3 min read

REVIEW: THE MAGIC OF AFTERNOON TEA

We’re spellbound by this new offering of glittering potions, coffin excavations and magical food

Is this the best new afternoon tea in London? My daughter seems to think so, and I’m inclined to agree.

We’re at City of London’s five star, luxury boutique hotel, Vintry & Mercer to sample their brand new, Magic of Afternoon Tea.

The tone is set in their moody, candlelit DND Bar downstairs, where we're greeted with UV torches to bring otherworldly creatures to life in our menus.

We’re then presented with a wooden chest containing witchy bottles for my daughter to mix us a glittering Hocus Pocus potion, which thrills her by changing from blue to purple.

The sweet and fruity hit is the closest she’ll get to a cocktail and is a lovely combination of pea tea, apple shrub and elderflower.

This is followed by a mug of hot milk, for my daughter to stir with a chocolate witch hat and top with a cauldron of marshmallows, while I sip a pot of Earl Grey, from the artisanal tea selection.

In dramatic swirls of dry ice, our afternoon teas arrive in giant golden cages - the children’s Wizard’s Tea for her and the Magic of Afternoon Tea for me.

Each offering is exploding with creativity, wonderful flavours and execution. My daughter excitedly grabs a tiny, silver shovel and opens a little wooden coffin, to dig through (and gorge on) chocolate soil, excavating white chocolate bones and skulls.

There is a gold dusted Book of Spells which is far too beautiful to eat, but we do regardless and are treated to a rich, chocolate opera cake.

The Excalibur dish is the moment when my daughter squeals “this is the best day of my life” as she pulls the golden, chocolate sword from the white chocolate and mango cheese cake, devouring it along with the edible rock which crowns it.

There’s a glittering, white chocolate owl, straight out of Hogwarts, topping chewy, gooey blueberry macarons.

We stuff our chops with edible wizard wands made from chocolate-coated vanilla fondant, and dive into a beautiful Blood Moon, with a heart of raspberry and grenadine mousse.

Naturally we start with the savoury - we’re not complete monsters - and I can confidently say as a savoury-toothed tiger, that this is possibly the best I’ve had in an afternoon tea.

The adult’s menu features a fluffy Yorkshire pudding stuffed with perfect pink roast beef, horseradish and gravy and I could eat approximately 80 of these with no regrets.

There is a dreamy, truffled egg brioche bun; smoked salmon, caviar and cream cheese on wholemeal bread, and a tangy Coronation chicken vol-au-vent with mango chutney.

The child-pleasing kid’s savouries include jam sarnies and cheese straws shaped like witch hats, and flaky sausage rolls with ketchup. All sandwiches can be replenished if requested.

I'm so merrily stuffed by the end, that I only manage a bite of the scones, which are fresh and fluffy with perfectly crisped edges and come in plain and raisin with strawberry jam.

I don’t think I’ve seen my daughter eat so much without complaint, and I make a mental note to serve all future dinners from coffins, covered in edible glitter.

We’re fortunate to be invited to review a gaggle of afternoon teas, but this stands out by providing the perfect balance of fun, creativity, wonderful detail and theatre with high quality, exquisitely prepared food. Crucially, the menus are designed to appeal to adults and children - even fussy ones, like my daughter.

Now that’s magic.

Vintry & Mercer, 19-20 Garlick Hill, London EC4V 2AU. Adult's Magic of Afternoon Tea - from £49.50 pp. Kid's Wizard's Afternoon Tea - £37.50