The food: On top of brand staples like omelets (with a wide choice of toppings, B280-300) and French toast (B350), the menu covers delicate and prettily-presented dishes like duck foie gras with mango and pistachio (B650), which combines foie gras terrine with mango chutney and pistachio in three forms (puree, paste and macaron). Heavier mains include grilled beef with potato mash (B900) and free-range chicken vol au vent (puff pastry stuffed with chicken, B750), served with wild mushroom sauce. Despite helming such a rigid kitchen, French chef Benoit Fossiez also manages to roll out his own daily specials like lobster bisque with crab wontons. As well as the colorful macarons (B120), you’ll find a vast spread of pastries like Mont Blanc (pureed chestnuts topped with cream, B290) and millefeuille (puffed pastry with pastry cream, B290).

 

The drinks: The house-brand tea blends are priced at B220/pot, while there are also fancier concoctions like Romantique (mixed tea, violet syrup, raspberry nectar and pineapple juice, B280). Booze covers cocktails (B420-450) and wines starting from B350 a glass.

 

Why you should care: Proving there’s more to the Laduree brand than macarons, this is about as close to a grand bourgeois Parisian experience as you’ll get in a Bangkok mall.