Afternoon Tea at Brown's

Two years ago I had a reservation to take afternoon tea at Brown's in the Mayfair district of London, but I was unable to keep that reservation. And so when I read that Brown's was named the best place to take afternoon tea in 2009, I had to try again, and was fortunate to be able to visit them in early June.

I arrived a bit early and spent some time in the bar, checking my e-mail, answering questions from students, etc. After about half an hour, a server came to tell me my table was ready (I was on my own this time). Shortly after I was seated, two women were seated next to me. One of them proceeded to move her chair around so they could talk more easily, but in the process managed to crowd me a bit. Fortunately the waiter came and suggested they move to a different place. To be honest, when I saw where they have been moved, I sort of wished I had been the one who was moved.

Brown's carries only about 17 different tea varieties. That seems a bit meagre to me. Fortunately, one was a type of Lapsang Souchang tea, but it was pretty wimpy, compared with the real thing. Their pale imitation of the real thing is called, "Organic Bohea Lapsang." Organic, schmorganic, I honestly don't care. But this stuff just didn't measure up.

The setting was nice, but not as nice as the Four Seasons or Claridges, and nowhere near as nice as The Dorchester.

The food was standard and good. The sandwiches were very similar to those at The Dorchester: finger-length on white and brown bread with standard fillings. The scones and cream were also very nice. I don't even remember the desserts.

All in all, Brown's was okay, I guess, but it was nothing special. In my own scheme, I'd rank it below The Dorchester.

For my previous reviews of afternoon teas, please see these links (ranked in order of preference)

         These two were superb. I will likely try to return to them:

• The Four Seasons, London, England
• The St. Regis Hotel, Houston, Texas

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Those in this next group were good or acceptable. I wouldn't mind giving them another try:

• Claridge's, London, England
• The Dorchester, London, England
• Brown's, London, England (this review)
• The Pump Room, Bath (I didn't take afternoon tea here, but had a very pleasant cream tea)
• The Boathouse, Guelph, Canada

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Those below were deemed unacceptable. Avoid them:

• The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath
• The Queen's Hotel, Portsmouth, England