5 /5
Rating
★
★
★
★
★
Yesterday we returned to the Hotel Café Royal for another afternoon tea, our first visit was last December for the festive offering, which we really enjoyed and awarded five stars. We were curious about what the January afternoon tea would be like and I’m pleased to say that we had a truly sumptuous experience with the most exquisite service. The tea room is beautiful, the sandwiches were full of delicious fillings and combinations, the scones were light and buttery and the cakes looked almost too good to eat. But we ate them anyway! However the standout for us was the generosity behind our lovely afternoon tea. In fact, we spent four hours eating, drinking and chatting, and we were kindly assured by our main server Shekhar, that we were welcome to relax and take our time, as our table was not needed. We were also offered further savoury and sweet treats and the additional conserve of Earl Grey tea jelly was really tasty and original. I would like to thank Shekhar for his attentive service and for sharing his knowledge of the teas on offer, in fact he was delightful and funny. He also ensured the promise of trying as many teas as we wanted to was fulfilled, this is something that in my experience other establishments fail to do. I really appreciated having a different pot of tea and a new cup to accompany all three courses, my favourite being the white peony one. I would also like to thank Samantha for gracefully ensuring our water was always replenished and for constantly asking if we required anything else. A special mention should also be given to the pianist who played a wide range of music beautifully and helped to elevate our visit to another level. I have already booked another visit in March to treat my Mum to afternoon tea for her birthday and I will be excited to see how this experience will compare.