The London afternoon tea experience is a crowded market to compete in, but The Londoner Hotel has something special to offer its diners.
The Londoner Hotel is an imposingly large building located in Piccadilly Circus, but once inside the friendly staff, low-level lighting, and array of cosy corners to relax in instantly makes it feel welcoming.
The Londoner Hotel has something special to offer its diners.
A Luxurious Setting
I arrived for afternoon tea on a Saturday afternoon and I was impressed with the vast space the lounge and lobby takes up. The Champagne Afternoon Tea is served at The Stage, which is essentially the central lounge area on the ground floor of the hotel. The space has a range of tables including large areas for groups, a swanky champagne bar, and plenty of laid-back tables on the edges of the space. There is also a grand piano and band area for the pianists and vocalists to play at the back of the room.
Afternoon Tea at The Stage comprises all the best of British High Tea favourites, including a selection of sandwiches, freshly baked artisanal cakes, and fluffy scones. To start we toasted with a glass of delicious Ruinart champagne and ordered our tea from a menu that offered a large variety from The East India Company.
The Afternoon Tea starts with square-cut sandwiches served on a stand that replicates the hotel’s logo. Flavours include smoked salmon and Devon crab with yuzu kosho crème fraîche on granary bread and lemon-roasted Norfolk chicken with truffle mayonnaise on basil-and-spinach-infused bread. There were more than enough sandwiches on the stand for the both of us, so instead of filling up on them, we chose to take them away and start on the next course.
The Champagne Afternoon Tea is served at The Stage, which is essentially the central lounge area on the ground floor of the hotel.
Freshly Baked Scones and Patisserie Selection
Following on from the sandwiches we were served freshly baked plain and sultana scones. The scones are baked in the kitchen in the morning and served with indulgent Cornish clotted cream, homemade strawberry preserve and light bergamot curd.
After topping up on fresh oolong tea, we headed to the patisserie station to select our cakes. This is one of the highlights of the Champagne Afternoon Tea experience at The Londoner Hotel, due to the range of innovative options.
The offering includes beautifully crafted patisseries created by Executive Pastry Chef Dale De Simone. Highlights include an ornate English Rose, a patisserie of blackcurrant and pear with shortbread and almond detailing, paying a whimsical tribute to the national flower of England. I loved the Black Truffle, an enticing cake that looks like a giant black truffle and is made of milk chocolate and caramel mousse, hazelnut dacquoise, praline crisp and black truffle and salted caramel marmalade.
There’s even a 3D printed chocolate mille-feuille! Created using 3D printing technology, the mille-feuille reimagines the classic patisserie with caramelised chocolate puff pastry, organic chocolate flakes and chocolate custard. The patisserie selection was intriguing but difficult to finish, and we ended up adding a few to our takeaway box to enjoy later.
This is one of the highlights of the Champagne Afternoon Tea experience at The Londoner Hotel.
Expert Opinion:
The Champagne Afternoon Tea at The Londoner hotel is a luxurious and relaxing one, and it can easily take up the entire afternoon if you let it – which is no bad thing if all you want to do is sit back and unwind. Guests should be prepared for a feast as there is a lot of food served throughout the experience.
The Afternoon tea is available from 12-4 pm on weekends, which makes it an ideal post-shopping or pre-theatreland pitstop.
The Champagne Afternoon Tea at The Londoner hotel is luxurious and relaxing.
✔️ Overall Rating – 7/10
📍 Piccadilly Circus
💰 £££
👨🍳 Our Expert: Snita Pandoria
https://www.thelondoner.com/restaurants-bars/the-stage
IG: @thelondoner
