Following on from our visit to the Savoy, my wife and I went to the Ritz Hotel for another afternoon tea session. This time it was at the even later sitting of 7.30pm, when most people are having their dinner.
The tea is held at their Palm Court on the ground floor. The hall is sizeable but tables are less spaced apart and our table was smaller than the one we had at the Savoy but still comfortable and well laid out. The room was opulently decorated, maybe a bit too garish for my tastes. They only have traditional afternoon tea so my wife and I chose that and I opted for Darjeeling tea to drink.
Sandwiches and pastries were served first on the tray. The sandwiches were in six flavours (Smoked Salmon, Cheese and Chutney, Ham and Mustard, Cucumber, Chicken and Egg Mayonnaise) which were all very pleasant. Similar to the Savoy these were replenished upon request.
The traditional pastries and cakes were served at the same time as the sandwiches and placed on the top tier of the tray. These consisted of chocolate cake, macaron, raspberry tart, vanilla slice. I tried most of these, with the vanilla slice being my favourite.
Following on from the two course were the Scones. These came with two accompaniments of clotted cream and strawberry jam. Again, like the Savoy visit our scones were ok but probably not oven fresh.
Another round of cakes were presented, which we were allowed to choose from. I chose a slice of Lemon Cake (not pictured) and my wife went for the pistachio cake shown below. My cake was fine, light and citrusy without being too sour, which ended the meal nicely.
They had live music in the form of a quartet, playing more background music. The sound was better in the Savoy as they were located further away and to the side of the tea drinkers than in the centre of them.
Having tea at the Ritz was a nice experience, very filling and very popular to the masses (hence our late sitting). Price-wise it compares to the Savoy but to me for service and setting the Savoy was the better of the two afternoon tea heavyweights.
Scores:
Food: 3/5
Presentation: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Overall: 15/20
Cost: £84 for two of us, no service charge.
I ate: All of the above.
I drank: A lot of cups of Darjeeling tea.
I wore: Suit and tie, which is their dress code for gentlemen. Tie by Gieves an Hawkes given from my wife.
The tea is held at their Palm Court on the ground floor. The hall is sizeable but tables are less spaced apart and our table was smaller than the one we had at the Savoy but still comfortable and well laid out. The room was opulently decorated, maybe a bit too garish for my tastes. They only have traditional afternoon tea so my wife and I chose that and I opted for Darjeeling tea to drink.
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| Table Setting |
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| Sandwich and pastry tray |
Following on from the two course were the Scones. These came with two accompaniments of clotted cream and strawberry jam. Again, like the Savoy visit our scones were ok but probably not oven fresh.
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| Scone with Cream & Jam |
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| My Wife's Pistachio Cake
We had also pre-ordered a cake with a message to be placed on top but due to various correspondence dealing with booking arrangements the cake came as plain, unfortunately. Nonetheless, we took this cake home to east as we were too full. This was mango and strawberry with icing and was really nice.
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| Cake (with no message) |
Service varied depending on the waiter. They are all suited nicely in their tailcoats but some could have been slightly more friendlier. They did however not charge us for the cake due to the non message on it.
They had live music in the form of a quartet, playing more background music. The sound was better in the Savoy as they were located further away and to the side of the tea drinkers than in the centre of them.
Having tea at the Ritz was a nice experience, very filling and very popular to the masses (hence our late sitting). Price-wise it compares to the Savoy but to me for service and setting the Savoy was the better of the two afternoon tea heavyweights.
Scores:
Food: 3/5
Presentation: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Overall: 15/20
Cost: £84 for two of us, no service charge.
I ate: All of the above.
I drank: A lot of cups of Darjeeling tea.
I wore: Suit and tie, which is their dress code for gentlemen. Tie by Gieves an Hawkes given from my wife.
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