Gordon Ramsay's Savoy Grill Review

I made a visit to Gordon Ramsay's Savoy Grill back in February (If you read my previous posts, you would know that I am a massive fan of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants!!) wanting to try the set lunch menu. However, the items on the set lunch menu looks rather ordinary, and since the name of the restaurant is Savoy Grill afterall... I decided to go for the grilled food items in the ala carte menu instead.

Since the ala carte menu was pricier than we budgeted for the meal, we decided to skip desserts (after browsing through the dessert menu we decided that desserts are probably not a specialty of the restaurant) and go for the starters and the mains.

Mediocre bread and butter

Orkney diver scallops with Jerusalem artichoke, hazelnut and langoustine butter

I love the scallops - huge, sweet, and juicy. But I do find it a tad pricey since it costs 22.50 pounds for 3 scallops. Scallops taste so good on their own that I feel like the improvement on a scallop dish by a really good chef is marginal. But that's just my opinion and many people still choose to order this particular dish when they're at Savoy Grill.

Mixed grill

The highlight of my meal! The Mixed grill consisted of lamb, beef, sausage, pork belly and liver. This was very nicely done (grilled over a wood charcoal oven) and the meat were so tender and flavorful. I was deciding between the different types of meat (mainly lamb and beef) and when I couldn't choose, I thought a plate of various types of meat would be amazing. Boy am I glad I made that decision! This way I get to savor the different dishes on offer without having to order so many dishes! As someone who likes variety in her food, ordering this dish is ideal. If you're just like me, do consider ordering the Mixed Grill too :)

Complimentary mini desserts

Usually I don't write about the tiny mini desserts served at the end of the meal but I feel like these deserves a special mention. I really like the banana cake in particular. So moist and yummy I wish they sell it in a larger portion!

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay Review

To celebrate the completion of 2 consecutive exam papers (although I have 3 consecutive papers to come...), I decided to do a quick review of my visit to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay!

This is one of my biggest splurges on food so far and of all the Michelin restaurants I've been to, Gordon Ramsay's restaurants still remain at the top of my list. The prices of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is on the high side and if you would like to try his restaurants without burning a hole in your bank account, consider going to Petrus instead. The quality of food at all of his restaurants are top-notch and the lunch time set menus are *relatively* affordable versus dinner time.

Onion and bacon brioche

Let's begin with the bread - I cannot emphasize more how much I love the onion & bacon brioche. Soft, fluffy and flavorful with generous bacon bits. I had to ask for seconds when the bread basket came around...

Amuse-Bouche

The Amuse Bouche was a bit too "raw" for my liking as it contains bits of a variety of raw vegetables, but my friends found it to be very refreshing and perfect for cleansing one's palate before the meal.

Smoked potato and poached hen’s egg ravioli with
peas, broad beans, roast chicken jus and leek velouté

Somehow I am always more fond of starters than mains, and this dish was no different. I don't quite know how to describe the flavor of the dish except to say that everything blended together really nicely and the green alien-like sauce was so amazing.

Spiced free range Devon duck with Swiss chard, beetroot and grilled onions

I requested my duck to be well-done although the style was meant to be half-cooked thanks to a bad experience I had with half-cooked quails. I'm glad to say that although it was well-done, the duck breast was still very tender and soft, with the right amount of crispy skin at the edges. One thing to point out would be that it tastes suspiciously like the english version of chinese roast duck. I have no idea why but the sauce and the way the duck was cooked seemed strangely oriental to me!

Banana parfait, peanut butter mousse and bitter chocolate sandwich with caramelised bananas

Yummy yum. I loved the peanut butter mousse - it was like eating peanut butter! Smooth, creamy, but not too sweet. It went really well with the banana parfait (which came along with ice cream) and the amalgamation of all the tastes and textures was perfect!

Post-desserts dessert

Post-desserts dessert

Just the right bite-sized dessert at the end of a very satisfying meal :D (isn't the shot of the white chocolate-coated vanilla ice cream with the pale pink roses a very "artistic shot" hehe)

Well... back to trying to study for exams. Till next time!

Princess of Wales (Primose Hill) High Tea Review

I wouldn't have thought of coming to this place for high tea if not for a LivingSocials deal that I bought. It isn't the most accessible or convenient location and we did get a bit lost while trying to find the place :x

What I do like about this high tea was the really rich and flavourful brownies (which my friend found to be too sweet for her liking). Everything else was quite normal and standard and I probably wouldn't return or have gone for this without a half price deal.

The Rubens At The Palace Hotel High Tea Review

One of the most value high teas around especially with the one-for-one deal on afternoontea.co.uk!

The service was really good as the waitress serving us was really friendly and chatty while not being too intrusive! They also regularly came over to see if we needed our teas topped up, or if we needed extra clotted cream etc. The environment was also really nice because there was barely anyone there  so we sat there for a good 5 hours and we didn't feel like they were trying to get us to leave at any point in time!

This was the only high tea that came with a "starter" (a decent mushroom pastry) and a "post-high tea dessert" (hot chocolate with chilli - sounds weird but tastes pretty good hehe). I was not impressed with the sandwiches but the scones and cakes made up for it. They were of a good quality and the variety of desserts was wide without being overly sweet. I also loved the cutlery/teapots/plates they used as it was in a pink vintage floral print which looks lovely and is simply a delight to use! :)

Kingsway Hotel High Tea Review

This is one of the more basic affordable high teas available and the quality is quite good especially since I went with a 25% discount. The only drawback of the place is the ambiance compared to other high tea locations but it is a simple fuss-free affordable afternoon tea if you're on a budget!

Sandwiches were standard - moist and freshly made. Scones were good and they even accommodated our request for more scones without charging us an extra penny! What I really liked was the selection of desserts. They were high quality especially in light of the price, and the selection was very varied. We had walnut cake, lemon cheesecake, macaroon, fruit tart, chocolate eclair, coffee cheesecake etc.
 

Hilton Park Lane Chocolate High Tea Review

How can one go wrong with a chocoholic afternoon tea? You can't. It was a delightful afternoon spent devouring way too much chocolates and sugar for our own good, but it is a sinful trip worth experiencing once in your life? xD

The sandwiches came first and were plated really nicely and came in the typical flavours you would expect. They were as good as sandwiches could get I suppose, but the highlight of this afternoon tea would be the desserts. As a huge fan of scones, you cannot imagine my happiness when it came together with tons of chocolate chips and a chocolate praline spread! I also really enjoyed the cupcakes, chocolate cake and cheesecake. Everything looked really pretty and it even came with a massive slab of dark chocolate which we couldn't stomach by the end of everything (you could request for takeaway but we just couldn't take anymore chocolates for the day). Service was attentive without being intrusive as well.

I bought this when it was on sale on LivingSocial deals and you might want to check if such a deal might happen again! (one-for-one deal makes this super duper worth it)

Mad Hatters High Tea at Sanderson Hotel Review

One of the most unique themed high teas you can find in London, the Mad Hatters High Tea tries to replicate the experience of being in the world of Alice in Wonderland, and to great effect! I really enjoyed my time here and would recommend this high tea for a splurge.

We were shown to an "outdoor" area which was heated and the environment looked very clean, modern and stunning. You are immediately greeted with a riddle like Alice did in Alice in Wonderland (which we took turns trying to solve while waiting for our high tea to arrive!) and a intricate musical box which was used to contain sugar cubes - I felt that these were nice touches to enhance the themed afternoon tea experience. Although service was good, we did felt a bit rushed as they repeatedly asked us if we wanted the bill... But nonetheless we sat there for a good 3 hours and they didn't chase us away explicitly.

The sandwiches were so tasty and you can have unlimited servings of it which is awesome! This is also the only high tea which served salty scones (with bits of olive and a chives & butter spread) and it was a refreshing change from the usual scones (which was included as well of course!). I would say that I loved all tiers of the high tea set as much because the desserts were amazing. The cheesecake, green tea mousse in a dark chocolate cup, and Victorian sponge cake were all crafted so delicately to replicate different elements of the story and I almost couldn't bear to eat them! They taste as good as they looked and everyone agreed that the entire experience was quite worth the 40 odd pounds we paid for it!

Sketch High Tea Review

Sketch is one of the most unique “concept” high tea I have been to (the other being the Mad Hatter High Tea at Sanderson Hotel mimicking an Alice in Wonderland experience). The whole environment feels like you're in a fairytale with gorgeous paintings of forests as a backdrop. 

We were seated at a corner in a very strange manner as my friend and I were both facing the same way towards a mirror and not each other. But this bizarre point aside, let's move on to the food! Surprisingly despite ravings about the desserts, I was not as impressed as I expected myself to be possibly because my expectations were very high? The quality of the food was certainly above average, but maybe not as much as I expected for a rather pricey afternoon tea. I suppose for Sketch, one is paying as more for the unique ambiance as you are paying for the quality of the food. My favourite part of the whole high tea selection was the salty selection of food! You don't get your normal sandwiches and they were really tasty. Although the scones and desserts were good, I would recommend that you pop by downstairs to buy desserts from the Sketch cafe (yes, even though you JUST had your afternoon tea) because I really enjoyed the cakes I bought from the cafe versus the cakes included in the high tea set.

All in all, Sketch might be worth a visit if you're into a surreal fairytale-type environment while having your high tea. But be prepared to pay slightly more than 40 pounds per person, which in my opinion, is really pricey!

The Athenaeum Hotel High Tea Review

This was one of the best high teas I have been to in London and is truly deserving of its title of Tea Guild's "Top London Afternoon Tea 2012".

Although it was an afternoon tea for only the 2 of us, we were seated at a very quiet spot with large luxurious sofas and armchairs, located right next to a mini outdoor garden. There were very limited number of spots available and clusters of seating areas to ensure that each group of high-tea goers will enjoy maximum “privacy” during their time spent there.

The sandwiches were amazing (if sandwiches could ever be termed amazing) – you don't only get the typical selection of egg & cress, ham, or smoked salmon and you even have the opportunity for a 2^nd round of serving! The scones and crumpets were equally good, and emphasis have to be given to the clotted cream, strawberry jam and lemon curd spread which came with the scones. The clotted cream had a really special consistency and had such a creamy (and oh-so-guilty) flavour while the strawberry jam tasted like it was made fresh with huge chunks of whole strawberries hidden in the jam. But the lemon curd. My friend and I loved it so much that we ate it on its own! And then we come to the cake tray, which I term “the most amazing cake tray in the world”. It has a selection of 20 different types of cakes and pastries and you get to take your pick and choose whatever fancies you. The quality of the desserts were top-notch, and possibly the best I have eaten at any high tea so far.

For the quality of the high tea (in terms of ambiance, service, quality of food), The Athenaeum Hotel is probably the most affordable at a price of approximately 30 pounds. Other equivalent high teas at luxury hotels would be 40 pounds and upwards. If you're looking to spoil yourself and enjoy an afternoon just chilling and pretending to be a lady-of-leisure, the high tea here is definitely your best bet!

Strand Palace Hotel High Tea Review

Strand Palace Hotel High Tea Review

This is one of the most disappointing high teas I have been to in London. Although it is quite cheap at 15 pounds per person, but it is definitely not worth the price paid!

Upon arrival, we were shown to a corner of a lounge/cafe-like area in the hotel which felt very enclosed, and did not have an atmosphere befitting of an afternoon tea. The seats and table were really plain and it just seems like there wasn't much effort being put into decorating the place, and it was certainly not designed for afternoon teas.

The tea selection was limited, and all we got were tea bags that you could buy easily from any supermarket (think Twinings). The sandwiches were dry and hard. The portions of the cakes were pathetically small and the quality was completely inferior to any high teas I ever had. The chocolate cupcake was so hard and dry it was really difficult to swallow without drinking some tea. The other “cakes” were likewise bland, tasteless or dry. The potential “saving grace” of the menu was the scones although I have had much better scones elsewhere. Considering the inferior quality of just about everything else in this place... you're much better off spending your money elsewhere.

Summary: Extremely low quality, complete lack of ambiance, not worth a visit!

Deanstreet Townhouse High Tea Review

Dean Street Townhouse High Tea Review

We waited for about 15-20 minutes to be seated despite having booked a table (remember to book at least 2 weeks in advance) because the lunch crowd “refused to leave” according to the waiter. But the high tea was worth the wait!

The ambiance of the place was really cozy and the lighting was quite dark, and it is a great choice for afternoon tea if you're looking to just sit back, relax, and have a nice chat with your friends. We were shown to a corner spot with large comfortable armchairs in deep hues of maroon and green and the decorations were quite pretty. One quip I might have with this place is that the tables are located quite close to each other, so one might find it a little noisy because you can't hear your friends very clearly and you can't help but overhear the conversations next to you.

We ordered an afternoon tea set (which comes with sandwiches, scones and some cakes), an extra plate of cakes, some crumpets, an extra plate of scones to share and 3 pots of tea amongst the 3 of us. We might have over-ordered just a tiny bit (or maybe more than a bit...). The portions were very sizable and if you're a small eater, the afternoon tea set might just be enough for two people! The sandwiches were standard and the bread was moist. The desserts were good but my friends felt that some of them were a tad bit too sweet (especially the chocolate fudge and Crème brûlée). But the highlight of the day was THE SCONES! I am personally a massive fan of good scones. The scones here were huge and perfectly baked. They were warm when they first arrived and were (crispy?) on the outside, but soft and moist on the inside. They also came with generous servings of clotted cream and strawberry jam. Also worth noting is that the cutlery and plates (in a dark blue intricate floral design) used were gorgeous!

The total bill came out to less than 20 pounds per person (which is really affordable considering how we ordered way too much for our own good!) What more can a girl having afternoon tea want? :)

Summary: Cosy, affordable, large portions, delicious!