Tea and Tattle

September found me enjoying scones in quite diverse locations, starting off I made a return visit to one of my favourite tea rooms, I then partook of a cream tea in one of London’s top hotels and finally checked out the in store café in supermarket. I was delighted to meet up with my dear friend @keftiugal again as well as being introduced to the legendary @Loki_Lego. We ended a busy day of sight seeing with a trip to Tea and Tattle. I previously reviewed these delightful tea rooms earlier this year and you can read about it in the April 2015 edition of Scones of the Month.

Tea and Tattle is one of London’s best kept secrets. It’s a traditional tea room hidden away in a bookshop opposite the British Museum. Afternoon tea is remarkably good value at £15pp or £29.50 for two people which includes a sandwich, a slice of cake and a scone as well as a pot of tea and a glass of homemade lemonade.

Tea and Tattle

Afternoon tea is served in courses, with the savoury food and the pots of tea arriving first. Once again I opted for a Mature Cheddar with Westmorland Chutney sandwich but this time served on rosemary bread and accompanied with a pot of Assam tea. The food is beautifully presented and the sandwiches are made with thick slices of home made bread.

Tea and Tattle

Next a two tiered cake stand arrived with our sweet treats. On the top were the scones, which were already prepared to include our choice of jam and were served cream first. The plain scones were large, warm and very yummy.  They had the perfect scone texture being firm on the outside and soft on the inside. This time I chose their Raspberry and Vanilla Jam, it was delightfully fruity with a very pleasant vanilla undertone. I opted for a slice of my beloved Victoria sponge and it was served in a humongous slice which tasted amazing. Once again the service was consistently attentive and we enjoyed catching up over a relaxed and leisurely afternoon tea. The tea rooms are a great place to take friends as they are immediately enchanted with its quirky location and its well priced, good  quality food.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 3, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  9/12

The Café in the Hotel Café Royal

I have previously featured afternoon tea at the Café Royal on my other blog, but that was in my former life (before I started writing for the London Scone Review) and I was keen to return and include them in this blog.  Their café which fronts Regent Street always looks so inviting when I walk by, with its seasonal window displays, that I thought I would check it out and see how it compared to the main restaurant. The café has the benefit of not requiring pre-booking and although it was very busy when I arrived I was extremely impressed with their prompt customer service. I was seated quickly, however the only free table on a very sunny day, was directly in the sunlight and the waitress immediately apologised for this and when another table became free suggested I that I moved tables where I would be more comfortable.

Café Royal

I ordered a cream tea, which cost £14, which while a little more expensive that most places, however it is a great value option if you want to enjoy a taste of the Café Royal’s decadence. When I ordered I was asked my preference for plain or fruit scones. My cream tea arrived with three scones nicely presented on a plate and accompanied with generous and separate dishes of Baylands strawberry jam and clotted cream. The scones were warm and consisted of a mixture of both plain and fruit scones. I was also delighted to see that that had matcha latte on the menu, as not many places offer this, so I order this as it’s one of my favourite drinks.

Café Royal

I had two plain and one fruit scones and in particular I loved the citrus flavour of the fruit scone. The texture of the scones were as they should be, as they were firm on the outside and soft inside. They were accompanied with generous portions of jam and cream. The  very enticing cream tea was just marginally let down with its accompaniments, as the clotted cream while tasting delicious, was a little too cold which made it difficult to spread evenly onto the scone. Similarly the strawberry jam was very tasty with chunks of fruit in it, however it was a bit on the runny side.

Café Royal

Overall the cream tea was delicious and the service was outstanding throughout. I also loved the ambiance, with the large windows over looking Regent Street it’s a great place to people watch and soak up London street life. I loved how the room had been furnished and particularly how it paid attention to detail, such as the beautiful fresh flower displays and the presentation of the cakes and other tasty treats on its counter. It’s a great option if you want to luxury hotel that you just want to visit on the spare of the moment, without needing a formal booking, and it’s location near Piccadilly Circus makes it a great location for shopaholics and visitors alike.

Ratings:  Scones: 3,   Accompaniments: 1, Service: 3, Ambience: 2, Overall:  9/12

 Waitrose Granary Square

Waitrose in Granary Square, King’s Cross has just opened and its one of their largest branches in London. It is housed in the former Midlands Good Shed and has retained some its original features. The shop’s facilities include a self service café, wine bar and cookery school. The café and its adjacent juice bar are open plan with a modern, contemporary feel.

Waitrose

I visited a couple of days after it opened and their counter was groaning with sweet treats. They offer both plain and fruit scones and I opted for one of their large fruit scones.  As this is a self service café the scone was served cold and I could select what I wanted to accompany it, so I chose clotted cream and jam. They also serves teas and coffees. I chose Waitrose Duchy Organic Afternoon Tea to drink but I also noted that they had a good selection of fruit teas. The service in the café was excellent with staff being both friendly and efficient.

Waitrose

Accompanying my huge scone was a small individual pot of Waitrose Duchy Organic Strawberry Preserve and an individual tub of Roddas Clotted Cream. There were generous portions of both the jam and clotted cream and both were of a high quality.  At this point I should say this is the cheapest cream tea I’ve ever had in London, as the entire cost was under £5 (unfortunately I can’t be more exact as I’ve accidently mislaid my receipt). With the cost in mind the food and service were of a high quality but the food in drink is served with plastic cutlery and disposable cups and plates. Personally I didn’t have a problem with this, although a sharper knife would have made the task of cutting open my scone easier, but I mention it as it’s not to everyone’s liking.

Waitrose

The scone itself looked amazing but it was slightly disappointing. While it was obviously freshly baked its texture wasn’t quite right as although it had the perfect firm exterior it was slightly chewy on the inside. However overall I was impressed with my visit. The café in Waitrose is a welcomed addition to King’s Cross’s reputation as a foodie destination and I’ve already returned with friends for lunch as it’s a great option.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  8/11

Until next time… 

The author of this blog is a qualified City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide who leads guided walks combining world famous landmarks with hidden treasures often missed by the crowds. 

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