Recently opened on a prime corner of the Covent Garden Market,
Ladurée is making an important début with a proper sit -in Café.
Really excited about this new opening, a visit was imminent to happen.
One sunny day was all we needed!
The little café was already quite busy when my foodie friends and I arrived
AND we were happy that we did not have to wait too long.
We were lucky ... the waiter readily seated us on the first floor on the balcony
to make the most of the beautiful day!
We like Ladurée. We do. But after the good first impression of the well decorated premises,
all was let down by the service we received that day.
Not only did the waiter failed to set the covers again even after we were seated
but the whole service was a tragedy: our waiter had difficulty taking our orders - drinks and food took ages to come ( which they blamed on the service lift being down)
with some items we believe were forgotten until we reminded them...
For the prices charged here, I think impeccable service should be a given and not optional ...
It was very unfortunate that our experience was not as we expected ...
( and I swear , we are not difficult customers!).
All we wanted were : two sets of afternoon tea, a Club Sandwich and lovely delicious Ladurée Cakes.
On a positive note though, the food (when it arrived) was lovely and this kept us happy. ^.^
First to arrive, the Club Sandwich. I couldn't even have a decent picture without a quick bite being taken from the sandwich! Still looked yummy though!! :)
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| Chicken Club Sandwich served with Chunky Chips |
Then the Afternon Tea set for Two arrived ...
On top tier, the selection of sandwiches : we selected the smoked salmon and the ham option.
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| Afternoon Tea Set for two |
On the middle tier, our pastry all soft and golden. We had the pain au chocolat which hardly had any chocolat in it and the walnut croissant which was very nice.
Finally on the bottom tier, deux Ispahan, a Carré Chocolat and a Plaisir Sucré.
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| The Traditional Tea Set |
Not that the Afternoon Tea Set wasn't enough ... but we also ordered :
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| Millefeuilles Pralines |
A Close Up picture of a Beauty of a Cake - The Ispahan
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| A Favourite of many : The Ispahan with raspberry and lychee |
A very disappointing first visit we all concluded {especially after paying the bill} but the
Cakes and Patisserie @ Ladurée never lets anyone down, so we all left still content.
We will not be running back very quickly but for the Love of Cake ...
we might decide to give it another try.
Ladurée
1 Market Place
Covent Garden
( Impossible to miss)
WC2 E 8RA
I am planning on visiting end of the month. I have read a few other reviews and everyone is saying the same about the poor service and the waiter forgetting what they ordered....sounds pretty poor but like you said the quality of the food made up for it but it only hits you when you pay the bill that exceptional serivce should have been given. Just out of interest how much was your bill? Just thinking if the harrods one would be any better....
ReplyDeleteHi Pink Dolly!
DeleteThank you for leaving a msg. I do not remember exactly how much we paid in total but for sure, it was not cheap! For afternoon tea and extra snacks as we did, you would usually look to pay about £20 - £25 per person including service charge. It is a luxury and if it's a nice & sunny day and you manage to have a seat on the balcony over looking the 'square' in Covent Garden, I will say it's an experience you should look forward to and ENJOY every moment of it! La Duree in Harrods is also nice, with a different atmosphere ... if its raining and you want a comfy place to savour delicious sweets with tea then go for it :) Hope this helps!