Le Loir dans la Theiere means “the dormouse in the tea pot,” named after the unfortunate dormouse who gets dunked in the pot at the Mad Hatter’s tea party in Alice In Wonderland. Not being overly familiar with the book myself, the name doesn’t mean all that much to me but it’s pleasing to the ear and, despite what they say, why not judge a book by its cover.

It specialises in baked goods and brunch. The brunch is comprised of:

• Croissants
• Pain au chocolat
• Toast
• Yoghurt with a dollop of creme de marron (chestnut compote)
• Pear compote
• Scrambled/fried eggs
• Coffee/tea/hot chocolate
• Fresh orange/carrot/grapefruit juice

Yes, it is a lot of food, and I wish I could say I took one dainty bite of each component and then abstained, but I would be lying. A lot does go to waste though which is a shame.

The eggs were creamy, and croissants, toast and pain au chocolat were all lovely. The yoghurt and compote were on another level though; the creme de marron was so good that when I saw some in a shop later that afternoon I felt compelled to buy it. I am now looking forward to the next time I have people over for brunch to serve it myself. The pear compote was also just delightful.

We arrived just after 10am and had no trouble getting a table but by the time we left at around 11.30am there was a queue stretching out onto the street and in front of the neighbouring shop.

For €21 per person, it is good value since you could have this and not be hungry for the rest of the day.

I have also heard wonderful things about the baked goods.

Next time you find yourself in Paris, go there for brunch, but go early and hungry!