Luxury at its finest is in the heart of Milan in a cafe called Marchesi. Inspired by the Prada colors and owned by the Prada group, this space was created to amaze. Push the door open and enter a square of wonders. Pastries are displayed like jewels.
I kept saying wow... Respect to an architect who created a space made of one single color, light green, and decorated it with boxes of chocolates, pink, blue, beige and gold. Walk on a reflective floor of black marble passing by the croissant and sandwich display before reaching the end where the seating area is. Grey marble tables surrounded by green sofas in a square room without windows but very brightly lit and decorated with hundreds of pastry boxes.
Chocolates, candies and sweets... Lounge music, calm, people murmuring in the background while you hear the noise of the bar up front. The place has a certain class that surpasses Laduree, the Gucci or the Armani cafes combined.
Madame... Sir... Finesse and respect while maintaining a certain simplicity are key. I loved the waiters' uniforms, a green shirt for men and a grey robe with white apron for women.
The menu is not clear so I suggest you choose your pastry and sandwiches before taking a seat.
Cappuccino, espresso and the sandwiches accompanied by a chocolate croissant are all good. The cheese, ham and butter croissant wrapped in a paper that shows Prada's logo. A pain au lait melts under your teeth. The chocolate croissant is amazing. Three fingers of dark chocolate stuffed into a square croissant that's not flaky but slightly chewy, an explosion of aromatic liquor; a different kind of croissant. A small detail grabbed my attention: other than sugar they have individually wrapped Accacia honey servings to add to your coffee.
And now the pastry tower landed on our table. Three levels of pastry, pastry cream stuffed in crunchy shortbread cookies, mini choux a la creme and a local, famous rectangular bread topped with powder sugar called chiacchere. Oh my lord, the choux a la creme, watery and flavorful, juicy and aromatic, tender and rich... Oh my lord. Better than all the choux I tasted in Paris on my last tour.
PS: Don't miss having a look at the WC.
What a place! Iconic to say the least; luxury, finesse, enjoyment, professionalism, taste... It's orgasmic!
