15f. Tea at the Ritz

Date: October 4, 2011

Place: London, England

With: Dave

Nothing says "you're in London" more than afternoon tea. For my first official tea in London, Dave got us reservations at the Ritz. I'm not saying its the best place in London for tea (because everyone has a different opinion), but it's the one in the book, which makes it quite an event in my world. :-)

  

The waiters were super fancy - all reservations taken on an iPad and they all had Italian and French accents. And they do not like you taking pictures of the hotel (guess who got yelled at).

Here is the dining room, the Palm Court, inspired by a Louis XVI design.

The setup: teacup, suger cubes, jam, clotted cream, milk and champagne...that last one doesn't exactly go, but it certainly makes the night seem more appropriately celebratory.

Studying the menu: there were quite a few teas on there. We made a decision, ordered, and then the food started flowing.

Here is the spread of food they brought us. The bottom tier of our serving platter had a never-ending supply of sandwiches:

• Ham Sandwich with Grain Mustard Mayonnaise on White Bread
• Cheddar Cheese Sandwich with Chutney on Onion Bread
• Cucumber Sandwich with Cream Cheese, Dill, and Chives on Caraway Seed Bread
• Scottish Smoked Salmon with Lemon Butter on Rye Bread
• Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich with Chopped Shallots and Watercress

My favorite was the cheddar cheese sandwich. The top tier were the desserts we didn't get to take full advantage of because we were stuffed.

My first pot of tea.

Remembering to used my tea leaf strainer.

Finally they brought out the best part of the meal: the homemade scones. About four of these with some clotted cream and strawberry preserves is the main reason we almost needed to be rolled out of there.

Look at the camera, fool.

There it is

After stuffing ourselves, we ordered another pot of tea, and attempted to relax and enjoy the scene. They continued to bring us desserts, and we ate until we couldn't fit another thing into our bellies. It was a beautiful evening, and the food was absolutely delicious. After this, we essentially waddled home to digest the massive quantities of tea and scones in our stomachs.