A new, friendly and gourmet tea room has just opened in the center of Toulon.

Laurent Pitrons, 56, is fulfilling a childhood dream by opening his tea room on Place de la Poissonnerie. Originally from Belgium, this foodie enthusiast grew up in a family of restaurateurs before working for over 40 years in the restaurant industry. Since he was 7, he's had a dream: to open his own tea room. He finally decided to take the plunge: " I told myself it was time. The job is exhausting, so I have fifteen years left before I have to stop! "

Last November, Laurent signed the lease for his future tea room. " I had done market research on the region and one day, while visiting Toulon, I saw this space and I thought it was my home, " he says with emotion. Three months of solo work followed to bring these four walls to life. " I wanted to create a warm place, where people can come to relax and share a moment of pleasure ," explains the restaurateur.

A homemade card

At L'Escale, a daily special is offered every lunchtime for 12 euros, a desire of Laurent to " allow everyone to come for lunch and eat something fresh and good ." He carefully selects his ingredients at the market. The restaurateur is committed to ensuring that each product sold comes from as close as possible: bread from the bakery Le pain de la rade, coffee from Cafés Maurice, nougat from Maison Jonquier in Ollioules... On Sunday mornings, the tea room diversifies its offerings with a brunch menu.

When you think of a tea room, you obviously think of tea. L'Escale has chosen to work with Dammann Frères as its supplier. For Laurent, "it was important that our teas come from the four corners of the world. I want people to be able to travel through their drink ." His personal favorite? Bali green tea.

Tea room, but also ice cream maker

But Laurent's true specialty is ice cream. A graduate of a professional qualification in ice cream making, he creates ice creams and sorbets every day in his laboratory at the back of the salon. Twelve flavors are available for sale, but each day there's a new flavor, depending on the specialist's creative desires. His goal? Ice creams with pure ingredients, no additives, and as little sugar as possible to maximize flavor. In addition to ice creams served by the scoop, you can also enjoy ice cream sundaes.

Laurent isn't achieving his dream alone. There are three of them, supported by seasonal workers, who run the tea room. " I can't do it alone ," he says, surrounded by Danny and Céline, who run the dining room and the shop.

>Practical L'Escale, 6 Place de la Poissonnerie in Toulon. Open every day during the summer from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is recommended to book brunch on Sunday mornings. Daily specials are €12, Sunday brunch specials are €29. A scoop of ice cream costs €2.90.