The Parlour at Great Scotland Yard Hotel in London has launched a new sensory afternoon tea experience this summer, Bouquet de La Reine. Created in collaboration with Floris London, the only appointed perfumer to Her Majesty The Queen, this afternoon tea boasts a delectable selection of sweet and savoury delights paired with Ruinart Champagne. Read the review by Elena Kryvunda and Paolo Mulè.
Bouquet de La Reine: Afternoon Tea with a twist at The Parlour
High tea and champagne are exactly what we need to celebrate the return of indoor dining after several lockdowns. We have wanted to go for this finest British tradition for quite some time now, and we were delighted to accept the invitation of The Parlour at Great Scotland Yard Hotel to taste and review their new afternoon tea menu, Bouquet de La Reine.
Scotland Yard was originally the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, but since December 2019 it’s a stunning luxury hotel that straddles Whitehall and Northumberland Avenue. The interiors seem to tell the story of the building through classic glamour design, art objects and historical details.
The afternoon tea is served at The Parlour on the hotel’s ground floor and within the walls where some of the greatest crimes in history were investigated.
Bouquet de La Reine created in partnership with iconic perfumery Floris London, pays respect to the fragrance and aims to create a multi-sensory experience to guide guests on a journey through history, nobility, and perfumery.
We chose Sunday afternoon for our much-awaited treat. On arrival we were greeted by the extremely courteous doorman who followed us to the venue. Our tea sommelier talked us through the tea selection from the Rare Tea Company, one of the best British tea companies. There were nine options available to pair our tea with food. We chose Jasmine Silver Tip to begin with and prepare our receptors to the royal perfumery inspired delights.
Our treats arrived on the three-tiered silver stand. Starting from the bottom upwards, the selection of fresh-made finger sandwiches included: chicken breast with tarragon mayonnaise; smoked salmon and cucumber; guinness béchamel gougere; crab, lime and chilli crème fraîche.
Our favourite from the savoury selection was the venison paté with quenelles of tangy mango chutney. The combination of sweet and salty flavours was incredibly good.
We accompanied the sandwiches with a glass of Ruinart Champagne; we felt like royals as we sipped this exquisite Champagne!
We slowly made our way through the selection of seasonal pastries and cakes which we paired with the Sunset Oolong tea, a long handsewn leaf with nutty and fruity notes.
The cake selection included: rose and pistachio drizzle cake; vanilla kirsch liquor, strawberry and jasmine tartlets, strawberry frangipane tartlet, mango and jasmine macaron and tonka & vanilla salted caramel cookie. All sweets tasted as good as they looked, but the Cherry and Dark Chocolate Valrhona Alpaco 66% Choux Blackcurrant and Yogurt Gateaux Jasmine delivered an extraordinary experience.
The traditional freshly baked scones also merited our special attention and admiration. They were served with clotted cream and strawberry elderflower jam and seemed to be cooked in heaven.
We topped up our Bouquet de La Reine Afternoon tea with Peppermint cup of tea to conclude our noble adventure.
Great Scotland Yard delivered a truly exquisite afternoon tea experience, from the welcoming staff at The Parlour to the cosy atmosphere and of course the delicious food, teas and Champagne. All was worth its five stars, but be ready to pay its price – Bouquet de La Reine starts from £50 per person (£60 for Ruinart Champagne Afternoon Tea).
The Afternoon Tea is served 1pm to 5pm Saturday – Sunday from The Parlour and running throughout the summer. During Afternoon Tea Week (9th to 15th August), the hotel will be serving afternoon tea all week, weekdays included.
Disclaimer: Elena and Paolo were guest of the restaurant. All opinions are their own.
