With a harp playing in the background, sandwiches and tea beside us - it was a very pleasant afternoon tea. The Parisian cakes are the highlight here.
Waterloo Place is home to the five star Sofitel London St James, an unmistakably French styled hotel. I headed there a few days ago to preview a new floral afternoon tea, a limited edition French take on that most celebrated of English events, the Chelsea Flower Show. How would a French hotel group fare challenging the Great British pastime of Afternoon Tea?
I adore afternoon tea, having been to a number in the past few years, which I’ve been meaning to blog about for some time in one of my Throwback Thursday posts. I mean, what’s not to love about Afternoon Tea? Lots of sandwiches with different fillings to try, fluffy scones with various toppings, and cakes galore! With the widest range of tea you could possibly ask for! So I was very excited when I was invited to an exclusive preview of ‘Le Tea en Rose’ Afternoon Tea at the Sofitel St James Hotel, marking the arrival of Spring and the Chelsea Flower Show.
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On now and running throughout May is a new floral-inspired La Vie en Rose afternoon tea at the Rose Lounge at the Sofitel London St James hotel. I got a taste of this limited run luxury a couple of weeks back and very much enjoyed it. Here’s a waft of what made it such a treat for me.
Maybe it was the harpist playing in the corner of the Sofitel’s comfortable yet elegant Rose Lounge? Really, where else are you going to find something like that around town these days?
Or perhaps it was the chance to sip from a selection of the exquisite assortment of blends from old school French teahouse, Dammon Freres. I tried two: the especially well suited and fragrant Rose Bud and a more robust and rather pungent Lapsang Souchoung smoked black tea. I loved both.
Or was it the limited edition desserts created by Head Chef Vincent Menager to celebrate the upcoming Chelsea Flower Show? Poppy mousseline cream with vanilla sponge, strawberry compote and pink chocolate spray; hibiscus parfait with raspberry jelly, mascarpone cream, rose jelly, hibiscus jelly, and crystalised rose petals … I could go on.
Whatever the case (and it was probably those desserts), I’m happy to recommend visiting the Rose Lounge for a quality afternoon tea. And do so this month while La Vie en Rose menu is on is double guarantee of delight. The limited run tea is a celebration of the 2015 Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show and is offered daily from noon to 6pm with prices starting at £30.
Finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones (served with lemon curd alongside more traditional clotted cream and strawberry preserves) were all delish. Service was swift and cordial.
After having traveled all day, my husband and I decided to relax with a high tea at the Rose Lounge. The tea, scones, sandwiches, and pastries were all excellent. The portions were VERY generous. Our server, Tessa, I think, was courteous, charming, and attentive. The harpist was really talented. This was a 5 star experience. Coming from the states, where there is almost never any ceremony around a pot of tea, and if there is it usually involves only women, I found it fascinating that the harpist and I were the only women in the lounge. Also, the group we were with later in the week used the lounge as a place to relax in the evenings. It is an inviting setting to enjoy after-dinner drinks and coffee as well.
My favourite was the colourful Chocolate dacquoise with jasmine flower mousse and raspberry macaron. The mousse is delicate with just a hint of jasmine while the chocolate base has an impossibly light brownie texture.
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Mum was in town visiting and so I decided to take her to afternoon tea at the Rose Lounge, Sofitel Hotel St James. I love taking visitors for afternoon tea as I can’t think of anything more quintessentially English for a Sunday afternoon treat. The Sofitel Hotel is a gorgeous hotel and epitomises the height of elegance. We only walked through the lobby and The Rose Lounge, but you can tell this is one classy hotel.
The Rose Lounge is where the afternoon tea is held and it is as pretty as pretty can be. The space is cozy and quaint, although the tables are probably a little bit too small. But we loved the décor and thought it was perfectly decorated for an afternoon tea experience. The room was feminine and charming with the glorious sound of a harpist playing in the corner of the lounge to really set the mood.
The afternoon tea costs £30 and comes with four sandwiches (£38 with a glass of champagne). We had salmon and cream cheese, roast beef and horseradish, coronation cheese, and our favourite was the ham with emmental cheese on beetroot bread. The bread was a cute pink colour and its delicious flavour worked really well with the nuttiness of the cheese and the meatiness of the ham.
Next came the scones which were served warm. We both got three – plain, raison and apricot and they smelt absolutely incredible, oozing with that wonderful aroma of freshly baked goodies. We loved these scones as they were delicious with a fabulous bake – slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. I would go so far as to say these were some of the best that I have ever had. To accompany the scones was a combination of rose and strawberry jam, lemon curd and the all-important clotted cream.
We moved onto the pastries and you get two as part of the menu (extra pastries cost £3.50) which you can choose from the pastry trolley. We enjoyed the lemon tart, yuzu jelly and the passionfruit cheesecake, and particularly loved the chocolate with Grand Marnier and orange as it was fabulous. Mousse-like in texture, it was smooth and creamy with the gentlest hint of orange and Grand Marnier to give it that hint of something special. Only the white peach tart wasn’t quite to the same standard. The pastry was a little soft and the filling wasn’t that flavoursome.
I’ve had many an afternoon tea and enjoyed most of them. But I loved the one at the Rose Lounge at the Sofitel. Perhaps it was the very pretty tearoom that made the experience particularly memorable. Or it could have been the well-made sandwiches or the heavenly scones. Anyway, I’m really not sure what the highpoint of the afternoon was, but whatever it was, everything came together nicely. The service was really good too.
Summary information:
Food rating: 4/5
Service rating: 4/5
Prices: £30 for afternoon tea, £38 for afternoon tea with champagne. Extra sandwiches (4 pieces) and extra scones (3 pieces) cost an additional £7. An extra pastry costs £3.50. Excludes additional drinks and service.
Beautiful place. Amazing sandwiches, scrumptious pastries. It's everything I dreamed it would be and more. As a Texan I've dreamed of having a proper British tea and this place delivered.
Third time coming here for afternoon tea, as before a great experience. Lovely setting to enjoy some delicious pastries and excellent tea. I really enjoy seeing how the menu has changed over the years. Also really enjoyed the new French menu. Was very pleasantly surprised with the vegan options, definitely didn't compromise on taste. Staff was very attentive and didn't rush us. Only downside, it would be great if the children's menu came back as my niece really enjoyed it previously.
One of the best afternoon teas I’ve ever tried so far in London. The super lovely Greek waitress Anna was very professional and friendly at the same time, surely she helped us to have an even greater time. Recommend 100%!
This is an exquisite afternoon tea with a lot of courses and many of them savoury. Each one presented by friendly staff and with time between to get ready! We were pleased to see the ending scones were small and bite sized so just room enough to squeeze in.
If you want an afternoon tea with a difference this is it.
I love the feel of this place. Such a cosy and intimate vibe. The seats are so soft but firm. The staff were really friendly and food was good. Even though it’s a little pricy, you do leave satisfied and content. I would definitely go back but not in a hurry.
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We visited here for afternoon tea for a friend's birthday. It was fantastic. The staff are absolutely brilliant, polite, friendly and really made the experience for us. Our table was ready for us when we arrived and they even let us set up for our friends birthday with the present and card. There is a brilliant selection of tea and pastries here. The menus are neat and very informative. The staff are knowledgeable and happy to explain the menu to all guests. When we visited they had a harpist playing and she played beautifully at a soft enjoyable volume with a selection of well known songs. The tables are presented beautifully for afternoon tea. There is a good selection of sandwiches and the staff were brilliant at checking allergies and dietary requirements. Some of our party don't eat pork and this was no problem at all. All the staff were attentive. The toilets are clean and decorated to a high standard. I would wholeheartedly recommend this place to anyone who would like afternoon tea. Thankyou to the team on Saturday afternoon you made our celebration truly special.
Wonderful english tea lounge if you want to celebrate a real english afternoon tea. The service was - as expected in a 5 star environment - excellent!! We had nice scones and a delicious cup of tea. The best place at a rainy afternoon.
My partner took me here for afternoon tea on Valentine’s Day and it was lovely. High attention to detail, it was rather themed but it was cute. The staff were very friendly, attentive and their service was excellent. The tea was great, the food and desserts were decadent and intricate. Would recommend and return. Thank you!
Came for an afternoon tea. Good experience, nice cozy place. Food is great too as well as service. For me was too much sweets 3 out of 5. First 2 were sandwiches and very tasty the next 3 were sweets. My stomach didn’t take well so mach bread and pastries, i felt sick after. I normally do not eat so much bread in one go….afternoon tea is not for me 🙂 £55 per person without champagne (i had without alcohol)
£65 per person with champagne
Xmas eve afternoon tea.
Was very quiet, just another table occupied across the other side.
The pastry chef came out to explain the freshly baked scones and offered extra to take home as we were foreign visitors.
Already recommended this place to friends as a alternative to the tourist guide ones.
Service was excellent, the servers were attentive but not overly so. Without us asking they brought us an extra birthday treat (free of charge) because they worked out we were celebrating a birthday! Pastries in particular were delicious!
This was a delightful place to have tea. The Earl Grey tea was superb. The service is also great. Plus they give you a lot of tea to enjoy.
So much fun and really good food for the kids. My kids are tough critics and they said it was an 11 out of 10. Really good and great staff. Must do!
The lovely French waitress is one of the best parts of the afternoon tea experience. Thanks also to the staff who hanged our jackets. They all made us feel welcomed and taken care of.
Frankly speaking the food itself is average but the staff and ambience of the place is worth every penny we spent. We tried 4 different tea and the best among them is the Darjeeling.
The experience would be even better if the harpist was present (days other than Monday and Tuesday)
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