Afternoon Tea at The Ritz

One of the things on my London Bucket List is to have afternoon tea at the home of the afternoon teas that is The Ritz. It’s all quite fancy I know, but if I was going to ever experience one afternoon tea in my life, then I would choose The Ritz. Hands down.  

You see, it’s not just about the finger sandwiches, the delicate desserts and freshly made scones (oh don’t forget the jam), it’s the historic culture, the English tradition and the whole dining experience. 

My birthday treat this year was the afternoon tea with champers at The Ritz! They do five sittings throughout the day, and as you would expect, they get fully booked pretty quickly, so our ‘afternoon’ tea was really an evening tea, but that didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. 

The horse of The Ritz

So, off we went, in our Sunday best (literally - it was a Sunday). It was a bit strange to be travelling on the tube on a Sunday evening when people around us were a bit subdued but there we were in a smart dress and, surprisingly, heels (thought I would make an extra effort), and there The Other Half  (TOH) was in a jacket and tie (this is compulsory if you are man - oh and a bit of advice - men must keep their jackets on at all times. A further note - they will give you a tie if you forget your own). 

Gliding into the hotel, you are instantly impressed with the decor of The Palm Court and the Britishness of it all - except for the palm trees - but they add an extra bit of exotic-ness to it - and it is the Palm Court after all. I must say the entire experience from the doorman to the collecting my jacket in the cloakroom was pretty special. I was just in awe the whole time. 

Even my cloakroom 'tag' was exquisite

First was the glass of champers and the choosing of my tea. I went for the Lapsang Souchong tea and TOH went for the Assam Tippy Orthodox tea. They arrived in elongated silver tea…jugs if you like, with mine coming with extra hot water. I can see why, as my tea was very strong and needed some diluting after a few cups, it was also very smokey (over pine fires apparently) - it was no frills just straight up gung ho tea. They also refill you too which is nice as the jugs are so big that you’re sure to never run out. 

The Chinese Lapsang Souchong tea - so strong but very smoky (in a good way)

The first serving was a stand with two plates - one for sandwiches and one for cakes. The sandwiches were very flavoursome - each and everyone. You can just tell that everything is freshly made and of high quality. My favourite was probably the thick ham and grain mustard mayonnaise on brioche. And the chicken with parsley cream on on malt bread. The bread was soft and added that extra bit to the sandwich pieces. 

Half way through the sandwiches the waiter put down a second plate of sandwiches. Very pleasing to the stomach. I’ve always said that you never get enough savoury to counter balance the sweet at these things. 

We were offered a third plate of sandwiches (amazing), I declined, however TOH is a food monster so he took it. 

The first sandwich plate (now empty) was replaced by scones. I usually save this til last but I noticed steam coming off it and instantly knew they were fresh out of the oven so I had to have one whilst it was still warm.

Clotted cream or jam first?

Crumbly and soft, it was every bit a traditional scone, although I didn't see a raisin in either of my scones which is probably the only negative thing I can say about this. 

Personalised dessert treats on a soft meringue on sticky strawberry sticker gel on top of a just enough sweetness madeleine cake

This chocolate number was surprisingly not overly sweet - just right for me

Not usually a big fan of macarons but this zesty lemon was divine. A good break (as shown in the photo) and soft and chewy on the inside. Not too sweet either and just a right amount of sour lemon. 

Here we are being posh before the TWO trolleys of full cakes came by - there was a coffee and walnut and another one which I can't remember because I was so blindly in love with all the food being offered

Yes, this is pricey but this is an afternoon tea you won't forget in a hurry (or ever, actually). From stepping into the hotel to walking through the wide corridor - this is an experience that is worth every penny.

Every member of the staff were exceptional and friendly. Everything is in tip top condition and the setting is very relaxed. The ambience is of one where everyone feels happy to be there and you get the sense that everyone is amazed by everything put to them on the table.

I think I've just had the best afternoon tea I've ever had - and one that can't be beaten. I loved every minute of it!

Review: MASH (no, not the TV programme)

I really enjoyed my time at Mash on Brewer Street.

This is an unsuspecting white building and on entering there is a desk and spiral stairways. Follow it down a couple of floors and come into this huge arena of dim reds and a cool, modern American bar. I had no idea this place was so huge and so fantastic. The setting was only missing some jazz music but I loved the vibe as soon as I stepped in. Each table is a booth which is very cool and handy.

We started with a drink at the bar. Free popcorn and some strong drinks were served from a liquor prescription menu (very cool).  I went for the Mexican Smuggler which was a perfect start to the evening.

The Mexican Smuggler - Casco Viejo Blanco, Mezcal, basil and Szechuan pepper sugar, lime, Mash Pilsner served with a Serrano ham crisp!

So we may have over-ordered on the sides but you may as well go all out, ya know? It was 50% off Wagyu beef (yes, you read that correctly), so I ordered 100g of the Kobe and 100g of the Ozaki...but if I were to come here again (which I'm not ruling out) I would try the 1000g Australian Tomahawk - which sounds (and looks) bloody amazing!

(Left to right: Ozaki and Kob). Cooked Medium (though slight on the rare side). My favourite was the Ozaki just because it was a bit more tender and had a bit more flavour 

So the rest of the dinner consisted of:

- chips, mash (of course), bone marrow.
The chips weren't anything special, but the mash was very creamy and the bacon bits added an extra bit of to make it more interesting. I could have probably eaten more. I find bone marrow a bit odd, just in the fact that it doesn't really taste of much really, it's the texture more than anything - but didn't really add anything to the dinner.

Bone Marrow with bits of toast

- garlic and thyme jus and pepper sauce for the steak
The garlic and thyme jus was a winner in my eyes. On steak, on mash...winner winner!

- we had some greens

We also had a bottle of red in the form of an Australian Shiraz, which was just delightful.

We then got over indulgent and had the MASH cheesecake with Rhubarb ice cream. The rhubarb was so delicious.

The rhubarb was the bonus bit

All in all, it was a great dinner, and so exciting to be sat in a huge underground auditorium - there is a very understated but sophisticated atmosphere to this place that made me want to stay forever.

Not going to lie - it was pretty pricey - the steak is no doubt of very high quality but, next time, I would cut out a lot of the sides and maybe go for a bigger steak.

I enjoyed my time here and I would definitely come here again...once I've saved up.

RATING: 4 out of 5