After three visits to the Jardin du Thè, I think I am finally ready to review it…read more
The good reviews and hip appearance of the place attracted me, as did the large barrels full of tea which you can see from the outside. The colours are very earthy, lime green, white, with pine wood tables and low hanging funky lights.
Le jardin du thé is half a tea salon, half a tea shop. If you like a tea, you can also buy it to take home. There are also numerous exciting tea making apparatuses such as Japanese-style tea pots. I haven't yet bought anything from this shop, but I would be very tempted to buy something to bring home. Prices range from 2.50 euros per 50g to around 20 euros! The less expensive options are usually the stronger black teas and herbal infusions. The most expensive choices are mainly Japanese green teas. This is a serious tea place.
The Indian summer gave me reason to opt for an iced tea the first two times. The first time I went for the thè glacé du jour, a white tea flavoured with peach. My two friends went for the same. Unlike commercially bought iced tea brands like lipton, the tea here tasted far more natural, less syrupy and I got the sensation that I was drinking real tea (it wasn't just a sensation...). The second time I had an "Aladdin", a regular on the menu which was an iced green tea flavoured with spices such as ginger, cloves and orange peel.
I discovered the facebook group, clicked "j'aime" and quickly became accustomed with the "jeu de jeudi", in which a tea question is asked on a Thursday afternoon, and the first successful answer wins a free tea and cake. The question last Thursday was "which of the following teas goes best with milk", and my answer "assam" was the correct one, yay! So I went to le jardin du thé this morning to claim my prize.
There weren't too many cakes on offer in the morning, as I guess it's more of an afternoon craving? There were scones, a nutella roulade, brownies, and I was told that some cookies would be arriving within 10 minutes. I was hungry at 11am, having not had breakfast, and couldn't wait. I ordered one of the teas of the month, a Japanese genmaicha sencha, and the triple chocolate brownie.
Service was tip top, my order arrived promptly and I felt no pressure to hurry up and leave, so I sat back and relaxed, reading my kindle and taking advantage of the free wifi. The tea arrived in a rather big pot with a green mug which matched the walls. It came with an hour glass, and I was told to wait for the green sand to run out before pouring it. The brownie was quite bizarre-it was covered with icing! The tea was lovely, not served boiling as is right (green/white tea should never be made with boiling water as it destroys some of the anti-oxidants). The brownie was nice, but not really a brownie, more like a tray bake chocolate cake with icing. The cookies soon arrived, and I wished I had waited a little earlier as they looked incredible.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere here, the service was impeccable, and I will definitely be back for the cookies and more tea.