The London afternoon tea scene is more competitive than ever. There seems to be an offering at every single hotel in London at the moment. You can find an Indian afternoon tea. There is an afternoon tea based on the traditional sweet shop. How do you stand out in this crowded marketplace?
How Revery at the London Hilton on Park Lane Is Reinventing Afternoon Tea?
The London afternoon tea scene has never been more crowded, or more creative, and Revery at the London Hilton on Park Lane arrives with something genuinely fresh to offer. Rather than leaning on heritage for its charm, this Park Lane bar builds its identity around a concept it calls “casual luxury,” a seemingly effortless blend of opulent surroundings, rotating British art and an in-house DJ booth that shifts the atmosphere entirely after dark. For those wondering which direction London afternoon tea is heading, this is a compelling answer.
Is the Revery Bar’s Cocktail Trolley the Future of the Afternoon Tea Experience?
What makes this offering stand apart from the dozens competing for attention across the capital is the elevated drinking programme. A talented barman wheels over a cocktail trolley and guides guests through taster portions of five cocktails and two mocktails before the full-sized pour arrives, turning the act of choosing a drink into a considered, genuinely educational moment. The use of tea as a cocktail base, English Breakfast infused into Patron Silver, Earl Grey folded into Bombay Sapphire, is a small stroke of genius that anchors the whole menu to its afternoon tea context.
Afternoon tea served in opulent surroundings
Revery at the London Hilton on Park Lane might have just the answer. Their latest afternoon tea, “tea, cakes & cocktails” delivers on both innovation and serving up that wow factor. The bar serves up “casual luxury” with effortless ease. It is integrated into the lobby area of the hotel, which makes the bar more welcoming and inclusive. British art is displayed prominently throughout the venue. There is a DJ booth to help transform the bar from a daytime meeting space to an evening haunt for the sophisticated imbiber.
There are three, illuminated, glass light features throughout the bar. It delivers glistening light reflections that add to the charming atmosphere of the bar. The seating makes use of a deep red velvet colour that adds to the opulence of the surroundings.
Keeping your thirst quenched
The most remarkable offering in this afternoon tea is their mixology experience. Their talented barman will come along with their cocktail trolley and serve up taster portions of their afternoon tea cocktail and mocktail menu. This includes 5 cocktails and 2 mocktails so that you can pick one of each to savour during your afternoon tea in a full-sized portion.
The taster portions generally have most of the ingredients bar the odd ingredient such as the Pommery Brut in their Cairo Gossip. You get to understand more about each cocktail by chatting with the barman. There is something for everyone on their menu, whether you are a vodka, gin or tequila lover. I particularly enjoyed their use of tea in their cocktails, whether it was Patron Silver infused with English Breakfast Tea or Bombay Sapphire infused with Earl Grey Tea.
The hot beverage is courtesy of loose tea from the London Tea Exchange. The choices are concise but well-curated. You get fascinating offerings such as pistachio and truffle black tea and Moroccan mint herbal tea. The menu lists the calories for most of their offerings and it is reassuring to know that tea has minimal calories (it is listed as zero on their menu).
Elevated finger feast
Foregoing the typical finger sandwich offering, instead, they offer high-end canapés and a “finger feast”. Creations are served up as works of art. Take the Devonshire handpicked crab served on sourdough, it comes with a citrus bisque jelly that is in the shape of a fish. The asparagus panna cotta is served in the shape of a soft-boiled egg and comes with sourdough soldiers.
The canapés are a playful take on traditional afternoon tea offerings. They offer a beetroot cheesecake and a black truffle macaroon with chicken liver pâté. However, the overall winner is the mini poached lobster roll with Marie Rose sauce. The buttered brioche is the perfect accomplice to the fresh, juicy lobster meat.
Sweet dreams are made of this
Their warm scones are extra buttery and crumbly. Not being a raisin fan myself, it was a pleasing surprise we got to pick what scones we preferred. Once again the calories were listed and it was no surprise to see the clotted cream being on top with 294kcal. It was however reassuring that they put on the menu, that a typical adult needs about 2000 kcal per day.
Thankfully, the pastries section of the afternoon tea focused on quality rather than quantity. Often with afternoon teas, the kitchen team tends to overload on the sweet side of things to leave you with a bloated feeling upon leaving the restaurant. Here, they offer three elegant creations – carrot cheesecake, triple chocolate sandwich and strawberry and citrus. The carrot cheesecake had a pistachio chocolate coating, whilst the triple chocolate sandwich had miniature gold leaves to heighten the sense of luxury.
Finally, they have a Revery pic ’n’ mix section, where you can take home sweet treats such as vanilla fudge and dark chocolate truffle. You can potentially share the joys of the afternoon tea with those friends and family members who weren’t lucky enough to visit the Revery bar in person.
Click here to visit their website.
Why not check out my article on the top 3 most popular American diners in London, click here to read the article.
