LF Review: ★★★★
The moment I stepped into Fairmont Mumbai, I found myself wrapped in the quiet grandeur of Art Deco architecture. There was something cinematic about it—tall ceilings, geometric details, and the kind of symmetry that makes you slow your pace. But it wasn’t the gilded glamour that held my attention. It was what lay within. Nestled inside the hotel’s serene lobby level is Madeleine de Proust, a botanical tea lounge that feels less like a patisserie and more like a greenhouse reverie. Conceived as a space where Indo-French elegance meets sensory nostalgia, this tea room is where design, emotion, and flavour quietly converge.
The entrance sets the tone: a trolley full of succulents beside the door, while cherry blossom trees are scattered across the space, their branches overarching and reaching up to the ceiling. They don’t feel decorative—they feel rooted. On the walls, pressed flowers rest behind glass. The napkins and pillows carry subtle floral motifs that don’t scream for attention but are there if you look closely. Light filters in through large bay windows, bouncing gently off polished tabletops. There’s no music. No over-perfumed air. The silence is soft, purposeful. This place is designed for presence.
Tea stories
As someone who begins and ends her day with brewed tea—usually hibiscus, jasmine, or anything floral—the setting immediately felt familiar. It mirrored the quiet rituals I keep at home, but with an added sense of occasion. I started with Heart of Gold, a hydrangea bloom tea. Watching the tightly bundled flower unfurl in the glass pot was a kind of ceremony in itself. As the water slowly turned golden, the hydrangea opened like a soft paper lantern. The flavour was understated, slightly mineral, delicate. Less about sweetness, more about structure. It set the pace for what followed.
Then came Crème Brûlée Tea. If you’ve ever cracked into a well-made crème brûlée and taken in that first wave of scorched sugar and vanilla custard, this tea mirrors that moment. It doesn’t overplay its sweetness. Instead, the aroma carries the memory. The tea itself is smooth and slightly creamy, evocative without being indulgent.
Later, I tried Tea Alphonso, which was perhaps the most expressive. Bright, full-bodied, and unmistakably mango—yet it didn’t fall into the trap of artificial fruit teas. It was deeply fragrant, like a ripe Alphonso on a hot day, balanced with just enough floral depth to keep it interesting. A tea that truly respected the fruit it was named after.
Watching the tightly bundled flower unfurl in the glass pot was a kind of ceremony in itself. As the water slowly turned golden, the hydrangea opened like a soft paper lantern.
But the centrepiece was The Charlie, a tasting tray that came out nestled in a bed of purple Chrysanthemums, white Baby’s Breath, and white roses. A visual delight before anything else. Each piece is placed with care, not overly styled, but composed and garnished with edible flowers. Pradeep Sabale, Executive Pastry Chef at Fairmont Mumbai, introduced the course, offering just enough context, then left me to explore. I appreciated that. The discovery felt personal.
Table delights
Food is another well-thought of story in itself. The olive tapenade with fig jam and goat’s cheese choux buns offered contrast. The tapenade was sharp, the fig jam sticky and mellow, while the goat’s cheese grounded it all. The choux held its structure. Next, mushroom and hazelnut pâté on rye—deep, nutty, earthy, with just enough rye bite to cut through. Whipped ricotta with candied apple leaned lighter, sweet but not dessert-like. The texture was soft, the apple a quiet nod to early autumn.
Smoked salmon éclairs were clean and slightly briny, finished with a subtle herbed cream. Lobster and cream cheese on mini bagels brought a generous mouthfeel, offset by pickled undertones. The grilled artichoke, pepper, and asparagus on gluten-free bread was vegetal in a satisfying way, layered and savoury without excess.
The cucumber and cheese sandwich felt essential. Clean, cold, and perfectly thin—a palate cleanser in the middle of the course. The Shisho chaat had a crunch and tang I didn’t expect, while the Rim Jim pakora was reminiscent of monsoon afternoons and chai. Crisped, spiced, and just oily enough to transport you. Then there was the Bandra Chicken Croffle. This one struck a chord. I grew up with white sauce chicken sandwiches in Bandra cafés, and this dish brought that memory to the surface. Same creaminess, same warmth, just now folded into a crisp waffle base. An homage that felt considered, not forced.
But the centrepiece was The Charlie, a tasting tray that came out nestled in a bed of purple Chrysanthemums, white Baby’s Breath, and white roses. A visual delight before anything else.
The sweet offerings began with the Framboise petite—a delicate, rose-hued bite that delivered a clean, bright raspberry note—and I was immediately charmed. The Mango Passion Lamington followed, light and tropical, its tart fruit core balanced by a gentle sponge and whisper of coconut. Then came the Moelleux au chocolat, a classic rendered with depth: rich, warm, and just yielding enough at the centre.
The Espresso Maldon Salted bonbon delivered a sharp jolt—dark chocolate and salt in confident contrast. I moved to the madeleines gradually: pistachio first, subtle and pale green, finished with a sheer layer of white chocolate that softened rather than overwhelmed. The raspberry madeleines—fruit-forward and juicy at the centre—echoed the earlier framboise and ended up, alongside it, being the highlight for me. Paired with a pot of floral hydrangea tea, they were a perfect finish. The chocolate madeleines came last: denser, deeper, and more grown-up in tone. Each madeleine was petite enough to sample without excess, a gentle close to a generously layered service.
Final notes
Of course, the name Madeleine de Proust is deliberate. A nod to the French writer Marcel Proust, who famously evoked the power of involuntary memory through the simple act of eating a madeleine dipped in tea. It’s become symbolic of how taste and scent can hold entire histories within them. They are, after all, the namesake of the lounge and—if you’ll allow the reference—a direct invocation of memory.
But what makes Madeleine de Proust linger in the mind isn’t just its beauty. It’s the way it directs your attention inward. It doesn’t demand anything from you. It simply asks you to pause. To notice. As someone who has often found grounding in nature—on safaris, or through long, unhurried walks amongst the trees—this indoor botanical haven offered a rare and tender kind of quiet. It didn’t try to replicate the wilderness, but it carried the same sense of intentional stillness. A breath between moments.
In a city like Mumbai, where movement defines every corner, spaces like this are rare. Madeleine de Proust offers more than tea and pastries. It offers the kind of pause you don’t realise you needed until you’re already in it. And once you leave, it’s not just the flavour of the tea you remember. It’s the calm.
LF Review: ★★★★
Coordinates: T2 C06 At C T S No 1405 (Part), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, International Airport T2, Mumbai, India
