Afternoon Tea at the Promenade in The Dorchester London is a celebration with tea and extraordinary cakes in one of Mayfair’s most beautiful rooms, this is an experience that’s hard to leave and even harder to forget.
In The Promenade, scattered table lamps glow gently amid the pale mint greens, sunny yellows, and baby pinks. Annuar was our host, and utterly delightful to the extent that you may wish to try to reserve a table on a day he is working.
I wasn’t drinking alcohol that day, yet the occasion was celebratory. Annuar suggested a glass of sparkling ‘Wild Idol’. I braced myself for the predictable saccharine flavour of non-alcoholic wine, yet it was refreshingly dry and pleasantly aromatic.
@sylvieinlondon This Afternoon Tea wins #afternoontea #thedorchester #scones #london #foryoupage #foryou ♬ MONACO – Bad Bunny
My favourite among the finger sandwiches was the Dorrington ham and truffle and my second favourite was the cucumber, dill and horseradish on white bread. The cheese scone which was served on top of the delicious sandwiches was unremarkable in taste, and could have been done without.
A special moment was when Annuar appeared with an Earl grey and rose macaron with an iced filling. This was an unexpected, delicious cold treat, and felt like an ‘extra’ course.
Of the desserts, the Spiced Apple Choux with Cinnamon Chantilly and apple compote won; meanwhile the warm scones were fluffy perfection. We interspersed sips of ‘Wild Idol’ with the Dorchester’s delicious Earl Gray tea throughout.
The Dorchester describes the experience of Afternoon Tea in The Promenade as: ‘Celebrating the day with tea and extraordinary cakes in one of Mayfair’s most beautiful rooms is an experience that’s hard to leave and even harder to forget’, and I must say I quite agree.
Afternoon Tea at the Dorchester starts at £110 at the time of writing. Compare that with The Ritz which starts from £75 and Claridge’s, which is on the week-end on par at £110, but slightly less on weekdays at £105. I feel the slightly higher price at the Promenade is justified on the basis of the ambience and the service. So ornate and palatial is The Ritz, one feels a bit like this man. Meanwhile Claridge’s offers an extraordinary culinary Afternoon Tea experience, yet it falls short in atmosphere and beauty of furnishings and decorations.
The recently-renovated Promenade at the Dorchester gets it ‘just right’. The work that has been done succeeds in establishing an idyllic setting. Every piece of art in the space is original, and while the luxury is of a traditional style, it feels modern. The Period Rooms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, in all their breathtaking sumptuousness, meet their match in the twenty-first century; I could truly sit here all day.
The Dorchester Afternoon Tea Menu:
A selection of homemade finger sandwiches on artisan bread:
- Cheddar and camomile scone
- Severn & Wye smoked salmon, brown shrimp and rock samphire on rye bread
- Cucumber, dill and horseradish on white bread
- Roast chicken, gem lettuce and lemon thyme mayonnaise on malt bread
- Burford Brown egg mayonnaise and mustard cress on white bread
- Dorrington ham with truffle and Parmesan
- on onion bread
A seasonal pre-dessert from the chef
- Warm raisin and plain scones from our bakery served with a selection of seasonal preserves and clotted cream
A selection of pastries:
- Red fruit mille-feuille – Puff pastry, vanilla cream, red fruit confit
- Quince and yoghurt mousse – Vanilla sablé, membrillo
- Spiced apple choux – Cinnamon Chantilly, apple compote
- Pear and almond tart – Almond cream, poached pear
Tea
- A choice from our exceptional range of rare and exclusive to The Dorchester teas
The Dorchester also offer a Vegan and Children’s Afternoon Tea menu.
Afternoon Tea London – find more experiences
in our High Tea Venue Directory
Reviews for this venue:
- 26 October 2015: High Tea at The Dorchester Hotel London
