I’ve got something absolutely ROCKING to show you today!
If you like music, color, contemporary interiors, sharp cocktails and sweet cakes – then this is the afternoon tea for you.
Wrestle your way through Leicester Square, slip past the doormen and stride into the uber-cool foyer of the W Hotel London.
Upstairs you’ll find the W Hotel Lounge: floor to ceiling windows, an impressive collection of decorative plates, touches of bold red in the upholstery, and some seriously good cocktails.
But we’re not here for the cocktails. (OK, so we’re not here only for the cocktails…).
We’re here to try the W hotel’s punk rock Anarch’tea (again!)
On the recommendation of our waitress, we started with a Lust for Life cocktail. Cachaça, zesty lime and sweet passion fruit make for a sweet and sharp cocktail that I could drink by the bucket.
(For the record: I didn’t. But I could.)
It’s fruity and sharp and absolutely yum. I’d go back for the cocktail alone to be honest – that’s how good it was.
It almost overshadowed the cake tray. Almost. But not quite.
Because the tea-tray – wait for it – the tea-tray is made out of VINYL RECORDS. How cool is that?
The sandwiches are basic (simple fillings and bread that to be honest could be a liiiiittle bit fresher), but the scones are as spectacular as I’ve mentioned before. Fresh, buttery and crumbly, with plenty of jam and clotted cream to dollop on top.
But the real rockstars of this show are the cakes!
The cakes are all named after songs and bands from the best of British punk.
So you have the ‘God Save the Queen – The Sex Pistols’ cake, a slice of super soft and moist red, blue and white Battenburg, with a sweet marzipan icing crown.
Then there’s ‘Shut-Up – The Stranglers’, a pair of red lips with a silver zip, made of white chocolate and stuffed with frozen strawberry and basil parfait. This was one of my favourites, but it’s veryyyy sweet.
The silver studded chocolate Swiss Roll is called ‘Going Round in Circles – Alternative TV’. It’s super dark, super chocolatey and really, really good. I couldn’t finish my slice because it’s so rich, but Vicky absolutely loved it.
And finally, I give you the Mohican-inspired cake: ‘Sigue Sigue Sputnik – 21st Century Boy’. Soft and jelly-like, filled with mousse and, again, incredddddibly sweet.
This is very much a sweet person’s afternoon tea. If you’re more of a savoury girl (or guy!) then this is maybe not one for you!
So final thoughts: the savoury treats need a bit of work. Honestly, the sandwiches were bland and forgettable.
BUT. The cakes are insane. Insaaaane.
Favourites: the parfait lips, the cocktails and (of course) the scones. If I ever find scones that are better than these, I’ll be sure to let you know!
*We were guests of the W Hotel London for this visit.
All scone and cocktail loving is my own!
(Also the photos and words and all that stuff…)
