The Mandeville Hotel London

Sleek and chic, afternoon tea in the Tea Room or the deVille Restaurant at the Mandeville is a wonderfully skillful combination of the familiar and the creative. The decor here is dazzling, from the foyer with its rich furnishings, through the vibrant deVigne Bar and into the elegant and comfortable Tea Room with armchairs and settees in gloriously rich fabrics. Whether you are sitting here or in the adjacent deVille restaurant, with tables set with crisp linen and fine bone china, the tea is tremendous. The Fashion Ladies Afternoon Tea pays homage to Zandra Rhodes, from the wonderful china designed by her to the pink meringue and pink cupcakes. All the traditional elements are here -sandwiches, scones, dainty cakes and pastries – beautifully served along with a good selection of teas by Jing. Gentlemen can enjoy the especially designed afternoon tea for men, for which the Mandeville have, justifiably, earned a reputation. The Tiffany Blue china is more masculine, the sandwiches more meaty, the cakes and pastries just a bit chunkier, and the fruit cake has Buffalo Trace Bourbon in it. Besides the tea list and the Champagne, there is an excellent selection of whiskies to choose from, and if this is not enough to keep you busy, you can relax, read the paper, play a game of chess or backgammon. A final choice you could make, but only if you order it in advance, is the Chocolate Afternoon Tea. This has to be the ultimate delight for any chocoholic. Every delicate pastry, cake and scone has chocolate in it, down to the fruit skewers served with chocolate sauce. This is not for the faint hearted!