To celebrate 150 years of our London Underground network, the Park Lane Hotel have whipped up a marvellously quaint themed tea.
A short walk from Green Park station, this beautiful Art Deco hotel feels strangely out of place on the busy main road. Inside the staff glide around quietly and guests chat in hushed voices. This allows the harpist’s music to fully fill the room and sitting on a plush sofa, the rippling tunes in my ear, it soon seemed like the ideal place for a nap.
Before the ‘tube food’ arrived we were treated to a Metropolitan 1863 cocktail – a blend of Beefeater 24 gin and blackcurrant tea. I found this concoction a little watery and flavourless, the gin seemed almost entirely absent. Jasmine peach flowering tea soon arrived, a much more pleasant and subtle accompaniment for teatime food.
First stop on our culinary journey… a plate of super cute sandwiches. Appropriately chosen flavours include a ‘London Bridge’ roll with egg, crème fraîche, sun-blushed tomatoes and rocket; Warm leek, asparagus and double ‘Gloucester Road’ tart (delicious); Saffron ‘Circle and District Line’ roulade with coronation chicken and spinach and mini ‘Royal Oak’ smoked salmon bagels. With their hollow centres guests are reminded by a tiny flag to “mind the gap”.
After homemade scones with three varieties of jam, it was time for the cake. I was impressed with the out-of-the-ordinary flavours created by the Park Lane Hotel’s award-winning Pastry Chef, Sarah Hartnett. Scrumptious little sweet bites… and thankfully a conservative portion so we could almost finish the lot, I hate wasting such pretty cakes. Bank is a hazelnut pound Cake, Victoria is an orange Victoria sponge, Paddington presents itself as a honey, lemon and pistachio and Swiss Cottage is a very sweet white chocolate Oreo “roll”. The pastries are so immaculately made, its almost painful to demolish the handmade signs, but once you start it’s difficult to stop.
The tea is fresh, fun and fabulously “London”. And the ideal valentine’s trip for the discerning underground traveller…
The London Underground Afternoon Tea at the Park Lane Hotel will be served from 9th January to 10th March 2013 (3pm-6pm on weekdays and 2pm-6pm at weekends) in The Palm Court and costs £41 per person. Bookings must be made in advance. Booking information here.
