The Orangery

[Sackville]

I took a friend for tea at The Orangery in Kensington Palace yesterday and, having read many good reviews, was looking forward to it. Unfortunately it didn't measure up, in my opinion.

The one good point was the building -- beautiful architecture -- but the tables were covered in a paper tablecloth... not very "elegant" and the tea wasn't that great. The tea selection itself was limited (English Breakfast, Earl Grey and a few herbal choices) and it was from bags, not loose tea. There was no extra hot water.

We had the "Champagne Tea" but there was little presentation to it. When I had the Champagne Tea at The Montague Hotel (near the British museum) the food came served on a gorgeous silver tiered stand and there was plenty of it but this was all just on plain white plates and very scant, in my opinion.

We had 4 finger-sized smoked salmon sandwiches on brown bread, which were a bit bland. The scone was not bad but it was served with a very sour jam on top of it and only a thin spread of clotted cream. There was no choice of jam and no extra pot of clotted cream if you wanted more. I'm not sure what the jam was. It looked like blueberry but tasted more like currants without any sugar. We also had a piece of chocolate cake, which was dry and clearly from a box instead of homemade.

Add in a 10 minute wait for a table and cool service from the waitress and I found it disappointing for the price (£13.95 plus service). I guess they benefit from the tourist trade.

If I remember correctly the Champagne Tea at The Montague was £19.95 but the quality and quantity of the food as well as the service was much higher. I think you got a sundae-sized glass of fresh strawberries too at The Montague.

Having said all that, anyone have good recommendations for tea in London?

[postcode]

I took a friend for tea at The Orangery in Kensington Palace yesterday and, having read many good reviews, was looking forward to it. Unfortunately it didn't measure up, in my opinion.

The one good point was the building -- beautiful architecture -- but the tables were covered in a paper tablecloth... not very "elegant" and the tea wasn't that great. The tea selection itself was limited (English Breakfast, Earl Grey and a few herbal choices) and it was from bags, not loose tea. There was no extra hot water.

We had the "Champagne Tea" but there was little presentation to it. When I had the Champagne Tea at The Montague Hotel (near the British museum) the food came served on a gorgeous silver tiered stand and there was plenty of it but this was all just on plain white plates and very scant, in my opinion.

We had 4 finger-sized smoked salmon sandwiches on brown bread, which were a bit bland. The scone was not bad but it was served with a very sour jam on top of it and only a thin spread of clotted cream. There was no choice of jam and no extra pot of clotted cream if you wanted more. I'm not sure what the jam was.  It looked like blueberry but tasted more like currants without any sugar. We also had a piece of chocolate cake, which was dry and clearly from a box instead of homemade.

Add in a 10 minute wait for a table and cool service from the waitress and I found it disappointing for the price (£13.95 plus service). I guess they benefit from the tourist trade.

If I remember correctly the Champagne Tea at The Montague was £19.95 but the quality and quantity of the food as well as the service was much higher. I think you got a sundae-sized glass of fresh strawberries too at The Montague.

Having said all that, anyone have good recommendations for tea in London?

←

The Ritz (just for the twee factor) but it's LUDICROUSLY over-priced.

[magnolia]

For sedate high tea, the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental (forget its name). Spectacular, plentiful food, loads of tea options. Upper £20s / early £30's if memory serves.

For raucous, deafening and crowded - but good quality/good value, the Wolseley.

[bushey]

I love The Montague. A friend and I had a wonderful lunch at Blue Door Bistro a few years ago, after a grueling morning viewing the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum. Tea there sounds perfectly lovely.

Last year, when we took a family trip to London, we brought our three girls to tea at The Carlton Tower. Tea is served in the Chinoiserie lobby area and there was a harpist playing. It was a bit crowded, and smoky, but the service was excellent. I think we may have ordered one set tea and some additional a la carte items. There were several choices of tea, and I remember loving the Lapsang Souchong. Admittedly, we made our choice based on convenience of location and price, but found it very enjoyable.

[browniebaker]

In April last year I took tea at four different places in London. I did not choose the Orangery at Kensington Palace because I had indeed heard about their stale cakes, cold scones, and indifferent service. Here are my rankings and impressions:

FIRST PLACE: TEA AT THE LANESBOROUGH

Tea at the Lanesborough hotel was my absolute favorite, and I have decided I must take tea there whenever in London. Tea is taken at dining tables in the rarefied atmosphere of the beautiful Conservatory, where the sky-lit, pink-and-green, Oriental interior and sounds of water trickling from fountains seem a world away from the gray of the city.

The tea selection was superb and diverse, including special teas such as the subtle and smooth yet invigorating Earl Grey Blue Flower and the peachy-fragrant Lychee.

I was most impressed by the service, which was attentive, unobtrusive, and impeccable. No one in my party of four was allowed to lift a finger to pour. In fact, the waiter must have been discreetly watching because, whenever my teacup was tilted more acutely because my tea was getting low, I saw him rush off and later return with a new pot of perfectly brewed tea. He did this for each of the four persons in our party, even though we each had different teas, in individual pots.

The finger sandwiches were the best I have ever had, very fresh, finely made, beautifully presented under a light sprinkling of green sprouts, and delicious. Especially tasty were the smoked-salmon, chicken-salad, egg-and-tomato, and cucumber (best I had in London) sandwiches.

The waiter asked whether we wished to have more sandwiches; only when we said we were done with the sandwich course, did the kitchen bake our scones and griddle-cook our crumpets (the only crumpets I found at tea in all of London during my stay). The just-baked scones were fantastic, buttery and light, the perfect base for the perfectly silky Devonshire clotted cream and excellent strawberry jam, which was my favorite of all the tea places we tried. The lemon curd was also delicious.

The last course was tea breads and pastries, and the five different pastries were utterly delicious, almost too beautiful and fine to eat, though I devoured them.

To all who are visiting London, I say to take tea at the Lanesborough if you possibly, possibly can.

SECOND PLACE: TEA AT THE DORCHESTER

Tea at the Dorchester hotel was excellent. Tea is served in the English style at low tea-tables while you are seated in cozy sofas and armchairs in the Promenade, a long, magnificent room lined with peach-colored marble columns, at one end of which a pianist plays.

The waitress took our orders for tea, and then brought around a tray laden with finger sandwiches from which we chose, ad libitum. The smoked salmon in the finger sandwiches was delicious, definitely the best among the four tea venues I tried. The waitress kept bringing trays of sandwiches until we had had as many as we wished.

Then a plate of warm scones and hot cross buns (a special, because it was Easter weekend when we were there) was placed on our table. The famed Dorchester scones lived up to their reputation, nicely crisp outside and soft and light inside. The silky-smooth Devonshire clotted cream was wonderful, and the strawberry jam was my husband's favorite of the four tea places we tried.

The final course was several, maybe seven or eight, different French pastries presented on a tray, from which one chooses one or two because innate modesty and the size of one's plate keeps one from taking more, although I saw one lady across the room have a waiter place three on her plate.

The service was flawless, polite and unobtrusive yet attentive; waiters peek from behind folding screens to see whether you are ready for another cup of tea or need a replenishing of milk in the pitcher. Tea at the Dorchester was the favorite of my seven-year-old son because, he says, he enjoyed the pampering service and the bounty of trays of delicious food to select from.

The Promenade is said to be a place to see and be seen, but I did not see any notables while at tea there, maybe because it was Easter weekend. I would definitely take tea there again -- and not just because I am hoping to see some celebrities next time.

THIRD PLACE: TEA AT THE RITZ

Tea at the Ritz is legendary and almost has to be experienced at least once. However, I must say that once will be enough for me.

Afternoon tea is very expensive at £32 per person, but you are paying for the experience of taking tea in the famous, beautiful, Louis-Seize-decorated Palm Court while a pianist plays, and you are offered endless quantities of food and will not need dinner that evening. The Palm Court is gorgeous, although smaller than I had expected, and my party of four was lucky to be seated at “Table Number One,” as I heard the maitre d' say, near the beautiful fountain. Tea is taken at dining tables.

Although the service was sincere and polite, our waiter was a little clumsy, dropping and bumping things.

First a plate of five different types of finger sandwiches was served. Our finger sandwiches would have been delicious if the bread had not been already curling from drying out. It seems that, because all the parties at each seating enter the room at about the same time, the sandwiches have to made up ahead of time. But there are ways to wrap sandwiches to prevent curling before service. We were offered, almost encouraged to have, more sandwiches until we had had our fill and were ready for the next course, scones.

Plain and fruit scones are brought on a plate, with strawberry jam and clotted cream. The jam was very good, but the scones were heavier and denser than I like, and the clotted cream was of the grainy style, which I do not like as much as the satiny-smooth variety.

The tea breads and pastries, though, were absolutely delicious, and, uniquely among the four places where I took tea, were offered endlessly until we cried uncle. My favorites were the dark and rich and fruity Dundee cake, the three-chocolate mousse, and the apricot-mango-and-passion-fruit mousse.

If you go, definitely choose the last seating of the day, at 5:30 and not at 1:30 or 3:30, so that you do not have to feel rushed to vacate your table for the next seating, and so that you avoid the busloads of tourists that (I am told) often book the earlier seatings. With a 5:30 seating, we had a leisurely tea and stayed as late as we wished.

No matter what good or bad you hear about tea at the Ritz, you just have to go and experience it for yourself.

LAST PLACE: TEA AT FORTNUM AND MASON

Tea at Fortnum and Mason was a real disappointment. In the St James's Restaurant upstairs of the store, tea is taken at dining tables in a large room that lacks ambiance. A pianist plays during tea, but the ambiance is not helped by the sound of guests yakking on cell phones, and the sight of tired shoppers with their coats draped over their chairs (no coat-check available) and heaps of shopping bags around their tables, or the sight of people with their work papers spread all over the table.

After we were seated, it was fifteen minutes before anyone came to take our order. The waitress claimed that they were short of staff. Indeed, all the waiters seemed to running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I could swear our waitress was actually a charwoman called in to pinch-hit, for she kept forgetting what teas we had ordered and could not talk intelligently about the menu.

None of the four different teas that we tried were very distinctive. My husband ordered one of the rare teas offered on a special menu at extra cost, and this rare Darjeeling Chamong was terribly bitter, probably brewed too long.

Most surprisingly, the finger sandwiches were bland and dry triangles cut from Wonder-bread-like sandwich slices with the crust left on. Paying £18.50 per person not including the 17.5 % VAT and a mandated 12.5% service charge, I expected better.

The plain and fruit scones were fine, but nothing special, and the Cornish clotted cream was of the grainy variety. The strawberry jam was good, though.

The one thing they did do right was the pastries, which were delicious. We wished we could have had more pastries because nothing else had been very enjoyable, but additional servings were not offered of anything.

After all I had read of tea at Fortnum and Mason including their claim that their afternoon tea features the best comestibles sold in their famous store, I was disappointed.

[Sackville]

In April last year I took tea at four different places in London. I did not choose the Orangery at Kensington Palace because I had indeed heard about their stale cakes, cold scones, and indifferent service. Here are my rankings and impressions:

Thank you for taking the time to type all this. I will definitely be trying some of the better ones you mention :-)

[Brithack]

In April last year I took tea at four different places in London. I did not choose the Orangery at Kensington Palace because I had indeed heard about their stale cakes, cold scones, and indifferent service. Here are my rankings and impressions:

FIRST PLACE: TEA AT THE LANESBOROUGH

Tea at the Lanesborough hotel was my absolute favorite, and I have decided I must take tea there whenever in London. Tea is taken at dining tables in the rarefied atmosphere of the beautiful Conservatory, where the sky-lit, pink-and-green, Oriental interior and sounds of water trickling from fountains seem a world away from the gray of the city.

The tea selection was superb and diverse, including special teas such as the subtle and smooth yet invigorating Earl Grey Blue Flower and the peachy-fragrant Lychee.

I was most impressed by the service, which was attentive, unobtrusive, and impeccable. No one in my party of four was allowed to lift a finger to pour. In fact, the waiter must have been discreetly watching because, whenever my teacup was tilted more acutely because my tea was getting low, I saw him rush off and later return with a new pot of perfectly brewed tea. He did this for each of the four persons in our party, even though we each had different teas, in individual pots.

The finger sandwiches were the best I have ever had, very fresh, finely made, beautifully presented under a light sprinkling of green sprouts, and delicious. Especially tasty were the smoked-salmon, chicken-salad, egg-and-tomato, and cucumber (best I had in London) sandwiches.

The waiter asked whether we wished to have more sandwiches; only when we said we were done with the sandwich course, did the kitchen bake our scones and griddle-cook our crumpets (the only crumpets I found at tea in all of London during my stay). The just-baked scones were fantastic, buttery and light, the perfect base for the perfectly silky Devonshire clotted cream and excellent strawberry jam, which was my favorite of all the tea places we tried. The lemon curd was also delicious.

The last course was tea breads and pastries, and the five different pastries were utterly delicious, almost too beautiful and fine to eat, though I devoured them.

To all who are visiting London, I say to take tea at the Lanesborough if you possibly, possibly can.

SECOND PLACE: TEA AT THE DORCHESTER

Tea at the Dorchester hotel was excellent. Tea is served in the English style at low tea-tables while you are seated in cozy sofas and armchairs in the Promenade, a long, magnificent room lined with peach-colored marble columns, at one end of which a pianist plays.

The waitress took our orders for tea, and then brought around a tray laden with finger sandwiches from which we chose, ad libitum. The smoked salmon in the finger sandwiches was delicious, definitely the best among the four tea venues I tried. The waitress kept bringing trays of sandwiches until we had had as many as we wished.

Then a plate of warm scones and hot cross buns (a special, because it was Easter weekend when we were there) was placed on our table. The famed Dorchester scones lived up to their reputation, nicely crisp outside and soft and light inside. The silky-smooth Devonshire clotted cream was wonderful, and the strawberry jam was my husband's favorite of the four tea places we tried.

The final course was several, maybe seven or eight, different French pastries presented on a tray, from which one chooses one or two because innate modesty and the size of one's plate keeps one from taking more, although I saw one lady across the room have a waiter place three on her plate.

The service was flawless, polite and unobtrusive yet attentive; waiters peek from behind folding screens to see whether you are ready for another cup of tea or need a replenishing of milk in the pitcher. Tea at the Dorchester was the favorite of my seven-year-old son because, he says, he enjoyed the pampering service and the bounty of trays of delicious food to select from.

The Promenade is said to be a place to see and be seen, but I did not see any notables while at tea there, maybe because it was Easter weekend. I would definitely take tea there again -- and not just because I am hoping to see some celebrities next time.

THIRD PLACE: TEA AT THE RITZ

Tea at the Ritz is legendary and almost has to be experienced at least once. However, I must say that once will be enough for me.

Afternoon tea is very expensive at £32 per person, but you are paying for the experience of taking tea in the famous, beautiful, Louis-Seize-decorated Palm Court while a pianist plays, and you are offered endless quantities of food and will not need dinner that evening. The Palm Court is gorgeous, although smaller than I had expected, and my party of four was lucky to be seated at “Table Number One,” as I heard the maitre d' say, near the beautiful fountain. Tea is taken at dining tables.

Although the service was sincere and polite, our waiter was a little clumsy, dropping and bumping things.

First a plate of five different types of finger sandwiches was served. Our finger sandwiches would have been delicious if the bread had not been already curling from drying out. It seems that, because all the parties at each seating enter the room at about the same time, the sandwiches have to made up ahead of time. But there are ways to wrap sandwiches to prevent curling before service. We were offered, almost encouraged to have, more sandwiches until we had had our fill and were ready for the next course, scones.

Plain and fruit scones are brought on a plate, with strawberry jam and clotted cream. The jam was very good, but the scones were heavier and denser than I like, and the clotted cream was of the grainy style, which I do not like as much as the satiny-smooth variety.

The tea breads and pastries, though, were absolutely delicious, and, uniquely among the four places where I took tea, were offered endlessly until we cried uncle. My favorites were the dark and rich and fruity Dundee cake, the three-chocolate mousse, and the apricot-mango-and-passion-fruit mousse.

If you go, definitely choose the last seating of the day, at 5:30 and not at 1:30 or 3:30, so that you do not have to feel rushed to vacate your table for the next seating, and so that you avoid the busloads of tourists that (I am told) often book the earlier seatings. With a 5:30 seating, we had a leisurely tea and stayed as late as we wished.

No matter what good or bad you hear about tea at the Ritz, you just have to go and experience it for yourself.

LAST PLACE: TEA AT FORTNUM AND MASON

Tea at Fortnum and Mason was a real disappointment. In the St James's Restaurant upstairs of the store, tea is taken at dining tables in a large room that lacks ambiance. A pianist plays during tea, but the ambiance is not helped by the sound of guests yakking on cell phones, and the sight of tired shoppers with their coats draped over their chairs (no coat-check available) and heaps of shopping bags around their tables, or the sight of people with their work papers spread all over the table.

After we were seated, it was fifteen minutes before anyone came to take our order. The waitress claimed that they were short of staff. Indeed, all the waiters seemed to running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I could swear our waitress was actually a charwoman called in to pinch-hit, for she kept forgetting what teas we had ordered and could not talk intelligently about the menu.

None of the four different teas that we tried were very distinctive. My husband ordered one of the rare teas offered on a special menu at extra cost, and this rare Darjeeling Chamong was terribly bitter, probably brewed too long.

Most surprisingly, the finger sandwiches were bland and dry triangles cut from Wonder-bread-like sandwich slices with the crust left on. Paying £18.50 per person not including the 17.5 % VAT and a mandated 12.5% service charge, I expected better.

The plain and fruit scones were fine, but nothing special, and the Cornish clotted cream was of the grainy variety. The strawberry jam was good, though.

The one thing they did do right was the pastries, which were delicious. We wished we could have had more pastries because nothing else had been very enjoyable, but additional servings were not offered of anything.

After all I had read of tea at Fortnum and Mason including their claim that their afternoon tea features the best comestibles sold in their famous store, I was disappointed.

←

WHAT a shame! Shame on all of us. Afteroon tea is fab - but beginning to think it's only so if you're British. Criminal.

[Suzi Edwards]

I went for tea at Sketch last week and it was absolutley wonderful. We really just had tea and beautiful little pastries but I would go back in a heartbeat. The room is glorious- perspex stags heads on the walls and the menus come popped into an old book. It's a real mix of victoriana and modern, with old fashioned fringed lampshades covered with a huge modern one. Even the waitresses uniforms are fabulous, swirly purple Diana Von Furstenberg-like wrap dresses.

The tea choice is mainly green, white and Japanese although there's also Earl Gray, English Breakfast and herbal. My brother's English Breakfast wasn't great, it looked a little like dish water but I think that's because he steeped it for too long and then added too much milk. My white tea was much better, zingy, fresh and perfectly steeped. There are about 15 different cakes to choose from, but cake feels like the wrong word for these beautiful, colourful creations. Choosing was a bit like deciding between your favourite pieces of jewellery, so as is my way I chose two. Gagnaire described the cakes as representing

an alliance between French tastes and British tradition.

Quote from The Pierre Gagnaire website. My memory fails on exactly which I chose, but the fruit one (almond and rhubarb mainly) was more sucessful than the chocolate one with tonka bean which I found a little bit too subtle. Both had the most perfect patisserie bases though- as crisp as you could get and a great vessel for the creamy, fruity goodness above.

I just loved this place and can't wait to go back and try the sandwiches. Not a scone in sight though, so this probably isn't a place for afternoon tea purists.

Edited March 19, 2005 by Suzi Edwards (log)

[magnolia]

WHAT a shame! Shame on all of us. Afteroon tea is fab - but beginning to think it's only so if you're British. Criminal.

←

Is that like 'no tea please, we're British'?!

[Portia_Smith]

I am off to afternoon tea at the Lanesborough this afternoon to treat a friend whose recent birthday bash I missed. I completely forgot about the booking I'd made til she phoned last night and then had an hour long panic about what I would wear. Now that a suitable frock has been sorted, I'm quite looking forward to it. It's a very big deal for her - as her poncy afternoon tea in London memories are tarnished by the fact that her former husband promised her tea at the Ritz on the occasion of her 30th and then wasn't let in by the door staff as he wasn't dressed appropriately!

The pressure!

I will report back - with photos if possible.

I've had tea at Fortnum and Masons and the Orangerie and wasn't overly impressed by either to be honest. I think my £3.50 pot of darjeeling with scones, jam and cream in the garden of the Farmhouse B&B in Morthoe, Devon last June - with the sun shining and legs aching from scrambing around the south west coastal path was much, much, much better....

[Almass]

I went for tea at Sketch last week and it was absolutley wonderful. We really just had tea and beautiful little pastries but I would go back in a heartbeat. The room is glorious- perspex stags heads on the walls and the menus come popped into an old book. It's a real mix of victoriana and modern, with old fashioned fringed lampshades covered with a huge modern one. Even the waitresses uniforms are fabulous, swirly purple Diana Von Furstenberg-like wrap dresses.

The tea choice is mainly green, white and Japanese although there's also Earl Gray, English Breakfast and herbal. My brother's English Breakfast wasn't great, it looked a little like dish water but I think that's because he steeped it for too long and then added too much milk. My white tea was much better, zingy, fresh and perfectly steeped. There are about 15 different cakes to choose from, but cake feels like the wrong word for these beautiful, colourful creations. Choosing was a bit like deciding between your favourite pieces of jewellery, so as is my way I chose two. Gagnaire described the cakes as representing

an alliance between French tastes and British tradition.

Quote from The Pierre Gagnaire website. My memory fails on exactly which I chose, but the fruit one (almond and rhubarb mainly) was more sucessful than the chocolate one with tonka bean which I found a little bit too subtle. Both had the most perfect patisserie bases though- as crisp as you could get and a great vessel for the creamy, fruity goodness above.

I just loved this place and can't wait to go back and try the sandwiches. Not a scone in sight though, so this probably isn't a place for afternoon tea purists.

←

Ahhhh, les douceurs of PG at Sketch. Truly outstanding and I particularly enjoy the one with the petal on top (no name I can remember). I often end up at Sketch after lunching in the vicinity and the reason is the beautifull patisseries offered. I am a cigar smoker and it is one of the places where you are allowed to indulge. On one occasion, we bumped into MM and discussed the patisseries and upon him finding out that we only tried and satisfied ourselves with a short list of three or four different petite douceurs, he galantly offered us the whole range to try. Granted that it was a nice PR gesture but it simply reinforces the fact that MM high standards are not only in the food area.

I enjoy all Sketch outlets and Tea at Sketch might be a bit different from the other five star establishments but it is a delectable experience.

As for five star Tea, The Lanesborough is my prefered place.

[Portia_Smith]

Afternoon tea at the Lanesborough - fabulous! That's my verdict.

We had reservations for a sitting at 4 pm, arrived on time and had the cab door opened by doorman in green bowler hat, doors opened by more green-jacketed staff, everyone calling us 'Madam' and directing us to the Conservatory.

Ahh.. beautiful room too - very light and airy in tones of pale pink and mint green, with the glass roof showing us lot's of blue sky. Palms and bamboo in huge export-ware Japanese pots, a long low sideboard covered with Blue Willow tea caddies and pink orchids.

We decided on the champagne and strawberry tea at £37 (no half measures here!) and were treated to a flute each of Taittinger non vintage (you could upgrade for about £5 extra for fancier brands). Then came the strawberries - about 12 of them are given to you in a bowl, then the waitress comes over with a jug of pouring cream and lets loose until you say 'when'. Strawberries were small and very, very sweet - which was a relief as a few minutes after ordering I thought - 'hmmmm.. not quite british strawberry season yet, is it?'. No complaints at all there, though...

We were asked for our tea preferences, out of a choice of 6 teas we decided on a pot of darjeeling and the lanesborough mix, which was a blend of assam, darjeeling and rose congou. They arrived in silver teapots.

Next came the three tiered cake stand - bottom tier was sandwiches, egg and cress bound in a lemony mayonnaise, cucumber and smoked salmon, cheese and pickle and also small round brioches stuffed with crabmeat. The sandwiches were beautiful - lovely bread and moist but not soggy fillings... we scoffed those and our waitress was over in a flash to offer more to us. Tempting as it was, we declined, as the scones and toasted tea cakes were next.. these hadn't appeared on the cake stand, but were brought out from the kitchen. I was very, very taken with the buttered teacake - it was fruity, fresh and the toasted surfaces sprinkled with a sugar and a very small amount of cinnamon. The scones were also almost perfect. My only complaint (and this a general english one) is why do you offer the fruit scone with jam, cream and lemon curd. Surely the fruit scone just needs butter - and the PLAIN SCONE gets all the trimmings. But what do I know.. I'm a colonial! I'll admit that my hardline scone fundamentalism didn't stop me piling up the little fruity critter with all the raspberry jam and cream it could handle and then asking for seconds so I could try the lemon curd and my guest could attempt a lemon curd, clotted cream melange on her third scone.

We were fairly stuffed by this stage, but tier 2 was awaiting sampling. This plate consisted of individual loaf cakes - 3 of them, 1 gingerbread, 1 lemon and poppyseed and 1 banana walnut that we split between us. OK - cakes good - but a bit American stylee - why not some seed cake, or a tiny individual victoria sponge, or plain chocolate cake? Having queried that - I have to say the gingerbread was brilliant, dark and treacly with quite a kick.

Oh - forgot to mention that we were given an amuse bouche of a tiny vanilla pannacotta served in a shotglass with a topping of toffeed apricot - post strawberries, pre sarnies. The pannacotta was excellent, unexpected and forced us into a reverential silence until we decided we couldn't wipe the sides of the shot glass with our fingers to get the last bits out.

Finally - on to the top tier - fancy, schmancy french style pastries - a lovely almond macaroon sandwiched around fresh rasperries, a strawberry tartlet and two chocolate creations that were moussey things perched on a base of toffeed rice crispies and then coated with ganache. By this stage we were fit to burst - it was almost 7 pm, we'd had 6 cups of tea each and the posh cakes were just..a..bit..too..much. We managed to sample all of them, although the chocolate things left us feeling a bit sick and we left most of them behind.

All in all - it's my top London tea experience, I haven't even begun to touch on the people watching, which was brilliant - especially if you live in a small, mono-cultural english market town. There were middle eastern women dripping in gold carrying handbags which were worth 6 months of my wages, who were escorted to a table in the centre of the room with some lackey forced to take care of their couture shopping bags, the 12 braying sloane twentysomething girls sitting behind us who all seemed to be only half human with a strong welsh pony gene, the japanese family inspecting the provenance of the china and then taking photos of it and the mysterious american woman with an old fashioned pram, filled with a mysterious 14 boxes of krispy kreme donuts.. why? who knows - but we had a ball speculating.

Worth every penny - I took a number of photos and will attempt to upload them in a later post.

[Izabel_blue]

Just a quick note to add on the tea thread--

After reading a rave review in Time Out, I dragged the two biggest tea-fantatics that I know (my BF and his mum) off to the Tea Palace on Westbourne Grove, which opened a few weeks ago. It's a nouveau all-day teashop, serving breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea (no dinner). We went for elevenses, rather than the full afternoon tea experience, and had a mixed experience.

I really liked the layout of the place-- nice and airy with lots of big windows. Half of the space was set up as a retail outlet for canisters of Tea Palace branded teas, and accessories such as teaballs, teapots, etc. The other half was the restaurant itself, sweetly decorated in shades of mauve and white, the walls covered with retro-chic patterned wallpaper. The seating was at round tables or a few banquettes, and it didn't seem too squashed or noisy, despite the fact that it was heaving with Notting Hill yummy mummies, their offspring, and the obligatory hubbies-glued-to-their-mobile-phones. (Honestly!)

Anyways, we ordered some tea and a few breakfasty things-- pancakes, crumpets, brioche, fruit salad. The tea arrived first and the waitress also brought us some tiny shallow dishes of tea leaves that we didn't know what to do with. I guess they were there for the 'this is where your tea's come from' effect or something. She also didn't explain to us that the tea was already brewed, so of course we sat there waiting for it to steep for a few minutes! And then we had to ask again and again to get milk and sugar to put in the tea, despite the fact that we had ordered some rather non-exotic ones (the 'Palace Breakfast' and the 'Palace Earl Grey' -- I know, it's ridiculous to order something so familiar from a 'tea menu' of over 100 teas, but...). After we had finally sorted out what was going on with the tea it was, indeed, very nice...

Food was merely OK-- home-made crumpets and brioche bijou but nice enough, but the 'fruit pancakes' didn't seem to have any fruit in them, and we had to ask for the maple syrup that they had been advertised with. Oh, and my 'fruit salad with jasmine syrup' was quite feeble-- seemed like it had just come out of a can...the strawberries on top (and as I recall, strawbs are in season at the moment) were withered and really unpleasant.

There seemed to be many different staff members running about but the service still managed to be haphazard, especially for someplace that seemed to be trying to introduce a new concept in tearooms. I would've, for once, been happy for the 'have you been here before?' pre-amble to explain how it all worked! They were obviously very keen on creating a Tea Palace experience/brand, as all of the teas and teapots they were selling in the retail part of the space were very heavily branded...to be honest it seemed like they were just a little but up themselves by expecting punters to be interested in buying Tea Palace logo teapots on the way out for £44.50 a pop!

I'm willing to give the Tea Palace the benefit of the doubt for now but I'm not going to be making a beeline back there anytime soon....which is too bad, because it was sweet, and it did have a lot of potential.

Has anyone else been?

Cheers

Elizabeth

Edited May 26, 2005 by Izabel_blue (log)