Tea for two, or more if you like

• Anne Coruble, The Peninsula Paris

Spring tea time is here! A perfect marriage of cuisine and pastry. The ceremony begins with a cooked "pre-dessert" served on the plate with pea cream, herb foam and shiso veil to prepare the palate before the arrival of the mute servant."I mix fresh pieces - a minifraisier and the pecan version of tobacco leaf - with dry pieces - scone and citrus kouglof. I season my desserts with a touch of acidity or aromatic herbs."As for the savoury pieces, David Bizet takes a cue from pastry-making with ultra-friable or flaky doughs. We love the sweet and savoury connivance that goes hand in hand with excellence!

19, avenue Kléber, 75016 Paris (Monday to Saturday)

www.peni nsula.com

• Matthieu Carlin, at the Hôtel de Crillon

A tea time with the identity of the place and representative of the chefs. "Together with Boris Campanella, the Executive Chef, we have imagined the "Lords tea time" served at the Jardin d'Hiver. As a welcome, guests are greeted with a plate of cookies - raspberry spectacles and chocolate cat's tongues - before the three-tiered snack arrives."We appreciate the balance of the offer, with three savoury and three sweet items, including the rhubarb and dill from Brittany with its fromage blanc mousse, and the fabulous strawberry and orange blossom tart. You'll appreciate the gourmet scones and flaky brioches served with homemade cream cheese and jams, and the tea advice for a real "five o'clock tea"!

6, place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris (Friday to Sunday)

www.rose woodhotels.com

• Maxime Frédéric, at Cheval Blanc Paris

A unique "Grand Goûter"! The tasting begins on a designer wooden tree, with three savoury and four sweet pieces to be picked in a particular direction. Then comes the stroller, moved from table to table, on which regional specialties are laid out: gâteau creusois, brioche au sucre, tarte au fromage blanc, flan parisien... This is followed by a plated dessert, including the profiterole, a favorite of the chef. "Our tea time is rooted in the season. Each pastry chef adds his or her own touch with a dessert from his or her region, accompanied by fresh herbal teas from the herbalist's shop."We love the experience, which takes us from the terroir to a gourmet dessert, the presence of a pastry chef at the counter for minute dressings and the suggested pairings, especially the delicate lavender infusion in summer. This summer, the Limbar makes way for the Jardin de Cheval Blanc Paris, on the 7th floor.

8, quai du Louvre, 75001 Paris (daily)

www.chev alblanc.com

• François Perret, at the Ritz Paris

A French-style tea that would make Marcel Proust quiver with delight. The ceremony begins with a few profiteroles, followed by a three-tiered waltz of dry cookies, which are dry in name only: spritz, praline tartlet, madeleines and another soft marble. "I wanted a snack that would call up our childhood memories, those little cookies we all devoured as we left school, or those ultra-gourmand grandmother's cakes."A successful gamble for this generous formula, served with a pastry to be savored with a buttery Long Jing tea. Cherry on the cake, the cookies you won't have bitten are available to take away. Buy the idea! Please note that the Salon Proust is closing this summer until September, so you'll have to discover the Bar Vendôme's English-style tea with mini sandwiches, scones and pastries... or wait until September.

15, place Vendôme, 75001 Paris (daily)

www.ritz paris.com

• Pierre-Jean Quinonero, at Burgundy

A still confidential tea time served on a display stand whose plates seem to call out to guests. "Together with Anthony Denon, our head chef, we offer three savoury and six sweet dishes, including a generous individual brioche with a garnish for extra indulgence. On the cookie side, a minicookie that I vary to taste and, of course, the now signature marbled madeleine. Miniature versions of fresh pastries include a very fresh vanilla-hibiscus palet, a fruit tartelette of the moment and a regularly-changing creation."It's a cosy place where you can enjoy a discreet sit-down.

6-8 rue Duphot, 75001 Paris (Thursday to Sunday)

www.lebu rgundy.com

• Quentin Lechat, Royal Monceau Raffles Paris

The approach: a 100% sweet offer served as if in a pastry restaurant in four steps with table service. "I chose to showcase our expertise. To bring this experience to life, there's no dumb waiter, just fine tableware. To begin, I offer a selection of fresh cookies and mini-pastries, followed by a "boutique" pastry, then a dessert on a plate that I arrange in front of the customer, just like in a restaurant. To finish, a bakery reglette with marbré and flan that customers can take home to extend the experience."We love the tasting, interspersed with a shot of granita to move from one dessert to the next, and the fresh mucilage juice served to match the chocolate dessert. A duo of pastry chefs is on hand at the bar to set up the plates.

Bar Long. 37, avenue Hoche, 75008 Paris (Friday to Sunday)

www.raff les.com

• Maxence Barbot, at Shangri-La Paris

A 100% patisserie tea time under the glass roof of La Bauhinia, presented on three levels with three fresh pastries, a "boulangère" plate and a sharing plate with brioche or tart, depending on the season. "For the sharing plate, I like the idea of reinterpreting a regional pastry, such as the tarte bressane aux pralines or the tarte au fromage blanc. As for the pastries, I imagine them according to the season. For sunny days, I'm working on a tropézienne-style tart, a rhubarb cheesecake and a pistachio hazelnut caramel diamond tart. There's also a peanut-aniseed cookie and a madeleine."We melt over these offbeat yet reassuring pairings and let ourselves be guided in our choice of tea to accompany this exceptional snack.

10, avenue d'Iéna, 75016 Paris (Saturday and Sunday)

www.laba uhiniarestaurant.com

• Elisabeth Hot and Angelo Musa, at Plaza Athénée Paris

The "Goûter du Plaza Athénée" can be savored at the gallery, a generous proposal with croque or club sandwich served finger food style in a deliciously toasted and richly garnished sandwich bread. On the sweet side, seven sweet items are presented on an elegant, mute server. "We suggest starting with an iced appetizer as a transition to the savory offering. Then follow, in a tasting order that we recommend, fresh pastries: black fruit pavlova, strawberry-grapefruit baba, seasonal minitarte and travel pieces such as a cake or cookie always accompanied by a bakery creation."With a view over the garden courtyard, this is a place where you'll love to sit down.

25, avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris (daily)

www.dorc hestercollection.com

• Eddie Benghanem, Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace Versailles

At Versailles, tea time is gastronomic. Served on a three-tiered display case, Eddie Benghanem offers three plated desserts that can be enjoyed from top to bottom. First, an apple and lemongrass tatin with a surprising rose perfume, then the traditional slice of cake, royally presented, and finally a chocolate tart in three textures where the usual custard is inserted into the tart. "For each tea time, one of my pastry chefs goes up to the room to present it, then returns at the end of the tasting to chat with the customer. It's a time for sharing, essential to the success of this offer."We're off to discover this Versailles experience.

1, boulevard de la Reine, 78000 Versailles

www.wald orastoriaversailles.fr

• Mickael Bartoccetti, at the Four Seasons George V Paris

At the Galerie du George V, no less than three chefs work together to offer tea time served on a plate. Alan Taudon for savoury, Mickael Bartocetti for sweet, and Guillaume Cabrol for bakery. A rhythmic tempo, starting with three cooked dishes, including Alan Taudon's fabulous signature tartare d'herbe. The transition: a carrot sorbet with peas and orange segments, before a waltz of desserts: a warm chocolate-hazelnut focaccia boulangère to share, a strawberry-berry tart and a chocolate flan in individual pieces, not forgetting a reglette of three minidouceurs to savor. "I wanted to create a restaurant-style service on the plate, to give a particular rhythm to the tasting experience. I like the idea of creating pauses to sequence the moment."An exceptional score to reserve!

31, avenue George-V, 75008 Paris (daily)

www.four seasons.com

Cherry on the kouglof! Regional tea time

• Jordan Gasco, at Le Chambard, Alsace

For the first time, Olivier Nasti orchestrates an exceptional Alsatian tea time, where pastry chef Jordan Gasco combines his pastries with head sommelier Jean-Baptiste Klein. "We offer typical Alsatian savouries, such as mauricette or kouglof millefeuille. On the sweet side, the snack begins with a warm dampfunel to share (a typical, very soft, steamed brioche) served with cranberry compote and citrus cream. Sweet treats vary according to the season."A dive into Alsace and a first in a region where tea times are few and far between!

Marius Bar. 9-13, rue du Général-de-Gaulle, 68240 Kaysersberg (Wednesday to Sunday)

www.lech ambard.fr