Sofitel St James
6 Waterloo Place
LONDON
SW1Y 4AN
Tel: +44 020 7747 2222
Fax: +44 020 7747 2210
Email: H3144@accor-hotels.com
Web: www.sofitel.com
Tea served 2.30pm-5.30pm daily; Booking possible; Set tea price(s) £23.50, £28.50; Seats 18; Air con
Afternoon tea, so the menu of the Rose Lounge informs its visitors, first became fashionable in the 1840s, 200 years after the first tea was brought to Britain from China. That it is now firmly established as a national tradition is incontestable, although few establishments include a glass of rosé champagne in their set tea as does the Sofitel Hotel (a non-alcoholic version is also available!). A harpist playing in the small lounge harks back to a more gracious era, and against this classy musical background the tea ritual itself is equally reassuring and refined. Healthy appetites are necessary for a list that includes a selection of finger sandwiches, followed by freshly-baked warm scone and crumpets with Devonshire clotted cream and jam, then a range of English and French pastries, a choice of home-made cakes, and a pot of tea or freshly-ground coffee. A lengthy list of cocktails, martinis, champagnes, wines and other drinks, along with tasty bar snacks, means that tea can happily develop into an entire evening.
