Reubens7

 

Cost – £80.50 (November 2024)

Parking and Access – There is some valet parking available at the hotel. However, it is expensive. As with most venues in the centre of London, it is best to arrive using public transport or on foot. The hotel is right next to Buckingham Palace, and the main line Victoria Station, bus and coach stations, and Victoria Underground Station are all just a short walk away.

There are toilets available in the hotel which can be accessed via a flight of stairs. However, there is also an accessible toilet reached on the flat from the restaurant, through the bar.

Background – I had been given a voucher for Afternoon Tea at the Rubens Hotel for Christmas 2022. We had had to extend the date on it, as we were unable to make the trip in 2023. Now, at last, we were able to get down to London and, finally, use the voucher.

The Rubens Hotel looks straight out at the side of Buckingham Palace. It has quite a small entrance, manned by a doorman in his lovely scarlet uniform.

Inside, there is a nice lobby area, with an entrance to The Palace Lounge, where some Afternoon Teas were being served. There is also an entrance to The New York Bar (named such because Frank Sinatra sang “New York, New York” there).

Off this bar and lounge area is the main dining room – The English Grill, where more Teas were being served.

Contents per person – Five rectangular sandwiches (cucumber with dill crème fraiche, smoked salmon with chive cream cheese, roast beef with onion mayonnaise, chicken with mustard mayonnaise and cheddar with tomato). One medium/small plain scone, one medium/small fruit scone, one medium/small cheese scone, a small bowl of blackberry jam, a small bowl of lemon curd and a small bowl of clotted cream. A chocolate orange choux, a bergamot and Earl Grey tart, a fig and hazelnut layer cake, and an Opalys and vanilla mousse. Any tea, coffee or hot chocolate from the menu.

Options Available – Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten free, and Halal Afternoon Teas are all available. There is also a Children’s Afternoon Tea available.

Comments – On arrival, we were first shown into the New York bar, where we sat whilst waiting for our table to be ready for us.

Eventually, we were shown into the English Grill, to a table set for two.

The table was laid with a white linen tablecloth, white linen napkins, a cake knife and fork, and pretty white china decorated with a blue edge, and a crown motif.

We were each given a menu, and asked us to choose our hot drink. I chose a hot chocolate, my companion chose a pot of Rubens tea.

The waitress arrived with two china pots. One was taller than the other, and contained my hot chocolate.

The other was a normal teapot containing my companion’s tea.

Unfortunately, my hot chocolate, though delicious, definitely was not hot! Luckily, I had brought a drink through from the bar with me, so I didn’t need to ask for an alternative.

The main Afternoon Tea arrived on plates, which were then put onto a tall three-layer cake stand, that was standing by the table.

 

As usual, we had asked for our sandwiches without mustard. So, our chicken sandwiches had plain mayonnaise instead.

All of the sandwiches were delicious, fresh, and well filled. My favourite was the chicken, which had crushed almonds around the outside. Each sandwich was on a different type of bread, adding to the deliciousness!

The scones were all a medium/small size, but they had not been warmed up. Oddly, there was nothing provided to go with the cheese scone. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t go with lemon curd!! So, we asked for some butter to put on them. We were each given a very cold, small round pat of butter, which we had to try to warm up before it was useable.

There was enough of both jam and curd. In fact, there was enough for me to eat the remaining lemon curd with a spoon! However, there was not enough clotted cream, but we were given another pot, when we asked for some more. I have to admit to having managed to slice my scones into three layers each, so that would have taken a bit more cream than usual!

As you would expect from a posh London hotel, the cakes were something special.

I was a little concerned about a couple of the cakes when reading the menu, as I didn’t like some of the ingredients. However, all was well, and everything was delicious.

Anyone who knows me will know I hate Earl Grey tea. However, the tartlette was tangy and very tasty. Not perfumed at all.

The other one I was not sure about, was the fig cake. However, once again, it was very good, tasty, and had the delicious grittiness from the figs.

The very best cake was “The Crown”, which was a mousse on sponge, covered with blackberry, with a crown printed on the top.

It was sooo good!! Inside, there was a centre of blackberry, which was lovely.

Service was good. The waiters were all generally helpful, and gave us what we required. Including refilling my companion’s teapot. The room was lovely, and comfortable, and we felt relaxed. We thoroughly enjoyed our Afternoon Tea at the Rubens. Especially as we have not managed too many Afternoon Teas this year. It was well worth the wait to get there.

 

Savoury 2.0
Scone 2.0
Jam 2.0
Cream 1.5
Cake (variety) 2.0
Cake (quality) 2.0
Tea 1.5
Presentation 2.0
Service 2.0
Value 1.5
Total 18.5

 

All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The photographs are all my own.
I remain completely anonymous and always pay for my Afternoon Teas. They are never gifted to me by the businesses reviewed.
I am the legal copyright holder of the content and images on this blog.