Afternoon tea in London right now is becoming big business. It may have been around for as long as any of us can remember but it’s always had a bit of a stigma attached and used to be reserved for only special occasions or for a slightly older generation. That’s all changing however and its now seen as something which can be taken at any time of the day and much more socially – not only just for those special occasions. Mews of Mayfair is a lovely little restaurant tucked away in the very hidden Lancashire Court. It’s one of those secluded areas you’ve probably walked past hundreds of times but never noticed it. With plentiful outside seating and sun drenched terrace – it really is one of London’s best hidden gems.
When we visited Mews of Mayfair we’d originally planned to take our afternoon tea out on the terrace, but with good old British weather being up to its usual self so we took it inside, in the warmth of this lovely modern restaurant. Décor wise it could do with a little spruce up but nothing that’s particularly offensive. Food wise and it’s a completely different story offering a fantastic afternoon tea in the centre of London. No afternoon tea is complete without a glass of Champagne (although we may not have had just one glass) and here they serve Veuve Cliquot – a Champagne I’ve never really took the time to appreciate before but have since fallen a little in love with. Priced at £32.50 (excluding bubbles) it’s actually rather well priced considering competition in the area. Your faced with a full three tiers full of sandwiches, cakes, home-made scones and a fine selection of loose ties – in fact the teas were some of the best I’ve tasted in London. I sipped on a lovely infusion with lemongrass which was pure and very fragrant – a must order if you visit Mews of Mayfair.
Starting in good old-fashioned afternoon tea style (at the bottom) we munched on an array of finger sandwiches such as Philadelphia & cucumber on caramelised onion bread (my favourite), Burford brown egg mayonnaise on sun-dried tomato bread, Lambton & Jackson smoked salmon on poppy-seed bagel and Cotswold chicken ceaser salad wrap – which was a little plain for us and could do with some improvement – otherwise the sandwiches here were a very solid offering and the breads notably good on all, it makes a nice change to the plain breads offered at most other traditional afternoon teas in London.
Cakes and patisserie here at Mews of Mayfair is where things really started to get exciting, full of some very delicious little numbers. Macaroons were unexpectedly good here, featuring a raspberry flavour and caramel (I think). Slices of chocolate and vanilla battenbergs were absolutely amazing while the little chocolate fudge cake squares would satisfy even the fussiest of sweet tooths – they were incredibly rich and insanely chocolatey. I’ve absolutely no idea what was served in the little pots but I think it was something between a trifle and crumble with custard. Flavour wise it was nice but for me just a little too watery – perhaps a nice jelly or posset would have worked better. Scones came in two flavours with home-made jams and clotted cream, they were very good but a little more jam would have been nice (wave around frantically and I’ve no doubt they’ll top you up as much as you need).
All in all we had a fantastic afternoon tea at Mews of Mayfair and one I can highly recommend. Not only is the food great here but they have one of London’s best hidden terraces to enjoy it on and offer excellent service. Champagne of course is optional but for those who don’t fancy a tipple or two the loose fine tea here is honestly some of the finest I’ve encountered. This afternoon tea may not change you’re life, but they do a very good job at trying.
7/10
