RAISE A CUP TO THE NEW GIRLS' NIGHT OUT

Tea and cakes rounded off a sophisticated evening

Thursday August 27,2009

By Sophie Donnelly

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FOR the past six years I have spent my weekends drinking, dancing and giggling all the way home with my shoes in one hand and a kebab in the other. This was usually followed by a day recovering in bed watching re-runs of Friends and Sex And The City.

But recently I’ve grown tired of spending my Friday and Saturday nights shouting to friends across noisy dance floors while dodging drunken, amorous men. It was time to do something new. So when I heard that a new tea room, appropriately called Tea, had opened near my office and was promising to provide a great night’s entertainment, I was intrigued. I persuaded three of my best clubbing buddies to swap tequila shots for lace tablecloths and china and booked us in for a cuppa.

The contemporary tea room is run by Suzy and Daren Spencer and was created after the couple visited a cafe in Budapest which had an entire menu dedicated to tea. The concept inspired them to open their shop in the picturesque surroundings of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Here tea is not just for the afternoons. They serve it with pastries at breakfast and elevenses, with sandwiches at lunch and with scones and cake in the afternoon and evening. The pair are so enthusiastic about the nation’s favourite tipple they even hosted their wedding reception there.

Excited by the prospect of a different night out, my friends and I wondered what to wear. In true tea party style we all dressed up in colourful frocks, the kind we imagined ourselves wearing at the age of six while enjoying tea and crumpets with our dolls.

As we approached the cafe the glow coming from Tea’s front window was almost as warm as the reception we received from Suzy and our servers. Inside, the mix of solid wooden tables and chairs, the dark, sturdy wooden counter and the bare brick walls created a cosy ambience.

A long table had been beautifully set out. Dotted among the mix of china plates and vintage floral cups and saucers were platters of salmon and cucumber and egg and cress finger sandwiches, a Victoria sponge and cupcakes. However, the focal point of the table was the three-layered tier of fruit scones with clotted cream and chunky strawberry jam, decorated with fresh strawberries. The array of delicious delicacies was so inviting that passers-by stopped to take a peek inside.

Before taking our seats we were given the option of having champagne in glasses or china cups and after opting for the china we all dashed to the table in a bid to secure the seat nearest the scones. Only when seated did we really begin to appreciate the intricate detail of the table, such as the pure white lace tablecloth and the old‑fashioned floral bunting draped above our heads.

Every detail had been taken into consideration to turn the room into a real traditional tea party, from the tiered platters to the crustless sandwiches. It was Alice In Wonderland meets tea at The Ritz.

E ven though I wanted to start with the cakes, I kept to tea-party etiquette and reached for a sandwich. It was a pleasure to catch up with friends without having to shout over loud music or the hum of a noisy pub.

However, the gossiping came to a halt when our attention moved on to the cupcakes, which came in every flavour imaginable. I tried the Oreo cookie variety which had tiny pieces of biscuit in the sponge and were decorated with white icing and half a cookie. Others were topped with chocolate, strawberry, lemon and vanilla icing and were decorated with rosebuds and sugar hearts. But the triple-layer Victoria sponge was my favourite and complemented my tea well.

I had to choose from more than 40 teas across five categories, which included black, oolong, green, white and various infusions. We opted for a special brew called DainTea, which contains a high volume of antioxidants and supposedly speeds up your metabolism.

It made a refreshing change to leave as a group at the end of the evening without the usual hassle of searching for missing friends. Leaving well before midnight, we had no use for expensive taxis and headed for the bus. Our tea party was a great success and while I’m not quite ready to hang up my dancing shoes for good, the experience made me appreciate that a more genteel night on the town can be just as cool as clubbing.

l For more information visit www.wearetea.com or call 020 7248 6606

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MY EXPERIENCE OF TODAY AT THIS CAFE

02.09.09, 7:16pm

With reegards to the Article by Sophie Donnelly on this Cafe, I went there today, and certainly did NOT experience anything like the evening she had with her friends there.

Firstly, there was no White Lace Tablecloths or Offer of Champagne with my Tea, and when the Tea did come, it was very poor quality for the sum of £7.50!, and have emailed them to tell them so.

I have had far better quality Sandwiches and Scones in cheaper places. There were no Salmon and Cucumber sandwiches, only 2 very dry Ham and Mustard ones plus 2 Egg ones, which were all very bland in taste.

The Scone fared no better insasmuch as it was dry and hard, although it was heated up.

The Tea, itself, was okay, but, no extra Hot Water to make it go further.

Also, they forgot to bring a Plate to put any of the food on; only the little Cake Stand.

Therefore, your Article seems to have

Therefore, my long journey up there on train from the suburbs was certainly NOT worth it, especially as there were so many nicer cafes in that area I could have chosen from.

Regards,
Jean Plant