Tag: Afternoon Tea

A Full Review of the Maharaja’s Afternoon Tea at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
I have the longest travel bucket list. Experiences and places that I dream of visiting. Enjoying afternoon tea at the most world’s iconic hotels is a whole bucket list of its own and we were so excited to take high tea at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel during our stay. Read on for our full review of afternoon tea at the Taj.

This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

One of the most iconic hotels in the world, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai is a shining example of luxury hospitality right on the waterfront. One of its original bars, The Sea Lounge, sits up on the first floor. Guests enter through the lobby (on the far right on the frontage) and then make their way along the first shopping arcade and up the beautiful floating staircase.

The Sea Lounge has a slightly muted, mid century feeling and it has been hosting the great and good of Mumbai for over a hundred years. Business deals have been forged here, special occasions celebrated and many an arranged marriage given the seal of approval here.

The Sea Lounge

We arrived half an hour after the first guests arrived for their tea so all the window seats were taken. These are the prime seats and cannot be reserved so if you want them, arrive early. Looking around, we chose a sofa and comfy chair as it felt a little less formal that the wooden chairs and tables. A couple of people jumped into a window seat as the first people left. Very shortly after, another table cleared but we decided that we were nice and comfortable where we were. Plus, we had our own room in the hotel with the view of the Gateway of India and the next customers may not be staying so this would be their only chance.

Afternoon tea is accompanied by live music. This pianist had a beautiful voice.

The Afternoon Tea

There are two choices when it comes to the afternoon tea at the Taj.
- Sea Lounge Afternoon Tea Buffet ₹3000 – The Sea Lounge Afternoon Tea Buffet includes a buffet stacked with hot Indian and international snacks, finger sandwiches, scones, cakes and street snacks. This is all served with tea or coffee. The selection of teas and coffees were very impressive with two full pages of teas including delicate jasmine, refreshing mint tea, the house blend of Darjeeling and Assam, and robust, spiced Mumbai Masala Chai..
- Maharaja Afternoon Tea Buffet ₹4500 – All the above, plus prosecco. At ₹1500 extra, we thought the Maharaja Afternoon Tea would only include one glass of sparkling wine. They were selling at the bar downstairs for ₹1300. However, it turns out, it is unlimited. Of course, you cannot pour it yourself, but wait to be offered. Actually, the table next to us asked for top tups a couple of times so I guess you don’t even have to wait. It’s a total bargain of an upgrade!!
The Buffet

Along the edges of the area were a series of hot stations. Here we could pick up a selection of Indian and international hot snacks. The bao buns, based on pav bhaji were the best for sure! We also had some fantastic prawn balchao tostadas, pasta lamb sliders, chicken croquettes (which were a little dry) and chicken apricot skewers (that were perfectly tender). At this point, we had no idea how much food was to come so we probably had one or two too many nibbly bits.

We grabbed some sandwiches too. There were traditional finger sandwiches with very neat little paper wraps for picking up. Then I selected a mini salami ciabatta which was delicious enough to go back for seconds. The salmon croissant was a bit stingy on the salmon front, not even filling the inside of the croissant.

Drinks

On the side, there were three drink dispensers. Chocolate milkshake, virgin Bloody Mary (spicy tomato juice) and tropical berry. These are an excellent addition for those only expecting hot drinks, and especially for people that don’t like tea and coffee (many children…or Mr Fluskey).

The Royal Charlie

The three tier afternoon tea stand, sometimes called a curate, is presented by the staff. It is referred to at afternoon tea at the Taj as a “Royal Charlie”, though we still haven’t worked out why.

There are so many delicious morsels supplied with the Charlie, that they even had to bring a couple more little bowls. I am going to be honest, when the waiter was explaining all the sweets, we were just smiling and nodding with grins on our faces, wondering how on earth we were going to eat it all.

The Top Tier

We actually ate this top tier last, as it had the sweets on which came from all around India. Now I’m not going to lie, this was full of textures that I struggle with. There were sweets made of almond, sweets made of almond and coconut, saffron soaked sweets, and sweets made with milk and sugar.

The Middle Tier

I did not catch what any of these were specifically but I believe they were all kinds of vegetable dumplings. One had spinach and paneer, one was chickpeas and they were all very delicious. On the side we had idli in a sweetened yogurt and apricot which I quite liked but Mr Fluskey wasn’t keen on. We also had small chicken kebab pieces. The moiced chiclken combined with punchy spices was very tasty.

Tier Three

Fried delights! There were two items on the bottom that I really liked. The fish fingers were a firm favourite. These are obviously not Bird’s Eye style but cuboid fish mince coated in gram flour batter and fried. There were two samosas, or which the little lamb ones were the best. I also enjoyed the potato pakoras which had very thin slices of potato in the batter. Finally, and the winner of best thing on the Charlie, was the egg. It was like a scotch egg but with really thin pakora batter. It was the epitome of fusion afternoon tea.

Street Snacks

I was caught lusting at the street food stand. “How do I get some pani puri”? I asked, eyes gleaming. Pani puri, also known as golgappa, consists of small, fried semolina cases. Inside, you find sweet and savoury fillings ike chickpeas, yogurts and potato. Then, on the street, the whole thing is dunked into spicy or sweet water before being popped into your mouth whole. At The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel high tea, the flavoured water is served in a shot glass, ready to pour into the puri and demolished. You also get a few chaats.

The Scones

No afternoon tea is complete without scones (and that is scone like gone, not scone like groan). We got two plain scones with cream and jam. This was probably the weakest part of the afternoon tea. The scones were a little dense, round topped and not that fluffy. The jam was more like compote which was nice and fruity, but didn’t spread that well. The cream wasn’t copious enough. I am sure we could have asked for more but we were so incredibly stuffed by this point that we could only manage half a scone each any way.

One Devon and one Cornwal…just to stop being told off

The Cakes

Instead of a small selection of mini cakes, there was a selection of I dian sweets, some mini delights and a whole side covered in full size desserts! We were so stuffed by now but couldn’t leave without sampling some. We figured that, as the Charlie had featured some local sweets, we would focus on the cakes.

The little basque cheesecake was bang on taste wise but I think it had too much bottom. It’s so hard to make miniature versions so I will entirely forgive it. The mini chocolate eclair was a little dry. I think it needed more fresh cream filling to balance it out.

Then we picked up a sliver of the fresh fruit cake and it was divine. The fresh cream was so refreshing and it was incredibly moist. I kicked myself for not having more room as this was the best cake I’d had in a long time!

The Bathroom

If you need to use the bathroom, make sure your afternoon buddies know you may be a whille. The bathrooms are outside of the Sea lounge, along a coriddor lined with photos, documents and paintings all celebrating the history of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. You will find famous guests, original materials and lots and lots of other distracting diversions.

Final Thoughts on Our Afternoon Tea at the Taj

I am surprised we managed to squeeze out of the door at the end of our mammoth 2.5 hour afternoon tea. It is incredible value for the amount of food and drink you get. We even had to take some away (which we ate the next day for breakfast). I met someone today who said they wanted to go for afternoon tea at the Taj for their birthday and I made sure to advise them against eating too much breakfast!

Rosie xx
08/04/2024
A Very Festive Afternoon Tea at The Pump Room – Bath, UK

Getting into the spirit of the festive season was a little harder in 2020 than previous years for us. Tough times and restrictions galore meant we were struggling to find enjoyment in the twinkly lights or shopping for gifts. However, our trip to Bath in Somerset really pulled us out of the doldrums and into the mood for merriment, especially our very festive afternoon tea at The Pump Room which left us full of festive joy….and cake.
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29/12/2020
Loving London – B Bakery Bus Afternoon Tea Tour of London Review

Afternoon tea is one of those must-do experiences for visitors to London, and Londoners alike. What isn’t to love about sitting for an hour or two with the ones you love whilst demolishing a selection of cakes and pastries. There are so many afternoon teas on offer around the capital that there is something to suit everyone. Recently, I was lucky enough to enjoy one of the coolest new options. A sight-seeing and afternoon tea mash up with Brigit Bakery; the vintage Routemaster B Bakery bus afternoon tea tour of London.
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09/08/2019
Taking High Tea at The Victoria Falls Hotel – An Afternoon Tea Review
Taking high tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel is a tradition as old as tourism in Victoria Falls itself. Pull up a chair on Stanley’s Terrace and let the afternoon sun, gentle clink of china and distant roar of the waterfall take you back in time. Read on for a full review of afternoon tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel.

If you want to see our compete review of the Victoria Falls Hotel, check out our blog post: A Bed in Victoria Falls – Victoria Falls Hotel Review.

Stanley Terrace

At the top of a vast sloping lawn is the Victoria Falls Hotel, in the town of Victoria Fall, Zimbabwe. The hotel was built in 1904 and is a perfect example of Edwardian elegance. The hotel’s Stanley Terrace overlooks the perfectly maintained gardens.

Look past the neatly cut grass and you will see the hillside descend dramatically away towards the Zambezi river thundering below. From the Stanley Terrace, you can see the Victoria Falls Bridge and if the water is high, the spray from the Victoria Falls.

We love afternoon tea! Check out all the other amazing afternoon teas we’ve had

The Drinks

Taking high tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel starts, obviously, with a spot of tea. The selection of teas on offer is great with everything from punchy black Assam to delicate green varieties. There was also coffee on offer, with I opted for. I felt like a nice caffeine boost.

Mr Fluskey is not into hot drinks so we ordered a soft drink for him instead. This is not included so watch out for the extra couple of dollars you’ll have to pay. If, like Mr Fluskey, you don’t like hot drinks, or are celebrating something special, you can upgrade your afternoon to include champagne or a cocktail. In the heat of the day, and knowing we were eating a large dinner, I decided to stick with the non-alcoholic option. (If we hadn’t got evening plans, I would have 100% gone for the bubbles!)

The Three Tiers of High Tea

The Sandwiches

Don’t panic Ladies and Gents, cucumber sandwiches ARE on the menu!

For those of you who are confused by the traditional cucumber sandwich, come and try it here. A perfectly cut, miraculously cooling triangle of delight, I could have swapped all my other options for these. I never knew a sandwich could be refreshing but in 37 degree heat, it seems to be the case!

Our other finger sandwich fillings were:
- Chicken mayonnaise on a nice caraway seed bread.
- Smoked salmon on a dark (rye?) bread.
- Cheese & pickle.
- I traded my cheese with Mr Fluskey’s chicken mayonnaise. I really can’t stand onions so the pickle was a turn off for me.
A couple of edges were starting to dry a little but I don’t know how you could combat this is in such a warm climate. Thankfully, there was no egg in sight. I don’t think it would have survived in the heat.

I wonder if eating teeny-tiny sandwiches is so nice because it reminds us of being children? No clumsy half sandwiches out of a boring grown up cardboard packet here!

Check out all our travels in Africa

The Scones

I have always been slightly befuddled by the scones on an afternoon tea. If I am taking a cream tea that doesn’t give me four other cakes, then I can munch on two. However, in the three tier situation. I can only have one. Luckily, it was a VERY good scone! I mean, just look at them:

…thinking about it, you could be less greedy and share this tower of goodies with up to four people, in which case, the scone quantity would be perfect.

I do have one gripe with this layer. The cream was whipped, not clotted. I may be a purist but I like the sticky, gloopy consistency of clotted cream with the crumbly scone. It also think it holds the jam more easily.

I wonder if the Cornish method of adding the jam first would be better with whipped cream?

The Cakes

Designed to surprise and delight, these miniature sweet treats really hit the spot. We had:
- A raspberry macaron.
- A very visually pleasing, and moist slice of battenberg cake.
- A slice of delicious, traditional Victoria sponge.
- A chocolate and passion fruit something-or-other. I’m not 100% what kind of cake this was but it was my favourite thing on the whole afternoon tea. On a base layer of crumb, a rich dark chocolate mousse cake sat with the passion fruit cream on the top….I am such a sucker for passion fruit!
Information
- Tea is served every day from 15:00 – 18:00.
- The best thing about taking high tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel is the price. At just $15 a person, you will struggle to find an afternoon tea of such high calibre anywhere else in the world for such wonderful value.
- You don’t have to be a guest to indulge in taking high tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel so anyone can come on in to feel a little fancy.
- Booking ahead is a good idea but they always have space for walk-ins.
- There is no dress code so you don’t have to fret about packing your finest…but you can dress up if you want to.
- If you do want to stay at the hotel, check our full Victoria Falls Hotel review.
For a higher octane Victoria Falls experience, check our our blog review about taking a dip in the Devil’s Pool.

Final Thoughts

Maybe I am terribly British in my love of high tea, but I believe it is a wonderful way to spend a relaxed and elegant afternoon. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the live piano tinkling away in the background!

Taking high tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel is a wonderful way to experience a touch of tradition. Plus, you can take the chance to explore the fascinating curios and memories that line the walls of the hotel; an afternoon very well spent! High tea doesn’t cost an arm and a leg so we think it makes a great addition to any Victoria Falls itinerary.

This post was in collaboration with The Victoria Falls Hotel but all opinions are entirely my own.

Rosie xx

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18/01/2019
Loving London – Opera Afternoon Tea at the Royal Albert Hall

Afternoon tea is as British as queuing and discussing the British weather (but a great deal more pleasant than both). Mr Fluskey and I have enjoyed a fair few three-tiered, mid-afternoon teas here in London, but opera afternoon teas is a little bit special. Along with the cakes and camomile was a fine singing performance! Here is our review of opera afternoon tea at the Royal Albert Hall.

Buddy Ruth and I having fashion twin moments for tea darhhhhhhhhling.
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27/05/2018
Loving London – Cahoots’ Squiffy Picnic Review

Mother’s Day quietly snuck up on us this year. One minute it was February and suddenly, March was upon us in a surprising hurry. It was time to put special mummy plans in place and so I booked a table for the Mum and I at Cahoots’ Squiffy Picnic. (She is one of the only people I’ve ever met that actually says “squiffy” when she means “drunk”!)

What Ho Scoundrels!

What is Cahoots?

Tucked away near London’s Carnaby Street, you could easily pass this bar by. It is underground; in fact, it’s whole theme is underground.

Cahoots is a bar that is entirely themed as a 1940s London Underground spot. Vintage posters, slang and props abound. I’m not sure how they manage it, but it’s not cheesy. I wouldn’t say it was classy either, maybe tongue in cheek.

Let’s go underground!

Myself and a close friend visited in summer 2017 and we had such a lovely time, that I knew I’d be back. The first time, we had just enjoyed a few cocktails, but this time I was booked in for a Squiffy Picnic!

What is Cahoots Squiffy Picnic?

Part afternoon tea, part picnic, part show and part piss up, the Squiffy Picnic is just a good excuse to blow off your Saturday evening plans in favour of a great day out. Cahoots does this every Saturday afternoon, which is probably why it’s taken me so long to go (shift work…)

Do you know someone who loves getting squiffy? Then do share this with them!

Our Arrival

Our table was booked for 13:00 and so we arrived at about 12:50. The doors weren’t due to open for ten minutes so we didn’t mind waiting outside. They were a little delayed in opening the doors but ushered us in quickly.

Down the stairs and back in time

They took our coats in the free cloak room. You’ll want to do this, as it is plenty warm enough inside and there isn’t much space for your stuff.

Check out our other activities part of our Loving London series

Here we are on the Bakerloo line

Picnic Ready

The fully stocked bar

The main room

The best bit area for large groups

Our waiter showed us into “The Carriage”. This is my favourite spot in the bar as you get to sit on old tube seats and who wouldn’t want to be in the train at an underground themed bar. (For Squiffy Picnic there was one downside to this, but more on that later).

The carriage

Drinks – The Squiffy

Round One

We were presented with a welcome drink. It was sweet and perfectly agreeable, I guess they have to make sure everyone likes it. It came in vintage tins which made us smile.

Yum! (And you can almost see my victory rolls)

We perused the Squiffy Picnic menu. It gave us three cocktail options to pick from for the rest of the meal. Two gin-based options and one vodka-based. I thought it meant one more drink of the same size, but happily, we got two enamel camping mugs and the cocktails came in a milk bottle.

Oooops, I forgot to take a picture earlier.

Round Two

We split the two gin cocktails and they were both very quaff-able. The three drinks combined left me a very happy tipsy. Just tipsy enough to order one more drink for Mum and I from the full cocktail list, which looks just like a newspaper.

This picture is a little blurry….but then we were squiffy! This is a Keep Maam and Carry On and a Brief Gin-counter.

There were also two other drink add-on options. The first was to make the cocktails bottomless. This will cost you an extra £20 per person. If you are planning to do this, tell the waiter straight away as you only get it for 1 hr 50 mins and you want to make sure you get your full time before you have to give up the table.

The other was to get a bottle of champers for £40. As there was only two of us, we thought this was an expense we didn’t need, but between four, it would be a nice addition.

Squiffy Picnic Menu

Check out Your Complete London Underground Guide – Tube Etiquette and More

Food – The Picnic

Round One

On arrival we saw our little picnic hamper. Inside sat three paper bags. One was full of crisps and bread sticks, the other two had a sandwich each. Now, this isn’t afternoon tea so they aren’t dainty, crustless cucumber things; these are proper sandwiches!

Recognise those Bakerloo line seats?

I had told them ahead of time that my Mum is pescatarian (she doesn’t eat meat, but does eat fish). We both had one half tomato and mozzarella, and the other half smoked salmon and cream cheese. I’m not sure the ingredients were very time period appropriate. I think we ate a week’s family ration of cheese each and the soft, white bread would have been a total luxury after a couple of years of National Loaf.

We also had a little potato salad (shame we both hate it) and a pot of green pesto (which we both love).

Picnic perfection

Round Two

The pie round was brought in an army mess tin which was very cute. We smelled meat and could see that one of them was full of mince. Uh oh! A mummy who doesn’t eat meat. That was a bit of a fail, I took the tin back to one of the waiters and they nipped off to find us the vegetarian option (thank goodness one was an open pie).

He returned with a spinach slice, a sweet potato feta and spinach pie and falafels. Well, they said falafels but they were more like deep-fried veggie balls. They were sweet with peas and full of potato. They were all tasty, but two spinach options was a little uninspired.

Meaty Pies

Veggie Pies

Round Three

The desserts came a long time after the pies, once the picnic was officially over actually. I think they forgot about us (but by this time we were on drink number four so I didn’t mind too much).

For dessert we were given a little flapjack, some grapes and a mallow cake. My mum was very unimpressed with the mallow cake, she has disliked them since the age of ten. She has no sweet tooth whatsoever. I ate mine but couldn’t quite get through my flapjack. I was stuffed by this point!

The Show

Have you met Lois!? Once you have, you won’t forget her! Part of the Squiffy Picnic is the one woman show performed so excellently by Lois, who has flown all the way from 1942 New York. It is so much fun. We even did the conga line to the Chattanooga Choo Choo. I never thought I would admit to that….maybe I am still squiffy!?

The Stage

Audience participation is encouraged, and the boys got particular attention. I think New York’s Lois likes a British boy! She did two short sets, singing some old school tunes, and a couple that were jazzed up, much in the way of Postmodern Jukebox. Everyone was laughing, singing along and enjoying the show.

Revellers swaying along

Remember that I realised there was a downside to sitting in the carriage? Well, it was difficult to see what was happening in much of the show. She did come around all the tables but the majority of the show took place in the main room. It is probably worth asking for a table in front of the stage if you want to see the whole thing.

Was it Worth it?

This is not a cheap afternoon. The normal picnic will set you back £46 a head and with a few extra drinks, you are looking at £65/70 including service charge. However, this isn’t your average Saturday afternoon. It is a truly special treat that, realistically, you will only do once. If that is the case, then yes, I think it’s worth it. (Plus, if you are all paying for yourselves, it doesn’t feel quite so painful).

I loved that despite the price tag, it didn’t feel stuffy. I’ve had a few afternoon teas in silent dining rooms, they can be kind of awkward! Here there are classic songs playing and the whole idea is to get squiffy!

If you love food like we do, check out all our foodie adventures, including afternoon tea, food tours and eating out

Final Thoughts

We had such a wonderful time at Squiffy Picnic, I would recommend it whole-heartedly! I can only hope that my mum loved it as much as I did.

I am definitely going to return to Cahoots, but for a different event, or just for cocktails. It just wouldn’t be the same twice. (Plus, I should really take Mr Fluskey at some point, instead of leaving him at home every time). Maybe we’ll see you there!?

Time to book a table scoundrels!

Rosie xx

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12/03/2018