It is extremely difficult to reserve a place for afternoon tea at The Ritz. I had tried, somewhat sporadically, during my previous stints of teaching at Herstmonceux Castle, but the only spot that opened up, and then only once, had been for 7:30pm, which just seemed too late for afternoon tea.
This year, again I checked their website every once in awhile. A couple of weeks ago, suddenly an opening for one person on June 14th at 5:30pm became available. So I took it, wanting to have the experience, despite thinking that even 5:30 is too late for afternoon tea.
I had been told by a few people several years ago that The Ritz is no better than many of the other places offering afternoon tea in the Mayfair District of London, and I must agree.
When I arrived, I was greeted formally by several different attendants who helped me find the "Gentlemen's" and a place where I could check the shoulder bag I was carrying. I want to thank them all for keeping their hands to themselves and for not feeling forced to tip everyone in sight.
As I was being seated in the Palm Court, I noticed a familiar smell. I think several people around me must have ordered jasmine tea or something. It wasn't offensive; in fact, I quite liked it. But it caught me off guard.
Very soon after I was seated, a server came to see whether I wished a pre-tea drink of some sort. I declined the invitation and immediately ordered lapsang souchong tea. The tea was brought with the leaves already in the pot of hot water, along with an extra pot of hot water in case the tea became too strong.
This was not a good sign. Too strong is not the problem that develops with this tea. Lapsang Souchong tea becomes quite bitter when it sits in the pot for even half an hour. Also, the server did not pour even the first cup. I wonder if that is because different customers have different preferences about how to pour and what to pour with what. I drink my tea unadorned, so I just poured it through the strainer into the cup. The strainer had large holes and let quite a few leaves into the cup.Very soon after my tea arrived, a full 3-tiered serving contraption was brought, and everything was described for me. When the serving thing was first provided, there were no scones on the second tier so that they could be provided warm, later. I approved of that choice, and was expecting good things.
As you can see from the photo below, The Ritz provided me with an initial bounty of sandwiches and desserts (and scones, which had arrived by the time this photo was taken), likely the usual serving provided for two people.
From the few sandwiches left, you can see that (a) I didn't mind them [though I didn't finish the egg-mayo-salad-in-a-bun] and (b) they were very standard-looking --- nothing exciting or exotic like those at The Four Seasons or the St. Regis in Houston. They were the standard finger sandwiches provided at other top hotels in Mayfair: smoked salmon, cucumber, cheese, chicken, ham. I was provided with two of each and could have had more, had I wanted them.
The scones were served too early. That was my fault. I was asked if I was ready, and I said yes, but really I should have paced myself and eaten a bit slower. I have said that before, but I didn't heed my own advice.
Not only were the scones served very slightly warmed, The Ritz provided me with two plain scones and two fruit (i.e. raisin) scones. I approve of their providing the variety. The clotted cream had a bit of a crust on it, which puzzled me, but I enjoyed it anyway. And the strawberry preserves were quite nice. I must confess that no matter how strongly some people argue the opposite, I simply cannot deviate from putting the cream on the scones first, and then the jam.
Because they were served slightly warm, I lit into a scone or two before returning to the sandwiches. But even though they were warm, they seemed average and a bit on the dry side. I had the feeling they had been made for the first of five (!) sittings and warmed up later. That's better than serving them cold, for sure, but they weren't all that great. Nothing like the scones I once had from Scolf's in Boreham Street.
Somewhere about here, as I expected, the tea became quite bitter. I explained this to a server and without hesitation he brought me another pot. That, too, became bitter after half an hour, but I didn't push it again. One would think that a place so well-known for its afternoon teas would know how to serve lapsang souchong tea. I do not remember having had this problem at either Claridges or The Dorchester which is why, even though the scones were better at The Ritz than at The Dorchester, I ranked The Ritz infinitesimally lower.
The desserts were fabulous. I ate every one of them and relished them. I was even offered more if I wanted more. But I had already eaten what looked to be afternoon tea for two, and I couldn't hold any more.
My overall assessment puts The Ritz in about the same category as Claridges and The Dorchester, and slightly ahead of Browns. A pattern is emerging. Aside from The St. Regis in Houston, the London hotels rank higher than the Canadian providers of afternoon tea. My friend, MA, gave me good advice four years ago when he recommended I take afternoon tea in London.
Next week The Lanesboro. And at some point, I also hope to visit The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne.
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My previous reviews:
For my previous reviews of afternoon teas, please see these links (ranked in order of preference):
These two were superb. Highly recommended:
- The Four Seasons, London, England
- The St. Regis Hotel, Houston, Texas
- Claridge's, London, England
- The Dorchester, London, England
- The Ritz, London, England (this review)
- Brown's, London, England
- The Pump Room, Bath
- The Windsor Arms, Toronto, Canada
- The Boathouse, Guelph, Canada
- Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Canada
- The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath
- The Queen's Hotel, Portsmouth, England
Those in this next group were okay. I would consider returning to them:
These next two were judged unacceptable: