On an evening out with my girlfriend one day after a very stressful day we decided to call in Le Opera Salon de the for a cup of coffee and I don't think I could have made a better choice! Salon De the is a piece of French paradise in the bustle of this maddening city. Given my high stress levels, I wanted to distress over a warm cup of Latte and indulge in some sweet delights. As I entered, I was warmly welcomed and treated like a special guest. I had the benefit of watching the world go by (if only for a short time) and I hoped that one day they too make the choice I did and forget about the popular and globally known brands across and swap to an independent tea room for their drink/bakes and reap the benefit all day! Having eaten at their other outlets loads of time now, Le Opera always without fail delivers quality and something different from their counterparts. Their products are authentic, fresh and the closest to French baking and patisserie that you will find anywhere in Delhi. The Tea room is a lovely & airy with a great display of cakes and tarts and I've never been disappointed and often leave full loading myself with Macaroons and tarts most of the time.
This place is très adorable! It's almost impossible not to feel like a lady when you walk in. Delightful surroundings and super service enhanced. These folks take gastronomy and hospitality seriously, and if you are in the area, this is a "must stop" place to take a break, sample some fine food, coffee, and relax. Although they have only recently opened, they have done a brilliant job of producing and delivering an extensive menu. All I can say is - outstanding menu with breakfasts, lunch items and afternoon teas. I haven't tried anything on the menu that I haven't loved - my favourites are the croque monsieur, quiche Lorraine, Lemon Tarts, Florentine Biscuits, Chocolate Trio, Royal Chocolate, and the Ham and cheese sandwich tops my list of favourites. They are all full of flavour and very well executed. The ambiance is very modern and warm so you instantly feel at ease. Loved the outside seating,
Their selection of cakes, tarts and sandwiches is also really impressive and they are presented to you in generously sized, beautifully decorated portions. The coffees here are also just what you'd expect from a French tearoom, gorgeous. What's more, you can order bags of loose tea afterwards to take home to keep you going between visits. Also, there is a vast array of Macaroons, pastries, French baguettes (love the multi grain baguette by the way with flax seeds), tarts, cakes, breads, breakfast rolls and cakes for you to take home to anyone who missed out. I always take a box of macaroons away with me from any L’opera and am never disappointed. And do you know they do fantastic ornamental wedding and Birthday cakes on order too. They will customize your cake in a very beautiful and unique way that competitors may find intimidating.
L’Opéra is the recipient of the prestigious Hindustan Times, HT City, Vir Sanghvi's Awards of Best Bakery - 2011 in Delhi; NDTV Good Times Food Award 2011 for Best Dessert and Coffee Menu in India; and the Times of India Food Award 2012 for Best Confectionary in Delhi. In May 2012, their executive Chef was awarded with the Gourmet Gurus Award for "Best Chef: Bakery and Confectionary" in Delhi. And at the Indian Restaurant awards 2014, they have won in the "Best regional Bakery and confectionery" category. And now with almost 9 outlets across the city they are going strong, and we are loving it.
We were served by the gentleman, the owner Mr. Masud himself and he was extremely polite and welcoming. He greeted us very nicely and sat us down. He took such personal care of us and explained what went behind every item we ordered. He told us about the history of L’Opera and how this was started in Delhi at the French Embassy, and ever since there has been no looking back. All the staff here are clearly well-trained and efficient, since they took our order and the food arrived pretty swiftly.
So after feeding our eyes to some beauties, it was time to feed our ever hungry bellies too, so this is what we hogged:-
The Cafe Au Lait or Latte as we call it was great, thick , refreshing with a creamy foam. Even though both are technically different. "Café au lait" and "Caffè latte" are used as contrasting terms, to indicate whether the beverage is served in the "French" or the "Italian" way, the former being in a white porcelain cup or bowl, the latter in a kitchen glass and always made from an espresso machine, whereas "café au lait" might be espresso or dark coffee based. The Coffee here is delicious, and these must be the biggest most buttery croissants available in a any "chain restaurant."My rating 3.5/5
Then we had the croque-monsieur which is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. It derives its origin from French cafés and barsas a quick snack. Typically, Emmental or Gruyère cheese is used in a croque-monsieur. The name has 2 parts - croquer (meaning "to crunch") and the word monsieur (meaning - "mister"). The sandwich's first recorded appearance on a Parisian café menu was more than a century ago in 1910. Well, the Croque - Monsieur we had here was nothing short of Parisian perfection. Awesome cheese and the bread grillled just as it should be. Loved it. Also loved the black olive paste / chutney and the salad greens with it. Truly complemented the Croque- Monsieur,my rating 5/5.
The Quiche Lorraine was heavenly. Lovely custard filling and the meat inside the pastry crust. Loved it since it was served with nice salad greens. My rating 4.5/5
The lemon tart was perfection. The lemon filling tasted fresh, well balanced in sweet and tartness, the crust was buttery and crumble and the meringue, oh God, the meringue was perfect, not too gooey, not too sweet, but this perfection of chewy, sticky goodness. Thank goodness I only indulge like this once in a while, or my pants would stop fitting me altogether. Just right in every great way possible! The meringue.... oh my goodness, the meringue - HEAVENLY! My rating 5/5
Truffon Individual - A wonderful chocolate pastry I had stole my heart, I would call it the hallmark of L'Opéra, pastries . It is truly classic, and excuisite. It melts in your mouth and just one bite in itself is simply a foodgasm in your mouth. My rating 5/5.
The Royal Chocolate - IS my favourite ever since I Ist tried it at the Lópera Khan Market. Love the chocolate crust on the outside and the gooey mousse on the inside. My rating would be a 5.5/5
Thin Apple Tart - Goodness re-defined. Fresh and crisp. My rating 4/5
Macaroons! A definite LOVE!!! Pistachio, coffee, Earl Gray, salted caramel, strawberry, and a few others were nice and crusty with the right amount of sweetness. Not overly sweet, and not overly weak where the whole macaroon crumbles into pieces. My hero has to be the rose Macaroon. Loved it and so is the coffee hazelnut one, reminded me of my favorite Chocolate -Ferrero Rocher. My rating 5/5
Salon De Thé is a lovely oasis of calm in the city with value for money choices (I don't mind paying the extra buck if its truly worth it) - we will be back to sample some of the other things that took our eye ... This is definitely an experience that I would recommend to anyone! It's a taste of France on a plate. And lastly, Je Tamme L’Opera.
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