Afternoon tea is where my love for tea, dessert and history collides. A place where I can sample multiple varieties of tea, with delicious treats in a beautiful setting – what more could you or I wish for? One of the most amazing options in Mayfair is afternoon tea at The Dorchester, set in their gorgeous sitting room, The Promenade.
Even the word Promenade conjures up images of elegance and grace. Think Titanic, think Downton Abbey. A truly special place to dine in for sure. Dare I even say one of my favourite afternoon teas in London? So, if you’re ready to add another afternoon tea experience to your travel or foodie bucket list, keep on reading!
Type: Traditional Afternoon Tea
Price: Mid-High
Atmosphere: Elegant, luxurious and traditional
The Dorchester is a luxury 5-star hotel in London’s Mayfair, a few steps away from the western side of Hyde Park. After walking through the busy streets, you’re ushered into a beautiful foyer where the sounds of the traffic disappear behind you, and you’re guided towards the Promenade.
I was solo dining again on this occasion and was seated on one of the tables along the wall, with an amazingly plush couch to sit on. Pure plushy bliss. As a solo diner, and especially at a fancy dining establishment, I always measure my experience with how comfortable I felt on my own, with service and atmosphere being a big factor. This was one of the instances where those two factors scored very highly for me.
It’s understated elegance here for The Dorchester afternoon tea. The simplicity of the table setting was stunning, in my opinion, and it offset nicely against the opulence of the surroundings.
On to the afternoon tea! Now that we’re on to the food, I just have to say that The Dorchester takes the medal for the best finger sandwiches that I have had in all the afternoon tea experiences that I had in London. Second servings of the sandwiches were offered so do make sure you come with enough stomach space to spare.
The Traditional Afternoon Tea menu was Autumnal inspired at the time of dining (as you can see in the beautifully crafted pastries below) and consisted of the following courses.
The Menu
A selection of homemade finger sandwiches on artisan bread:
~ Devilled free-range organic egg, mature cheddar, English mustard, fruit chutney and mayonnaise on parsley wholemeal bread,
~ Maldon Cure smoked salmon, baby gem, lemon balm, Marie Rose sauce on crushed black pepper brown bread.
~ Baby cucumber, pear, cream cheese, black pepper and micro basil on green basil bread.
~ Coronation Norfolk Black Leg chicken, confit ginger, golden raisins, Granny Smith apple, mild curry spice, parsley crème fraîche and mayonnaise on white bread.
~ Beef pastrami, Lancashire pink onion chutney and grain mustard mayonnaise on wholemeal bread.
Pre-dessert
Coconut panna cotta, chocolate crumble and mango gel
Scones
Warm raisin and plain scones served with homemade strawberry jam, The Dorchester Rose jam and Cornish clotted cream.
A Selection of Pastries
~ Pumpkin and crème brûlée tart – candied pumpkin, pumpkin crème brûlée and pecan caramel.
~ Olive oil cake, figs and pistachio – olive oil cake, fig jelly and a light pistachio mousse.
~ Pear and caramel – hazelnut dacquoise topped with a pear mousse and a caramel marmalade.
~ Dark chocolate and yuzu – dark chocolate crémeux with a yuzu centre between buckwheat sable.
The tea menu itself isn’t the largest offering that I have seen, but it covers all bases, and there are two exclusive tea blends on offer: The Dorchester Afternoon blend and the Dorchester Rose tea. However, after the satisfying finger sandwich course, you are surprised with a Jasmine, rose and marigold flowering tea as a palette cleanser before you get stuck into the pre-dessert course. The pre-dessert for this experience was a coconut panna cotta with a chocolate crumble and a mango gel. Absolutely delicious!
Scones were great and the two types of jam were just *chef’s kiss*. Look at that chunk of strawberry right there.
The pastries. Oh my goodness me. So, the scone did it for me and it was at this point in the meal where I could not go on any more. Cue sad violin music. I tried. I sat, I rested, I paced myself, but I just couldn’t do it. So I took a heap of pictures instead and had them packaged up for me to take home to enjoy. The pastries kept so well and still tasted amazing the next day.
Cost
The Dorchester Afternoon tea was £60 at the time of dining. You could also opt for the traditional afternoon tea option that includes a seasonal tea based non-alcoholic cocktail for £62, or choose from one of the many Champagne Afternoon Tea options on offer.
If you’re looking for a special occasion and indulgent afternoon tea experience, look no further than The Dorchester. Seriously, those sandwiches were out of this world and look at how pretty those pastries are!
The service, the food, the atmosphere, the setting – all impeccable!
Have you experienced afternoon tea at The Dorchester? Let me know in the comments below!
Find out more information about afternoon tea at The Dorchester here.
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