After months of being unable to enjoy afternoon tea, I was finally able to do so again. I celebrated my birthday by enjoying the bottomless champagne afternoon tea from The Rubens at The Palace near Buckingham Palace in Victoria, London. I love a good bottomless champagne or Prosecco afternoon tea, and The Rubens at the Palace did not disappoint. This edition of their afternoon tea is known as "Royal Afternoon Tea" because the pastries have been inspired by the royal family.
The afternoon tea dining room overlooks the Mews of Buckingham Palace, but I opted for a seat inside the restaurant instead of looking out the window where there was less table space. As the first one in, I had the option.
First up, the teas. We had the option of afternoon tea from the list. I selected the Darjeeling Second Flush, which comes from Jungpana estate in the Himalayas. A lot of the estate is not accessible via vehicle, so the tea is picked and carried down steps. The bloke selected the Chai Cinnamon tea, which comes from Ceylon. I just realised that I forgot to try it, but it smelled good. I enjoy cinnamon, so it would have probably tasted good as well. The tea is described as being better for the winter months, but cinnamon (to me) is for any time of the year.
Next up, the champagne. The bottomless champagne afternoon tea consisted of regular top-ups of empty glasses of champagne. The champagne was Emile Leclere, an 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay blend. I found it to be a semi-dry champagne and went down well. It's not a bad champagne at all for bottomless afternoon tea.
The sandwiches included coronation chicken with toasted almond, ham and cheese with tomato chutney, smoked salmon and cream cheese, egg, and cucumber and cream cheese.
The scones included a plain and a special scone - honey and white chocolate. I actually could not tell the difference between the scones, though maybe I got two of the same flavour. There was not any way to tell them apart. They came with clotted cream and a blackberry or black raspberry jam.
The tea was placed on a tall tea stand that is placed on the floor next to the table, and the server went over everything with us as is expected.
First up, we have the "Fruits from the Queen's Orchard", a seasonal glazed fruit-shaped mousse that is inspired by the fruits in the Windsor Castle orchard. I received a glazed peach mousse, and this was a good call for me because I do love peach.
Next up, we have the seasonal Rubens eclair. I believe the flavour was blueberry, and it is inspired by Prince Charles' sustainable farming. This was the only pastry that I felt lacked flavour.
The royal macaron was next on the menu, and this macaron is carmelised apple and coffee ganache. It is a tribute to Prince Philip and his love of apple desserts. I dislike coffee, and I felt that the coffee flavour was too over-powering with the subtle apple, which I was unable to taste.
The centre piece was a pastry called "The Crown", which is a cinnamon chocolate mousse, brownie biscuit base, and cocnut marshmallow. I could not taste the cinnamon, but the dark chocolate was divine, and this meshed perfectly with the coconut marshmallow. The pastry is inspired by the queen's love of chocolate.
And finally, we have the Bread and Butter. This is a bread pudding with cream, rose, and raspberry with a lemon sponge. The sponge was a tart-pastry consistency instead of a soft sponge, and this was a nice flavour of lemon. Apparently, this type of pudding was a favourite of Princess Diana.
As it was my birthday, I was presented with a slice of opera cake with a coffee flavour. Unfortunately, it was a coffee flavour, and I dislike the flavour, so I just ate the birthday chocolate and the raspberry.
At the end, I checked out the toilets. The toilets are awesome here with marble, though the chrome taps did not really match the slight gold of the rest of the detail.
I am so happy that I got to enjoy afternoon tea again, and hopefully the next time will not be too many months away.
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