REVIEW: AFTERNOON TEA AT THE BULGARI HOTEL, LONDON

Because cake doesn’t ask silly questions…

LOCATION: Bulgari Hotel, 171 Knightsbridge, London, SW7 1DW

OVERALL RATING: 4/5

SERVICE: 4/5

FOOD: 4/5

ATMOSPHERE: 2/5

VENUE: 3/5

I am a big lover of afternoon tea because scones with cream and jam are probably one of my biggest weaknesses in life. As an all out treat day, afternoon tea has to be up there in all its sugary glory – and, lets face it, you can’t have afternoon tea without a little glass (or three) of bubbles.

I am a big believer that you can get a really good or really bad afternoon tea (soggy sandwiches, gross – am I right?!) and thankfully, this weeks treat was really delish!

I went down to the Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge, London which is literally a two minute walk from the glorious Harrods & the tube station. *The traffic around that area is always crazy so I would recommend getting the tube if you can

Being in Knightsbridge, the surroundings are obviously beautiful and the Bulgari Hotel is no different. The dark black floors and elegant velvet curtains instantly scream (not literally obvs) luxe and it is a really gorgeous place to sit – quiet and relaxed. The tea is hosted just as you walk into the hotel in a lounge/lobby area which is really glam with gold details and huge, super soft sofas. I do think it is a bit of a shame they don’t host the afternoon tea in the bar area though as there is more of an atmosphere in there.

I absolutely fell in love with the tea set – how gorgeous are these cups?! Our server told us that each set is hand-painted exclusively for the hotel and apparently come up for sale every now and again…no, I didn’t ask how much they cost!!

So the tea (green for me!) and champagne were ordered and then the food was served. What I really LOVED about this afternoon tea was the special sandwiches, featuring pesto bread (I know right), cranberry bread filled with chicken as well as the classics such as egg & cress. Usually, I am not a huge fan of this stage of the afternoon tea but these were dreamy. Probably aided by the fact I was SO hungry… as always.

The scones were good, although I do love it when they are fresh out the oven and warm! However, the cakes were the pièce de résistance. I mean, I was pretty full up by this point but HOW can you resist the cakes… just look at them!

This orange crunch choc truffle was honestly the best cake ever. I wish I could have found out the recipe and made my own – honestly, CAKE OF DREAMS. There was also a yummy macaroon, mini lemon tart (anything with lemon is just heaven) and a choc cake.

Overall, the service and the food were really good. I think an area for improvement would definitely be the atmosphere. Other than that, the whole experience felt really special – a luxury surrounding, glass of champagne, good food and wonderful service.

I would definitely recommend this venue as somewhere to go even for a drink. Plus, it gives you a great excuse to pop into Harrods afterwards (as if you needed one anyway…!)