Brunch at Café Clotilde by Nina Métayer: the gourmet rendezvous on Paris's Left Bank

Ever since Nina Métayer was voted the world's best pastry chef in 2023, she's been the talk of the town. Her sweet creations are highly acclaimed, and some even travel miles for a taste. Nina Métayer 's patisseries can be found at Printemps du Goût and Halles d'Issy Biltoki, as well as at her boutique La Délicatisserie in Issy-les-Moulineaux, but gourmands can also head to the Left Bank, in the 5th arrondissement, to devour them.

For several months now, Café Clotilde, nestled in the beautiful Maison Colbert hotel, has been offering sweet tooths the chance to sample the pastries of the now-ubiquitous French chef.

While some love tea time, others prefer the famous brunch. Every Sunday, this brunch combines flavors and relaxation in a warm and inviting setting. This is what we discovered during our visit.

And it's with music, carried by the notes of a guitarist and the sweet voice of a singer, that we enter the Café Clotilde room at around 1.15pm.

We then discover the rich buffet offered for the occasion: croissants, madeleines, baguette bread and jams available to customers, but also small canapés topped with salmon or tuna terrine, salad, cold meats, cheese, not forgetting Nina Métayer's famous pastries carefully placed at the center of the large table. And the choice is de rigueur, with no fewer than 6 different sweet creations laid out for the occasion, in individual or larger formats, to be cut by the slice. These include the famous brookie and the chocolate tartelette for cocoa lovers. Next door, you'll find a pretty rose-shaped dessert, a lemon meringue tart, an exotic pavlova and a sublime Saint-Honoré.

Unsurprisingly, Nina Métayer's pastries are the stars of this Café Clotilde brunch, and their number diminishes drastically with each passing minute. So, a word of advice: don't dawdle to help yourself (at your own discretion, it says). Otherwise, don't worry, the staff will replenish the buffet as they go along. That day, at the end of the brunch, new sweet offerings were placed on the table, such as this excellent cheesecake or the unavoidable Madagascar vanilla flan.

• To be read
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But before we get to the final stage, where our mouths will explode, we're served a hot drink, in this case a succulent hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, accompanied by a generous amount of juice (orange, apple, pineapple...).

On the savory side, there are three possible suggestions: a croque-monsieur with truffles, eggs Benedict with bacon, or eggs Benedict with salmon. We opt for the latter and don't regret our choice. The dish is a classic of its kind, but perfectly executed. Simple and effective! Please note, however, that if you're in a hurry, the wait may be a little long before the savory dish is served at the table. But above all, this is a brunch where you like to take your time, grab a madeleine or a small plate of cheese and/or charcuterie, and wait for what's to come.

And so we end Café Clotilde's brunch on a sweet note, with Nina Métayer's beautiful and tasty creations. Our favorites are the cheesecake slice with its crunchy shortbread, the lemon meringue tart, with its powerful fruit and sweet meringue, and not forgetting the chocolate tart, an ultra-regressive delight.

Café Clotilde brunch by Nina Métayer is already a victim of its own success. Several slots for upcoming Sundays are already fully booked. So don't delay - reserve your table now! Café Clotilde brunch by Nina Métayer is also more expensive than other, more classic brunches. Expect to pay 64 euros for this Sunday brunch.