You know when you ponder about making a reservation at an establishment and you keep putting it off as you read reviews about the hotel and restaurant; I had been doing this a lot when it came to making an Afternoon Tea booking at Hotel Cafe Royal. But when Emma needed an Afternoon Tea date at short notice, I stepped in – a bit like Wonder Woman but with chunkier thighs to save the afternoon!
Sandwiches
Well well well, Hotel Cafe Royal you do surprise me. The selection of gluten free savoury items were fabulous and visually appealing. Not just plain boring gluten free sandwiches; care and attention had been put into these little savoury morsels. While I didn’t love a few of the combinations which was down to my old taste buds, I really do rate the savoury selection.
Scones
After a little wait, the scones and pastries arrived to our table. Lovely warm and delicious gluten free scones which passed the old scone test with flying colours (easy to cut into, I didn’t lose a tooth and they were tasty). Strawberry Jam and little tubes of Lemon Curd were provided with the fruit scones. My only gripe would be the small amount of jam that was provided; I wasn’t prepared to share the jam with Emma on this particular day so I asked for some more. Again; only a teeny bit was provided – I’m assuming there was a jam shortage going on at the hotel.
Pastries
Once again I was surprised with variety of gluten free pastries on offer and only one macaroon (I’m not complaining – you do get sick of them after a while!). The flavour of the macaroon made me smile; Absinthe.
Tea
It decided to try the Coconut Noir Tea which was divine; I would highly recommend ordering this blend. Emma opted for the Peach Noir tea. I think I made the best tea choice of the day.
Atmosphere
Now I will be honest and say after reading numerous reviews about the hotel that I wasn’t actually expecting much food wise or atmosphere wise. You can see that I was extremely impressed with the food and well let’s just say you will have your mind blown away when you walk in the Oscar Wilde Bar – it’s decadence central!
It’s definitely a fabulous area to take tea in and I did feel like I had being transported to Vienna.
Service
The service was good however I did have a gripe or two. When I was seated (I arrived before Emma) I was immediately told that we only had the table for 1.5 hours. I don’t have a problem with this however please make sure that there are no delays on your side with the food which there was a slight delay hence we were over our 1.5 hours.
Yes I’m going to be picky however I would have preferred to have being asked if they could hang up my coat, given a warm greeting and then told about the time allocation. Just getting told that you have the table for 1.5 hours doesn’t make you feel welcome and ruins the lovely Afternoon Tea experience.
So would I recommend – the gluten free selection was varied and had something to please everyone so I would recommend. Andrew Turner, the executive chef at the Hotel Cafe Royal has created a fabulous Afternoon Tea inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest.
The Afternoon Tea starts at £42pp and can be booked here. Or you can grab a quick coffee and cake from the Cafe attached the hotel; you can read Lady Loves Cake review right here about the best buns in town.
xx
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