You may have noticed a touch of snow out there? If you're looking to warm up after a trek through the winter wonderland, here's our list of recommended restaurants that do tea service from the 2009 London Restaurants guide:
15 Broadwick St., W1; 020-7494 8888
“Welcome to Blofeld’s basement” cackle converts to restaurateur Alan Yau’s “psychedelic” Soho all-day dim sum diner that offers an “unforgettable experience”; disciples descend the darkened stairs to the “stylish” yet “romantic” dining room where “inventive ingredients such as ostrich and venison” make for “delicious dumplings” and other Chinese treats, accompanied by “sublime”, “creative” cocktails; less loved, however, is the staff’s sometimes “crude” enforcement of two-hour time limit on the “tight” tables; P.S. fans of “fancy” French pastries and “aromatic” Asian teas “will be in heaven” on the “airy, light” ground-floor cafe.
2-6 Moxon St., W1; 020-7935 0341
“Some of the most knowledgeable cheese purveyors in the city” can be found at this Marylebone “fabulous store” where a “tiny cafe space at the rear” has diners “eating elbow to elbow” (everyone’s “glad they are expanding” as we write); the “irresistible”, “imaginative” Modern European dishes are made with “produce available to purchase”, and if the “prices will kill you, the food is to die for.”
Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Rd., ground fl. SW1; 020-7893 8293
“As if anyone needed an excuse to go”, this “delectably decorated” “Harrods-based outpost” of the Paris patisserie is “rightly famous for its macaroons” – “heavenly items” “made by angels” – as well as applauded for its “well-thought-out” Classic French menu of “light, hot dishes”; whilst pastry “perfection doesn’t come cheap”, and “service can be slow”, most just “love the whole experience.”
160 Piccadilly, W1; 020-7499 6996
With its “buzzing atmosphere”, “unique, grand setting” (“Viennese-style” cafe “meets former bank” in Piccadilly) “and always some celebrity-spotting”, this “well-oiled machine” remains “hot, hot, hot”; whilst some growl it’s “more glamour than good food” here, the Modern European “comfort” menu “covers the gamut” from “brilliant breakfasts” to “delicious dinners”, so “you can eat cheap and cheerful or top-end”, and the “service is surprisingly friendly”; it’s “impossible to book”, of course, but “their policy of keeping tables for walk-ins is a wonderful touch.”
34-35 New Bond St., W1; 020-7293-5077
A good bid during the day (it serves breakfast, “lunch and tea only”), this “upscale”, “tiny spot” off the lobby in Sotheby’s is “handy for Bond Street shoppers and auction-goers” who peruse the catalogues over “rich” Modern British food; but what really ups its estimate is the “wonderful people-watching”, with many “art movers-and-shakers to view.”
Looking for something a bit more low-key? Try some of these tea services we talked about last fall.