Review: Afternoon Tea at St Ermin's Hotel, London
St Ermin’s Hotel is part of clandestine London’s history, serving spirits, spies and espionage – shaken not stirred, of course. There are real life connections to Winston Churchill’s WWII special operations as it is the location he created the Secret Operations Executive, or SOE. And connections to the one and only Mr Bond, James Bond as creator Ian Fleming frequented the hotel.
But I’m going to say, leave your Vespa at the bar and head on upstairs to their Tea Lounge to explore some more of their offerings…
The Tea Lounge can be found directly up the stairs as you enter the hotel. Or you can take the lift to the right of the lobby. The Tea Room itself is bright and aesthetic. There’s limited seating in the tearoom, so additional around the spacious mezzanine level, dotted with lower level comfortable seating and tables.
There is a healthy selection of 16 teas. On this visit I tried their White Peony and their Hibiscus Bora Bora. Out of the two the Hibiscus Bora Bora was my favourite. It had a bold, fruity, but not overpowering taste.
But of course, we’re not just here for the tea! The champagne darling! On this occasion it was; Vauban Freres Brut. Free-flowing Crémant is also available as a add on to the Afternoon Tea.
The sandwiches and patisserie arrive first. Sandwich fillings are; egg, salmon, gammon, chicken & crayfish. Each crustless and rectangular for your pleasure. The crayfish was my favourite, interestingly seasoned.
After you complete your sandwiches, fresh warm scones are brought out. Now these were delightful. Served with cream and strawberry jam, the scones were firm on the outside whilst being nice and bouncy in the middle. A proper scone.
The sweets was where I met my match. Beginning to struggle. I went straight for the Apple Caramel Tartlet with mascarpone cream and candied hazelnut, indulgent but well balanced. Next up, Vanilla Cremoso, with pineapple and passionfruit on shortbread, fruity pineapple complimenting the zesty pineapple. I managed a bite of the Raspberry Dacquoise (a meringue layer cake to the uninitiated).
Overall I would say this is a pleasant, traditional styled Afternoon Tea in a beautiful iconic location, and £65 per person, it is at the more reasonable end of London Afternoon Teas. A recommended experience to visitors of London, as it combines history, culture and good food.
