Hotel Café Royal, London: Afternoon Tea Review

Afternoon tea at Hotel Café Royal is taken in the opulent Oscar Wilde bar that opened in the mid 1800s.

What’s the vibe like?

Ornate sculptures and dimly lit gothic-style gold lamps line the mirrored walls, curved 1920s red leather chairs sit round tables covered in pristine white linen, and a live pianist playing modern and classic tunes brings life to this exuberant lounge.

What are the afternoon tea options?

Our friendly and knowledgeable waiter takes us through the afternoon tea options of classic afternoon tea (£45pp or £55pp with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Brut), or a Diptyque candle afternoon tea, that includes a glass of Champagne and a candle to take home (£65pp).

What’s on the tea list?

The familiar tea selection is peppered with more unusual flavours – rich and floral lychee and rose noir, caffeine-free organic rosebud; and an 1865 signature English breakfast tea, strong in taste and colour with a creamy, slightly bitter finish.

What’s the savoury round like?

The savoury round kicked off with a subtly sweet pickled apple muffin, topped with velvety piped goat’s cheese and an accompanying pippette for squeezing in more juice if desired. Onto the sandwiches; peppery cream cheese and slithers of crunchy cucumber came on light white bread; smoked salmon with silky dill crème fraîche was soft and well-seasoned; egg and tarragon mayonnaise on fluffy brown bread had a lovely smooth texture with a slight crunch; roast Aberdeen Angus beef was slightly dry but we enjoyed the crunchy watercress and punchy horseradish. We finished with free-range Cotswolds chicken with a creamy and zingy lemon verbena dressing.

What are the scones like?

Warm and fluffy with shiny golden tops, served with chunky strawberry jam and thick clotted cream.

Scone rating: 7.5/10

And the sweet pastries and desserts?

An intricate, airy mousse-like lemon verbena cheesecake with a nutty, crisp base kicked of our sweet pastries, topped with a marbled white chocolate slate. The rose victoria sponge was a little too heavy on the rose and had a slightly dry sponge, but featured a super-smooth jelly layer; an oaty, soft, slightly chewy Tahitian vanilla bar with a creamy topping was better.

The star of the show, beautifully presented on a gold board, was the violet and blackcurrant cassis tart, jammy and rich with a buttery, crunchy base and a delicate white chocolate topping.

Check out our best afternoon tea recipes here, including: