There are much worse places to have to spend an afternoon than the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge. We were fortunate enough to have afternoon tea there recently. We experienced the Prêt-à-Portea, fashion oriented menu which is a creative take on the traditional afternoon tea.
The venue was the Caramel Room in the Berkeley hotel in London, which is an amazing hotel. It’s posh, classy and everything you would expect from Knightsbridge, without the attitude you might expect. The staff are friendly, the atmosphere welcoming and overall it’s a great place to eat.
The tables are quite close together, but it doesn’t impact your feeling of privacy. The people there are friendly and talkative. It seems to be the place to have a break from shopping and relax while talking about the latest topics.
The Prêt-à-Portea concept is from 2004 when the pastry chef decided to include some fashion links into a meal. The chef now travels to all the fashion shows to generate new ideas for the tea to keep them cutting edge.
It begins with a glass of champagne, if you choose the champagne option that is. A nice chilled glass of Laurent Perrier to get things off to a good start. The relaxing atmosphere and the dignified surroundings is surprisingly relaxing. The champagne just makes it more so.
The tea itself is a mixture of leaf teas and herbal infusions. We tried them all and loved each one. There were Earl Grey, Ceylon, Lapsang Souchong, Camomile, wild blossom and berries, chocolate mint truffle and more.
First up were the savouries. A selection of skewers, canapés and finger sandwiches to try. Each was fresh, tasty and they didn’t scrimp on the fillings. They set us up nicely, for what was for us, the highlight of the tea, the cakes.
The cakes were a treat for the eyes and included such delights as, Victoria Beckham peach coloured sponge cake tote with chocolate crocodile print, Miu Miu vanilla bikini biscuit with navy icing and signature white bow, Prada summer dress of papaya, red currant and blueberry mousse, topped with pate de frui, and many more.
All were delivered by a smiling, helpful waiter on a silver tray.
The Bill: £46 per head
