Cafe Royal, London West End
Just look at these mini morsels of beauty
The traditionalist- definitely look up from your table or you’ll miss this!
Just stunning- no wonder this was a favourite of Oscar Wilde
Ceiling to floor mirrors- how beautiful
This is what i love about London, steeped in history, dating back centuries- the Oscar Wilde bar was established in 1865. This has to be one of the best traditional afternoon teas for years.
What a stunning venue, opulence and grandeur besiege you as you walk in.
The Piano player adds that air of authenticity a truly British experience, tradition and grandeur!
This little gem, nestled in the hustle and bustle of the West End really is a beautiful oasis- and provides that much needed break from the craziness of Regents Street during peak shopping hours- what a great find! It is definitely not what i expected, modern, stunning and beautiful. Art and giant mirrors adorn the walls of this beautiful hotel, you are taken through to the Oscar Wilde bar and genuinely feel like you’ve been transported back to the 1950s. The piano playing in the background just gives this that extra something! It’s no wonder family afternoon teas here date back over 150 years and also why people just keep on coming back for more.
We are seated swiftly, and the room we are in is just stunning! I absolutely love it. This is definitely somewhere special to come with your friends, family or would be perfect for a mother’s day afternoon tea! I know my mummy dearest would be delighted to come here, actually my dearest daddy too! It’s a place for all the family and any excuse to get a little dressed up and experience a slice of history- why not?!
Sweet dishes here are inspired by the scents of Diptique’s best-selling candles (expect lots of rose, blackcurrant, lemon and vanilla- all flavours i adore and it’s also a welcome treat not to have everything at an afternoon tea cakes in chocolate!!). The rest of the menu features classic savoury fillings and small but perfectly formed scones.
The variety of tea blends is vast – I opted for the mango black tea but funnily enough you can order the Oscar- inspired by frequest visitor Oscar Wilde whom the bar is named after! My tea is delicious, my friends opted for old fashioned Ear Grey- fragrant and light the perfect addition to any afternoon tea.
The menu is lovely, for those of you looking to take advantage of the diptique free gift you can opt for that; the traditional or the champagne afternoon tea! As this is a Saturday and we’re out later- we opted for the traditional afternoon tea.
Just how beautiful is the interior of this venue?!! How did i not know about this Afternoon Tea venue- just stunning!
Whilst waiting for our food to arrive, i really had to step back and take in this beautiful room, the piano player in the background and the beautiful mirrored walls from ceiling to floor, all of the gold encrusted frames and painting/ muriel’s on the walls. This place is stunning- there are a lot of birthdays happening today (so many piano medleys of Happy Birthday are being played).
So on to the food, and i’m with friends one of whom is gluten free. The servers are fantastic and accommodate well. Two sets of cake stands appear. Ours was absolutely amazing a beautiful little brioche goats cheese tartlette (with a pipette of apple sauce- an unusual but lovely treat), and then the sandwiches beef and horseradish, chicken, salmon, egg and then cucumber. I have to say i enjoyed the beef and horseradish the most and the little brioche number.
For my gluten free friend, she received a stand full of red pepper and homous, egg, cucumber, beef and horseradish and an aubergine mix- all of which were apparently delicious (though the gluten free bread could have been better).
Sandwiches are replenished (as many as you like) though given it is so busy, service is a little slow (i can forgive this though), free flowing tea continues. I switch to earl grey in preparation for the scones and cakes.
On to the cakes, and these truly are beautifully crafted. Gluten free for my friend and normal for us.
Yaaaas clotted cream and jam what an absolute treat?!
Mini lemon meringue esq cakes with other lovely treats
Smorgasbord of delightful treats
On the left this lovely raspberry filled cake and on the right tangy black currant oh so good!
Gluten free- but can you even tell?!
All around everyone enjoyed the cakes (gluten free versions had exactly the same flavours as normal). My favourite had to be the glorious lemon meringue oh so tangy, and light. Then the black currant tarte- so good.
The scones are always a true indicator for an afternoon tea- and these were absolutely scrumptious. Light, fluffy, served hot! Cream and jam added- absolute perfection! The gluten free ones also tasted great, my friend said she could tell no difference from normal scones! There were also some other lovely cakes but all of us were so full- we got the rest to take away!! The servers were great and packaged everything up nicely in beautiful little pink boxes.
At £47.50 pp it’s really not all that bad for the experience! Overall experience was delightful! This is a stunning venue, the cakes were scrumptious, the service (whilst a little slow) was made up for by the ambience and the deliciousness of those little cakes and glorious sandwiches! I would highly recommend- it’s clearly a favourite for birthday celebrations but i would also come back with family and friends so they too can experience it!
Overall sophsterldn rating 8/10 (food, service, ambience and location).
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