Thursday 10 February 2011

Afternoon Tea at The Kensington Hotel - Review

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of having Afternoon Tea at The Kensington Hotel.


I will not trust the TFL website for directions again! It took me miles away from my intended destination, but somehow or other I did eventually find it! Note to others...do not get out at Gloucester Road Tube Station.

If you exit at South Kensington Tube Station the hotel is probably no more than a 5 minute walk and very easy to find.

The Kensington Hotel has recently re-opened after a fabulous £20 million refurbishment. From the minute I walked through the grand doors I was taken aback by its lovely scent, the welcoming lobby and the warmth.

I was led to the Drawing Room, shown to a window seat and soon settled down to Afternoon Tea. The setting for Afternoon Tea is delightful: A grand room complete with chandeliers and a high ceiling, a roaring fireplace, big comfy chairs in true Regency style and a mix of English and Chinese paintings adorning the walls.



For the next 2 hours I feasted...

Afternoon Tea is served as 3 courses. Arriving first came 5 finger sandwiches, each one equally delicious - smoked chicken with a citrus mayonnaise, brie with sun-dried tomato & rocket,  honey roasted ham with a whole grain mustard mayonnaise, Scottish smoked salmon with horseradish & chive crème fraîche and finally egg mayonnaise and cress. Perfect!

These were followed by 2 warm home made scones wrapped in a napkin to retain their warmth. (I say "warm", but perhaps "hot" would be a better word - they were obviously straight out of the oven). One plain and the other raisin, with the obligatory clotted cream, strawberry and rose petal jam and a wonderfully tart lemon and passion fruit curd.

After this, the desserts were brought on a traditional 2 tier cake stand.



I have to say these were fantastic. A lovely mix of bite sized cakes - rich traditional English fruitcake, Victoria sponge, carrot cake and a fresh fruit tart with the added bonus of a mini chocolate crème brulee.

With a choice of 13 teas or the option of coffee if you prefer, you are really spoilt for choice. I chose to start with a white tea called "White Moon" which had a subtle peach flavour. I then chose the wonderfully fragrant Jasmine Tea, and ended with a 'smoky' tea which had a very unusual taste that perhaps wouldn't be enjoyed by all. Being a tea lover and feeling curious, I felt I had to at least try it!

I had a great time, the setting was charming, the service friendly and attentive.

If you are looking for a relaxed and unpretentious Afternoon Tea then I can highly recommend it as a real treat.

Afternoon Tea at The Kensington Hotel is served from 3-6pm and costs from £23.

Please visit their website for more details http://www.doylecollection.com/locations/london_city_hotels/the_kensington_hotel.aspx

3 comments:

  1. I like the look of the room and also the cakes, sounds really good value too, thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  2. The hotel sounds fab, am already drooling at your description of the food! x

    ReplyDelete
  3. this sounds lovely!

    ReplyDelete

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