My friend Debbie didn't need asking twice. Would she like to while away a few hours taking afternoon tea at London's Charlotte Street Hotel? And not just any old brew: the Ruinart & Miller Harris Sensory Tea. The oldest Champagne house and the luxury perfume brand have joined forces to create a feast of decadent desserts, fragrant blends and a glass of some fine bubbly. As an afternoon tea-aholic, I was eager to check it out — and share the decadence.
In the hotel's Oscar restaurant (named after the Academy Award-winning films shown in the private screening room), we take our seats on the tapestry-print banquette — she with a full view of the restaurant and its bright mural painted on all sides, me with an eye on the open kitchen.
First the fizz. We toast the great British tradition of afternoon tea with Ruinart's Blanc de Blancs: a light and crisp Chardonnay with a hint of citrus. As we ponder the tea menu, our helpful waiter suggests we try the Bigarade, one of four new Miller Harris blends and Lynn Harris's take on the English Breakfast. Served in Wedgewood Wild Strawberry china, it's a hearty and fragrant Assam mixed with the oil of bigarade (a giant Brazilian orange). Harris believes afternoon tea should be taken once a week for its restorative powers — and I second that.
The cake stand arrives heaving with dainty delights. The sandwich selection — egg mayonnaise, cream cheese, cucumber with basil, smoked salmon and crème fraîche, and rare roast beef — is a little predictable but we scoff the lot and ask for more.
The savoury section dispensed with now for the sweet course. There's an enormous cupcake laden with butter cream and oozing with lemon curd, a canapé-sized raspberry and custard tartlet, and a peach and vanilla friand. All are melt-in-the-mouth heaven.
Though these sweet sensations provide a satisfying sugar rush, there's one missing component: scones. As Julia Roberts might say, 'Big mistake. Huge!' But then — panic over — four home-made looking specimens appear, which are everything they should be: warm, crumbly and accompanied by thick clotted cream, strawberry jam and assorted berries. It's the icing on the cake you might say.
All too soon, the show's over but thankfully, there's no pressure to send us — and our expanded stomachs — on our way. In fact, service throughout has been watchful and not at all intrusive.
The verdict? Well, the sandwiches don't warrant the lavish price tag but the hearty Bigarade blend restored our spirits no end and the Charlotte Street Hotel's cool, relaxed setting suited us down to a tea.
Charlotte Street Hotel, 15 Charlotte Street, London W1T 1RJ (+44 (0)20 7806 2000, charlottestreethotel.com) The Ruinart & Miller Harris Sensory Tea is £35 per person.
