the ritz restaurant

we hadafternoontea at the ritz. it is a must try experience. everything was very nice, the decor, the cutlery, the glasses, the cups, the food, the desserts, the tea, except the scones, they can be better. highly recommended.

if you’re going to doafternoontea in london, the ritz is the place to do it.  the quintessential english favourite, it’s easy to see why it occupies the position it does. the team room is pure glamour – high ceilings, golden chandeliers, a bower of flowers alongside clinking china, hushed conversations and the scraping of plates. husband and i are at their 7:30pm sitting, a tad late forafternoontea but treating it as our evening meal seems to be a sensible strategy.  certainly i’m not one to complain about cakes and scones for dinner. we start off with tea – orange pekoe with a side of champers for husband & having overdosed on tea earlier in the afternoon, i opt for the passionfruit & apple herbal number.  delicious.  sure beats the supermarket numbers i usually have. the sandwiches are chicken mayo, cucumber & chives, smoked salmon & ham with mustard.  the ham & smoked salmon were definite favourites and we cheekily took advantage of a few helpings of those! but for me, it was th

the high tea is what the english truly love and stand for, and its thatafternoonmingling that we had a chance to do at one of the uber luxury hotels in the world - the ritz, london.

the array of teas offered was simply unique and delightful. among others that we sampled, was the darjeeling first flush and the british favorite, earl grey. each tea had its distinct flavor and lasting taste. 

the accompaniments with the tea were some delicious pastries, sandwiches, and cupcakes.

the luxurious victorian decor, with ceilings decorated in gold and white, the live music played by a master pianist, the polished butlers and servers who engaged with us in the most pleasant manner - all gave us a truly lasting experience of the quintessentialafternoonmust-do in the british atypical day, in an exceptionally luxurious manner nevertheless - high tea at the ritz

this is the most authentic place one can go to forafternoontea in london. the decor screams victorian and dated. the staff is the most polite i have ever come across. the toilets are still called powder rooms. everything is so pretty. the best desserts i have had till now. the tea smelled so good and the sandwiches have never been so tasty before.

ah, the iconic ritz...not too much else you can say! just kidding, so much to say! 

hadafternoontea and would highly recommend. the tea selection is amazing, and the staff are knowledgeable. the food obviously is amazing!

but what actually makes the ritz so amazing is the ambiance. the  table settings are beautiful, the food and drink delicate and beautiful,  the floor plan and seating is sophisticated and comfortable. you really feel like you have to put your best foot forward to go here because they certainly do!

we made our way past the gorgeous palm court, where the iconic ritzafternoontea is served. i've tried the tea a few times, it's incredible but you need to book well in advance as it's very popular. 

the dining room of the ritz is probably one of the most beautiful dining rooms i've ever seen. windows are floor to ceiling with heavily draped curtains, mirrored walls, neoclassical statues and colossal marble columns reaching up to the beautiful, ornate ceiling. 

and hanging from the painted ceiling are garland chandeliers so that you feel you're sitting under a sky of stars..
the table is of course beautifully set with a silver tray for the salt and pepper....

and the plates are a beautiful bluish-green colour with gold edging and a ritz stamp on them. 

our gorgeous champagne glasses also had the special stamp of luxury on them.

experience a typical englishafternoontea  in a royal way! 
the moment you step in till the time you leave feel the royal air around you! dress well before going here- thats a tip :) 
the beautiful piano being played throughout just added to the ambience. 
the tea served in the silver teapots  were constantly being refilled and so as the sandwiches. food is fabulous but what leaves an impression is the place, service and ambience.
the staff were incredible.
to be honest its something everyone should experience once in their lives. truly amazing experience!
book well in advance as very busy.

being food bloggers we get to do a whole host of exciting things, meet interesting and passionate people, try a wide variety of food, stay in stunning hotels. never in a million years did we imagine we’d end up in the kitchens at the lavish ritz hotel on a saturday morning for a dessert masterclass. but there we were, joined by a few others a little bleary eyed but very excited, lapping up every second and taking in every sight and sound of the vast kitchens buried underneath the hotel.

head pasty chef lewis wilson was our guide, he explained how we’d help create a vanilla, chocolate and hazelnut ice bombe with hazelnut daquiose and feullatine. easy for him, not so easy for us amateurs (no offence to the others). we whipped ice cream, melted chocolate (not any old chocolate – 63% amedei from tuscany), piped praline, moulded ice cream and glazed the bombe – we finally gave up when it came to the finishing touches of decoration, spindly ‘s’ shaped chocolate curls were as fragile as a house of cards. ade compared the topper to jordan’s wedding carriage from one of her many nuptials. it did look much grander than that, so stunning we couldn’t stop gazing at it, we were full of appreciation for all the stages and effort that this creation went through. whilst in the kitchen we learnt that the ritz serve a staggering 400afternoonteas a day.

the fun didn’t stop there, we were led back up to the splendour of the hotel and into the restaurant for lunch where we would be presented with the very same bombe for our dessert. the room was like something out of ancient greece, but then it has been there since 1906 – with marble columns, a vast golden glow sweeps the entire ceiling, gilded statues stand proud at the end of the room. this was absolute heaven for people watcher addicts like us (that sounded creepier than it was intended).

after our bread selection and an amuse bouche trio we leapt into our starter of var salmon with beetroot, horseradish and orange. the prettiest and tastiest plate, gently poached fish daintily embellished with dots of roe atop a beetroot smear that wouldn’t look out of place in a beauty feature. for wine loves there’s an infamous wine list, including some of their own wines that can’t be found anywhere else. our sommelier for lunch put us at ease with no wine babble, in fact the head sommelier, tobias brauweiler came in the top six of the uk sommelier of the year competition 2012. we fell in love with the red wine from bordeaux – the ritz pauillac premium selection 2010 baron philippe de rothschild £64 a bottle.

next was loin of lamb with a herb crust, caramelised shallots and peas. a great juicy hunk of meat, balanced by the freshness of the peas and pea shoots. i am not normally a fan of lamb but this was really good, so much so i ate every last morsel. the herb crust was exactly that, a crust, not that powdery coating you can get from lesser kitchens. the peas were crisp and sweet whilst the softened onions offered a little change of texture.

and of course dessert was our chocolate and hazelnut bombe masterpiece, drawing admiring glances (and even a sneaky photo from other diners) when it arrived and served at our table. at table preparation and service, a lost art that the ritz are proud of, so much so executive chef john williams mbe has even introduced a ‘les arts de la table’ menu at £75 per person for three courses. which includes a glass of ritz cuvée champagne and with dishes expertly carved or filleted in front of your very eyes, talk about adding theatre to one’s meal!

we weren’t finished just yet, coffee and ‘frivolities’ were yet to come and i needed a doggy bag. a silver tray of petit fours including macarons and gorgeous raspberry topped cakes complete with a teeny ‘r’ was placed before us. such seamless service throughout, but then we’d expect nothing less, it took me a while to get used to the only man at the table being served last, it’s ladies first all the way here. we’d never have thought about coming here to eat, not because we didn’t think it would be good, but because we assumed we couldn’t afford it. the ritz is about much more thanafternoontea, and at £49 a head for a regularly changing three-course set lunch, it’s not that unachievable either.

we ate at the ritz as their guests, this does not affect our review in any way. we always write with complete honesty.

if you are looking forafternoontea then you must give this place a visit else there is nothing special about this place. you won't be having any fine dining experience and the service is also not that good . i do not think that i will be coming here again.

if you're going to doafternoontea in london, the ritz is the place to do it. the quintessential english favourite, it's easy to see why it occupies the position it does.

the team room is pure glamour - high ceilings, golden chandeliers, a bower of flowers alongside clinking china, hushed conversations and the scraping of plates.

husband and i are at their 7:30pm sitting, a tad late forafternoontea but treating it as our evening meal seems to be a sensible strategy. certainly i'm not one to complain about cakes and scones for dinner.

we start off with tea - orange pekoe with a side of champers for husband & having overdosed on tea earlier in the afternoon, i opt for the passionfruit & apple herbal number. delicious. sure beats the supermarket numbers i usually have.

the sandwiches are chicken mayo, cucumber & chives, smoked salmon & ham with mustard. the ham & smoked salmon were definite favourites and we cheekily took advantage of a few helpings of those!

but for me, it was the scones that stole the day. i've never been a real scone aficionado, i'll usually have one, nod politely and move on to another course. not this time. i had 3. it wasn't just that they were warm and soft and melt in the mouth - i can't even explain - they were perfectly formed rounds of goodness. they held their shape perfectly on cutting - no crumbs at the ritz thank you very much.

despite scone-ish gluttony, i still managed to find room for dessert. the dessert plate came with macaroons (half lemon & half blueberry with a white choc center), a divine chocolate mousse and a light as air sponge.

the trolley came around with strawberry trifle and a choice of black forest cake and lemon drizzle. we both opted for the dark, dense black forest - not as much cherry as i'd like but delicious none the less. trifles were similarly demolished at speed.

for a special occasion, it's easy to see why the ritz is largely seen as the 'place for tea'. it's glamorous with a touch of old fashioned class and charm.

ritzafternoontea a quite famous thing in london which people wishes. i visited ritz and he whole experience was amazing a total 5 star kind.from the beautifully presented sandwiches through to the dainty cakes,with delicious warm scones, & the superb and friendly service from all the staff, not forgetting the harp music playing softly in the background,a rendition of "happy birthday" was played whilst delivery to the table of a surprise cake for my bf, theafternoonwas out of this world,presentation was awesome to say the least, & the doormen were like really polite and so friendly, thank you so much for the bestafternoonever. i would really advice everyone do not miss the chance ofafternoontea at the ritz. its a real memorable experience.