High Tea at The Ritz

Afternoon tea at the Ritz is held in the gorgeous Palm Court and it is quite the experience. The quintessential destination for afternoon tea in London, five sittings a day, booked up to 6 weeks in advance.

What makes tea at the Ritz so special is hard to pin down. Is it the beautiful silver tea pots and the exquisite porcelain teacups and dishes? The traditional 3-tiered trays of perfectly arrayed no-crust sandwiches - smoked salmon, mature cheddar, chicken, ham, egg cress, and of course cucumber and cream cheese - freshly baked scones and delicate pastries? Or is it simply the impeccable service for which The Ritz is known worldwide? Of course the most sensible answer is that it's not just one factor but the whole package, couple with the reputation of the brand and the legacy itself that makes tea at the Ritz so remarkable.

The service was so refined that the waiter sniffed that I wasn't absolutely thrilled with the first tea that I tried and offered to bring me another, and then another. The first was a traditional Ceylon tea that was nice, but not very perfumey so I wanted to go a bit wilder, with the tea... The L'Opera blew me away on the first cup. It's a green tea infused with red berries and "precious spices". However, after brewing for a bit it assumed a very dry finish and then I wasn't particularly keen on it anymore, and the exceptional waiter noticed this as well. My last and successful tea was the Moroccan Mint (green tea infused with spearmint) and it was divine from first to last cup. Not at all overpowering, and very refreshing.

Surprisingly, the sandwiches got more attention than I expected, not because they aren't deliciously simple and pleasing but because when faced with sandwiches versus cake, millefeuille and other sweet treats I tend to veer in the latter direction. The savory sandwiches though are particularly nice when alternating between the assorted pastries. The mini-millefeuille (aka napoleon) was quite possibly the best I've ever tasted. And then once you've had a head start on both the waiter will then ask if you're ready for the warm apple and raisin scones. All the while clotted cream and preserves are on the table waiting for them to arrive. My first scones and clotted cream experience, and it only took six months in London! What I was waiting for I'll never know...

Qype: The Trafalgar in London

London - Travel & Hotels - Hotels - 5 Star Hotels

I wanted drinks with a view so went with a friend to the roof garden of the Trafalgar hotel after work yesterday. Great view indeed looking out from the 6th floor terrace towards Trafalgar Square. Cocktails were as pricey as you'd expect at an upscale hotel bar (between 10-13quid for most), but what I didn't know in advance was that they charge 5quid pp (on a Monday!) just to get up to the roof garden.

So with some cocktails, a shared jug of Pimms, and a sharing platter of Asian snacks it turned into an expensive outing overall, but I did have a great time, relaxed in the oversized chairs, and enjoyed the mini-escape from the bustling scene just 6 floors down that seemed far far away. The international bar staff were friendly as well and may have convinced me to visit again soon. We'll see!

Check out my review of The Trafalgar - I am CaribQueen - on Qype