If you’re a fan of macaroons, you’ve probably heard of the French pastry powerhouse Ladurée. They’ve been around in Seoul for a while now and have recently launched its Salon de Thé on the 3rd floor of Gangnam’s Shinsegae Department Store. It’s a great place for a perfect Sunday brunch before heading out for some shopping. The small salon is quite simple and chic with hints of a Rococo formality with its velvet chairs, floral walla and ornate chandeliers. The menu consists of a variety of light dishes and desserts, along with their iconic selection of macaroons.
The Vol au Vent Grande Tradition served with free range chicken, wild mushrooms, spinach and mushroom sauce is rich in flavor and texture although just a tad bit bland. The sauce that the waiter/waitress pours into the stuffed middle of the vol au vent adds a good amount of creaminess and softness to the whole experience. Adding to the lightness of the dish is that the vol au vent itself is very thin with a great amount of crustiness that remains without getting soggy. The Pain Perdu Rose Framboise is a French toast served with raspberry compote and rose Chantilly cream. The bread pieces were quite thick and moist with an almost sponge cake-like texture. The raspberry compote had a mild amount of acidity which went well with the light and sweet Chantilly. The rose scent, however, wasn’t strong enough our capture attention. Overall, however, the small and quaint Salon de Thé offers great ambiance, food and an Instagram opportunity.