La Bauhinia — Restaurant in Paris

Please note: this review is only for the afternoon tea, not for any other dining service.

The facts: for nearly 70 euros a person, you get a prix fixe menu of a small kettle of tea and a stand of nine pastries to be shared. Keep in mind, though, that other than the tea, the selection and number of pastries will likely vary and you do not choose them. The kettle is enough for about three full cups. Also, for about 20 euros more each, you can get a glass of champagne, but we didn't pick this option.

The tea: I'm not a connoisseur, so can't usefully comment on the selection or the quality, but in my uneducated opinion, it was tasty and soothing. Their selection encompasses white, black, green, and others from around the world, so my guess is that if you are a connoisseur, you'll be satisfied.

The pastries: I don't recall the names, so I'll give some of the flavors. The first we got actually wasn't a pastry, rather a lemon sorbet-ish thing. Served in its peel, it was a layered dessert of a lemony cream, several bits of fruit (probably also lemon), and then the sorbet. This was the best thing on offer.

Next, on the stand, there were a passion fruit-based one, a coffee-based one, a pear-and-cherry one, and at the bottom, a larger, flakier one meant to be spilt. I'd mention more except I honestly don't remember them. For me, the passion fruit and pear/cherry ones were the best, followed by the coffee.

The positives: The ambience is fantastic, a multi-level dining space with a glass dome, situated at the back of the hotel. If fancy environs are your thing, you won't be disappointed.

The hostess, server, and the gentleman who actually delivered the pastries were all polite (at first) and (somewhat) attentive. More later.

The pastries that I remember were good and the flavors were varied. A word of caution, though, at least two of the kinds (so four pastries in total) were very fragile, falling apart the moment we touched them. So be aware, you will be using your napkin.

The downsides: I said that the service was polite and attentive. Well, kind of. Some of this may seem nitpicky, but with what you pay, the little things become big things.

First, as I removed my coat and was about to place it on the booth next to my wife, the hostess, who was standing there the whole time, finally asked if she could take it. Now, I know this is small, but for such a grand, expensive, five-star hotel, the fact that she had to even ask, rather than simply offer, was a bad sign.

Next, while the server was polite enough when we ordered, he was pretty much nowhere to be seen until we were done. While I understand that French dining culture isn't as micromanaging as American, with servers usually only rarely checking in, again, this is a five-star hotel charging roughly $75 per person for, essentially, tea and five cookies. With that price tag, guests should feel pampered. Anyway, when we were done, not only did I have to chase after our server, but when I asked for "l'addition"--"the bill," he looked at me as if I were crazy, like my asking was somehow an affront to them.

Finally on service, the gentleman who brought us our pastries barely spoke English and even in French had difficulty describing them. So, look, I get it. We're in France. We shouldn't expect everyone to speak flawless English. But again, Shangri-La is a five-star hotel catering to mostly American tourists. Many suites have an unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower. Even their Google Maps designation has them listed as a "tourist hotel." With such a steep price tag for this service, having our pastries described shouldn't be a challenge.

In the end: La Bauhinia simply wasn't worth it. If they were the only game in town, okay maybe they could justify the service, food quality, and amount, but there are literally dozens of afternoon teas served throughout the city, many that offer pastries that are so good, you won't believe that it's "just a tart."

If you're already staying at Shangri-La and La Bauhinia's tea is included for free, go...

What a fabulous Christmas brunch at La Bauhinia! Thank you to the amazing Team lead by Monsieur Massimo who greeted us with a warm welcome and smile and quickly brought us to our table. Once seated our waitress, Amanda introduced herself and explained the details of the day’s brunch. Her pleasant disposition made us feel comfortable and her attention to us made us feel relaxed but also present. She was quick to clear our plates, replenish our cutlery and juice and provide us with the plates of the day chosen. The desire to ensure the best customer service was evident in every aspect of our experience. For instance, I had chosen my main dishes but then wanted to change one and had told Massimo, the Manager who immediately took care of the change but gave me the third dish so that I may still try and savour it! My husband and I were truly impressed with the extraordinary service and professionalism provided and the dedication given to us. I would highly recommend the brunch at La Bauhinia as the service is outstanding, professional, friendly and welcoming and the food is outstanding, delicious and fresh! The curated offerings beginning with the fresh seafood, to the cheese and charcuterie, to the viennoiseries satisfying and abundant. As was the elegant caviar tasting and egg dish to the choices of mains available! And, to complete this cornucopia of delight was Pastry Chef’s Barbot’s dessert buffet with one of his signature desserts on offer followed by more of his beautifully and deliciously decadent desserts!!! It was pure heaven! We cant wait yo return and once again thank the brilliant Team of La...

Me and my husband stayed two nights in Shangri-La hotel. Normally when you come to a five-star hotel, with a Michelin-star restaurant, you expect the bistro in the hotel would be also delicate, delightful, top quality bistro food. Honestly, we have to say the quality of the food is under our expectation. We ordered a Thai salad, a fish salad, a burger for our kid, as well as one lobster salad and white fish dish as our main course. The Thai salad was exactly the same as you would have in any street pub/ bar/ bistro in Thailand, nothing special but maybe 10 times the price. I don’t know if the restaurant has changed chef recently, but all the dishes looked nothing like the pictures in the official website or in the previous comments. When the dishes arrived, I had a feeling I was in some mass-market Parisian restaurant for tourists: the visual layout of the dish was messy, fish was over cooked, the lobster was dull, the only highlight was maybe the French Fries from the children menu for my kid. The decoration and atmosphere was good, but nothing comparable to Ritz or Peninsula. Honestly, if you are looking for delicious food, there are much better price for value options in Paris. If you are looking for good atmosphere, it is ok but nothing romantic or special. Hope this would improve, Shangri-La means heavenly beautiful place, I hope the brand shall live up...