The Ampersand Hotel - Science Themed Afternoon Tea
Joel and I made the erroneous decision of deciding to go to Afternoon Tea during the holidays. Naturally, this meant that most Afternoon Tea/ High Tea places were either
a) completely booked up
b) holiday themed (neither of us liked fruit cake and they seemed to all include fruit cake?!)
c) double the price
d) all of the above
Alas, we found ourselves with a conundrum. That is, until I did some skillful googling and found The Science Themed Afternoon Tea in The Drawing Rooms at The Ampersand Hotel (wow… that’s a mouthful) in Kensington (which I lovingly call SoKo. Live with it.) Due to the time of year meaning that most afternoon tea-goers natural propensity was to do something more festive, we were fortunate to be able to reserve a booking - one “normal” Science Afternoon Tea, and one Gluten Free tea (with no chicken or meat) - with only 24 hours notice.
So, off we went an entire day later to The Ampersand Hotel. The hotel itself is quite lovely, and the staff were very amicable.
It should also be noted that they had previously won “Best Themed Afternoon Tea” at the Afternoon Tea Award in 2018. The Drawing Rooms offer a number of different services, such as their Science Afternoon Tea, Teapot Tails Afternoon Tea, Kids’ Afternoon Tea, as well as a Breakfast/ All-day Menu, and Drinks!
We had originally been seated at a low table surrounded by couches, and while they looked aesthetically pleasing, we did readily accept our server’s offer to switch to another table. There is nothing wrong with the couched seating, it was simply our preference to be able to sit up to eat rather than to lounge languidly like Cleopatra. Actually, perhaps that would’ve been more fun now that I think back on it… But alas, it was science we were after. Scientists need to be alert and at the ready!
Ok ok, I’ve digressed. Back to the Afternoon Tea.
I must say, I love the blue and gold colours used throughout The Drawing Rooms. There was also lot’s of natural light streaming in, which added to the experience. I must give credit to whoever came up with the name “The Ampersand Hotel”. &love it&.
So, on to the components of the Afternoon Tea itself.
First order of business: Drinks!
Oh, how fun this was. The tea was off to a great start with the “mix-it-yourselves” non-alcoholic drink option. We got a syringe full of blue liquid and a test tube of a citrus-flavoured concoction that we got to mix in beakers with baking soda and “flavours” (mango and raspberry). It bubbled and it was fabulous.
We also received our tea at this point. I ordered “The Ampersand Blend”, while Joel got “Darjeeling” (I swear that’s all her ever orders).
The tea was lovely, and loose leaf. They meant business.
SECOND order of business: THE FOOD/ DESSERTS!
Here is a photo of the entire spread + a slideshow with more detailed photos of each tier:
Oh, golly. How should I begin?
Well, as you can see, there were 3-tiers of fun and delicious food for us to try. We are going to begin at the bottom (savouries) and work our way up to the top (sweets).
Tier 1 - Savouries
Science Afternoon Tea:
Smoked salmon & avocado on blinis
Brioche with roast beef, watercress, cornichons
Chicken with basil & lemon mayonnaise bun
Mushroom & truffle tart
Gluten Free Tea:
Smoked salmon & avocado x2
Mushroom & truffle tart x2
*They accommodated my dietary request without any problem!
Review: Joel loved all his food, and said he thought the Chicken with basil & lemon mayonnaise bun was his favourite.
I personally really loved the Smoked salmon & avocado sandwich, but both were very good. I was content with the quality of the gluten free bread + tart
Tier 2 - Scones
Both The Afternoon Tea and the Gluten Free Tea came with Devonshire clotted cream, a Lemon curd squeeze tube, and strawberry preserve. There were also toppings to choose from: freeze dried raspberry and pineapple, and crunchy caramel bits (these weren’t gluten free, however)
Science Afternoon Tea:
Homemade white chocolate and cranberry & plain scones
Gluten Free Tea
Raisins & plain scones
Him and his darjeeling - why?
*It should also be noted that the staff gave us a free refill of our scones + the clotted cream and strawberry preserve. They were incredibly kind and amicable when we asked, and said it was no problem whatsoever. Great service!
Review: Both of us enjoyed the scones. While not the best gluten free scones I’ve ever had, they had a nice springy quality and were warm. The clotted cream deserves a mention - that was superb.
Tier 3 - Sweets
Now, this is the pièce de résistance of the entire tea! It’s an entire spectacle, and I truly believed they deserved their award of the best themed afternoon after seeing this. The liquid nitrogen they used for the Dark chocolate & raspberry planet mousse was visually fantastic, and so much fun to take part in.
Science Afternoon Tea:
Strawberry & elderflower jelly petri dish
Dark chocolate & raspberry planet mousse
Chocolate spaceman Blueberry & yuzu macaroon
Chocolate & coconut half-moon cake
Mini dinosaur biscuit & milk chocolate fossil hidden within chocolate “soil”
Gluten Free Tea
Strawberry & elderflower jelly petri dish
Dark chocolate & raspberry planet mousse
Chocolate spaceman Blueberry & yuzu macaroon
Chocolate & coconut half-moon cake
Milk chocolate fossil hidden within chocolate “soil”
Review: To start off, it was all tasty. And it looked great. And we felt like we were doing it all in the name of science. I really could write pages and pages about how much I enjoyed this, but I don’t want to spoil all of the surprises they had in store.
I’ll keep it short & sweet (not like above, haha) and say
• I loved the idea of “excavating” the “fossils” from the “soil” —> the soil didn’t taste like much, but the milk chocolate inside was tasty!
• Both Joel and I agreed the best dessert was the Dark chocolate & raspberry planet mousse followed by the Chocolate spaceman Blueberry & yuzu macaroon.
• There was a nice blend of sweet and sour treats
• Presentation was fabulous
• The flavour was not compromised for the aesthetic value
Overall, this experience was very memorable, and I am thrilled Joel and I had the opportunity to discover The Science Afternoon Tea.
Great attention was paid to dietary requirements, and the menu clearly indicated all allergens present in various foods. The service was great, and I’d definitely return to The Drawings Rooms for another themed Afternoon Tea experience in the future!
Me being really happy and pose-y.
Recap + TL/ DR
Gluten free options: Yes
Vegetarian options: Yes
Vegan options: Yes
Free Refills: Yes
Service: Amicable and friendly
Seating: There are a number of different tables and seating arrangements. The space itself is well designed, which adds to the experience
Wifi: Yes
Atmosphere: Posh, pretty, and scientific
Price: ▪️▪️▪️▫️
Worth the Price: Yes
Overall Experience: Wonderful. We had so much fun!
Hours of operation and pricing is as follows: “Served Monday to Saturday 12.30 – 9pm, Sunday 12.30 – 7pm £39.50 per person £49.50 with a glass of Charles Heidsieck Champagne”
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