Welcome to La Fantaisie—a maximalist marvel, and a stroll through the mind of a flamboyant, Paris-trained aunt, where drapery, florals, whimsy, and gilded excess reign supreme.
A very French high tea at Jardin. Image credit: Maki Manoukian
The space is divided into four distinct areas: the garden, rooftop bar, cafe, and restaurant. Deep in the city’s restless heart, where streets jostle and rarely fall silent, La Fantaisie’s Jardin is no borrowed nature—no leafy impostor wheeled in for effect. Here, greenery is a companion, threading its way around tables, chairs, and conversation. Cocktails and tea come with stacked sandwiches and cookies.
First stop: the Rooftop Bar. In three words: pure floral fantasia. Every surface, from wall to ceiling, is smothered in rose-laced wallpaper, as though one has stepped straight into a fairy tale—albeit one with excellent martinis. The bar glows in golden onyx, flanked by scalloped, velvet-pink stools that seem to have wandered in from a chic perfume advertisement.
Perched above the Parisian rooftops, this is where charm meets botanical fantasy: pastel-sage sofas encourage languid conversation, floral drapes frame the scene, and wicker chairs join the rendezvous. Jewel-toned cocktails arrive with garnishes that are more costume than culinary. Lampshades by Martin Brudnizki RSVP to the floral fete, bringing a sense of order to the riot of pattern and colour. The result is less a bar than a floral hallucination—an immersive, deliriously extravagant fantasia in which one happily loses all sense of time.
An Anuk Rocha painting bursts forth with the unruly joy of a circus. Between trellis-striped walls, a Marshall jukebox plays French instrumentals, while SHEYN’s wavy vases bend the eye, performing their own subtle tricks of perception.
Wes Anderson could choreograph a perfectly composed gathering here; Salvador Dali might settle in, feet up, entirely at home in the glorious disorder; and Liberace, immaculate as ever, would take in the spectacle and raise a perfectly arched eyebrow. It is a delirious confection of colour, pattern, art and eccentricity.
The lobby is a riot of patterns and colours, all speaking at once and none particularly inclined to hush. Above, the ceiling becomes a dense canopy of leaves and branches, while a central column, wrapped in foliage print, rises like an ancient tree. Mirrors multiply the spectacle; burnt-orange banquettes sweep into chevrons and zigzags, their movement tempered by green armchairs. The effect is theatrical and indulgent—a private salon belonging to someone worldly, well-travelled, and incapable of editing themselves: every colour remembered, every obsession brought home.
The lobby. Image credit: La Fantaisie
The Café is where we lunched. Above us, ceiling lamps glowed with the custard-deep warmth of crème brûlée, their golden light caramelised to perfection. Adam Ellis’s wallpaper of trees and birds covered the walls, conjuring stories of its own, against velvet seating in pastel green and cornflower blue. Parquet floors brought warmth underfoot, while heavy mustard drapes added a touch of operatic drama.
Cafe and bar. Image credit: La Fantaisie
The menu speaks French with a cosmopolitan accent, its vowels buttered and its consonants softened by cream. We began with Prawn Tempura and hummus, followed by Pâté en Croûte, solemn and ceremonial; Oeufs Mimosa, or devilled eggs; and Croque-Monsieur, stacked like a Parisian argument. The Foie Gras was so rich it probably owns property in the 1st Arrondissement. And that was before the mains: Spaghetti with Clams and fish baked “the French way”, alongside Mushroom Carpaccio and Rigatoni with Truffle Cream and Parmesan.
Spaghetti with clams, and baked fish. Image credits: @eliemmasta, @bocajanul, and La Fantaisie
Mushroom carpaccio, and rigatoni. Image credits: @viatola, @peatchyprod, and La Fantaisie
Dessert brought slices of Galette des Rois and Baba au Rhum, drenched in rum-laced syrup and crowned with vanilla cream. Coffee followed—dark and necessary.
Galette des Rois, and Baba au Rhum. Image credits: Maki Manoukian and La Fantaisie