Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Restaurants / London restaurants / Luxury afternoon tea at the Café Royal Hotel’s Oscar Wilde Bar

Luxury afternoon tea at the Café Royal Hotel’s Oscar Wilde Bar

by Jeanne Horak on February 16, 2015 5 Comments in London restaurants

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTitle

Perhaps it is a consequence of growing up in a relatively young country, but even after fourteen years of living in London, I remain fascinated by the extent to which old things are preserved in Europe. I barely have one glass left from the year we arrived in London, and yet in the V&A I can see perfectly preserved glasses that are centuries old. In my hometown, the oldest structure is the ruin of an English fort built in 1799. But in London I walk past a chunk of the old Roman city wall (built about 200AD) and the Tower of London (started in 1087) every day on my way to work, and a house built in the early 1600s that survived the Great Fire of London is on my regular lunchtime walking route. I think that this astonishing core of history, surrounded by the veneer of a modern world city is one of the biggest reasons why I love living here so much. In London, you don’t just read about history, you can actually pay it a visit.

And that’s what Rosana and I recently did when we went for afternoon tea at the Hotel Café Royal on Regent Street. Established by a French wine merchant called Daniel Nicholas Thévenon and his wife Celestine in the 1860s, by the end of the 19th century the Café Royal had established a firm reputation for excellent hospitality, dining and entertainment. It is said that French gourmet cuisine was introduced to the British capital here for the first time and the hotel also became known as possessing the greatest wine cellar in the world at the time. Over the years, the hotel has been frequented by writers such as Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, H G Wells and Rudyard Kipling; royalty such as Edward VIII, George VI and Princess Diana; and entertainers including Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Louis Armstrong and David Bowie. In fact, Oscar Wilde was such a regular visitor that it was here in the Grill Room at the Café Royal that he was dining with his beloved Bosie (Lord Alfred Douglas) when Alfred’s father the Marquis of Queensberry arrived and found them to be dining together, to his shock. When the hotel was completely renovated and extended in 2012, it should therefore come as no surprise that the Grill Room was renamed after its famous patron, Oscar Wilde.

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTeaRoom1

 

OscarWideBarCafeRoyalDetail

 

Walking into the Oscar Wilde Bar is a little like walking into the Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors in miniature. The sensitive restoration has preserved the lavish Louis XVI-esque 1865 interior lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, its ornate painted ceiling panels, and its dazzling gold rococo plasterwork.  The mirrors make the room seem to stretch on into infinity and the gold is quite dazzling – once seated on our red leather banquettes it took us a few minutes to take it all in. Although the Oscar Wilde Bar is also open for cocktails, light dinners and occasional cabaret evenings, we were there specifically to try the High Society Afternoon Tea. We started with an optional glass of Champagne (Veuve Cliquot, Veuve Cliquot Rosé or Dom Perignon, depending how flush you are feeling!) to accompany the rather intriguing amuse bouche:  Low Sidecar muffin.  This little marvel consisted of a basil and Gruyere mini muffin topped with a generous dollop of truffled cream cheese and a little pipette containing apple juice which you could either squeeze into the muffin or (in my case) directly into your mouth.  A superb and whimsical start to the afternoon.

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTea

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTeaMenu

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalLowSidecarMuffin

 

Next up was an elegant little 3-tiered stand groaning under the weight of savoury sandwiches and pastries.  I am always a sucker for the savoury and my heart sinks when an afternoon tea’s savoury selection is a listless plate of sandwiches.  This, by contrast, was a selection of sheer beauty.  Where to start??  On the bottom tier were beautiful little crustless cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches on beetroot bread, topped with a flourish of caviar – simple and delicious. Next to them were excellent mini bagels generously heaped with buttery London Cure smoked salmon on a horseradish mayo, topped with half a quail egg.  The middle contained both my favourites, and I would be hard-pressed to choose between them.  On the one hand, there was the pillowy mini brioche roll generously filled with prawn cocktail in a Marie Rose sauce – a retrotastic treat.  On the other, there was a perfect little warm gougere, filled with creamy goat’s cheese and a slick of red wine jelly, which was a mouthful of heaven.  Seriously. Finally, on the top tier we had a little mustard seed-topped bun dilled with wild boar salami, pickled apple and mustard, and topped with  a morsel of pork crackling.  And to complete the piggy goodness, there was a little mini chorizo Wellington – a disc of spicy chorizo encased in puff pastry.  I could happily have eaten refills of this selection all afternoon!

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTeaSavouries1

 

OscarWilndeBarCafeRoyalTeaSavouries3

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTeaSavouries2

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTeaSavouries4

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTeaSavouryDiptych

 

 

Between the savoury and the sweet courses, we were served a palate cleanser of a chilled fruit tea (a beautiful crimson colour but rather reminiscent of Ribena!) accompanied by what looked like a little squidgy flying saucer, but that turned out to be a really good homemade chocolate and hazelnut marshmallow – what a concept! This was followed by the gorgeous sweet pastries, served on a black slate as opposed to a tiered stand.  Let’s see – working our way down from the top, here’s what was on offer: bright green absinthe Green Fairy macarons (textbook shape and texture and with a botanical whiff of absinthe, rather than an overwhelming flavour); a Pear Regent (a disc of shortbread topped with apple purée/jelly and finished off with a blackcurrant crème coated in a whisper of chocolate and gold leaf ); little choux buns filled with a lime cream; “Profile 66” chocolate citrus tartlets;  “Opéra 1865” banana cake layered with passion fruit cream; and a mini terracotta flower pot filled with apple purée and pistachio paste topped with a crumble. It was all good (even the banana opera cake!) but my favourite had to be those delightful pear regents!  We were also pleased to note that there was enough food for us each to have our own example of each dish – other afternoon teast I have enjoyed in London make you cut

 

OscarWilde BarCafeRoyalTeaSweet1

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTeaSweet2

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTeaSweet3

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyal Sweet1

 

But – there’s more!  Once we had polished off the sweet pastries, we were served some plain and some traditional golden raisin scones with clotted cream, lemon curd and preserves.   Sometimes scones baked in bulk and left to stand until service can become dry and too crumbly, but these were perfection with a moist, warm crumb and a golden egg-glazed crust.  I enjoyed mine with my choice from the extensive tea menu:   Celestine Soft black China tea with sweet Madagascan vanilla pod and cornflowerse while Rosana had the unlikely sounding but truly delicious chocolate tea. We were also offered our choice of cakes from the cake counter (there are at least three a day and they are included in the price of the tea, if you can fit them in! There was even a gluten-free lemon drizzle cake on offer the day we visited, but neither of us could have squeezed in another morsel. There are also a couple of savoury snacks available at extra cost (think croque monsieur).

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTea

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalSconesDiptych

 

OscarWildeBarCafeRoyalTeaScones

 

The other thing I truly loved about the Oscar Wilde Bar was the fact that they have a really wonderful pianist who plays gentle jazzy tunes while you enjoy your tea. The staff were also super-friendly and personable withoug ever being intrusive. These factors, together with the mesmerising room and the delicous food meant, that before we knew it we had been indulging in our high society tea for over two hours! It’s an incredibly indulgent way to while away a rainy afternoon – like a wormhole in the space-time continuum that takes you back into the London’s 19th century social scene just yards from bustling Regent Street. Afternoon tea without Champagne costs £42 per head; £55 with a glass of Veuve Cliquot; £65 with a glass of Veuve Cliquot Rosé; or £85 with a glass of Dom Perignon. Sittings for Afternoon Tea take place daily at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm.

The verdict? A deliciously louche way to enjoy one of London’s best afternoon teas in a historical setting – and afterwards you can head for the Green Bar elsewhere in the hotel where you can enjoy Absinthe or Absinthe cocktails from the beautiful Art Nouveau-style Absinthe fountain dispensers. For another perspective on the afternoon, have a look at Rosana’s post.

If you enjoyed the restaurant photography in this post, why not sign up for one of the two workshops I am running in Spring 2015 with my fellow-blogger Meeta? I will be teaching camera basics and low light/restaurant photography in Vienna on 17-18 April, and in London on 1-2 May. There are still a few spaces available so register now!

 

Oscar Wilde Bar
Hotel Café Royal
68 Regent Street
London
W1B 4DY 

Tel.:+44 (0)20 7406 3310
E-mail: [email protected]

DISCLOSURE:  I enjoyed my afternoon tea as a guest of the Hotel Café Royal but received no further remuneration to write this post.  I retained full editorial control and all opinions are my own.

Oscar Wilde Bar at Hotel Café Royal on Urbanspoon

More deliciousness for you!

  • Love-rat Toast dumps Bacon for Egg!Love-rat Toast dumps Bacon for Egg!
  • Honey-roasted figs with Greek yoghurt – sweet simplicityHoney-roasted figs with Greek yoghurt – sweet simplicity
  • Paola’s pasta primaveraPaola’s pasta primavera
  • Food blogger picnic at the Henley Regatta 2007Food blogger picnic at the Henley Regatta 2007

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Exploring Singapore’s amazing cultural diversity
Swiss chard with chorizo and eggs: a one-pan wonder »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Krista says

    February 17, 2015 at 9:30 am

    What a stunningly beautiful place! It reminds me of an old world cafe I went to in Portugal. How even more amazing to have live jazz piano playing. Bliss. 🙂

    Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    February 17, 2015 at 10:06 am

    This sounds fabulous Jeanne!
    The savoury selections just made my mouth water.
    I remember the film scene well and how exciting that one can dine or have tea there.
    Will definitely gift myself the folie of having tea there when Zi teturn to London one day.
    ;D

    Reply
  3. Camilla says

    February 17, 2015 at 11:24 am

    Wow, it must be like being royal for an afternoon having tea here! Awesome! Fabulous photos too Jeanne:-)

    Reply
  4. Rosana, Hot&Chilli Food and Travel Blog says

    February 17, 2015 at 12:03 pm

    That was such a glitzy tea adventure Jeanne! I think to date that was the best afternoon tea in London, just because of it’s twist on classics and obs the gold period room! See you soon over tea or something stronger xxx

    Reply
  5. nazima says

    February 19, 2015 at 10:05 pm

    wow, such a pretty afternoon tea. Love the quirky and novel flavours and presentations. It’s a place that wasn’t on my radar for afternoon tea places but definitely a place I want to try.

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Perfect broccoli and Stilton soup [keto, low carb, GF]
  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Beef, broccoli and udon noodle stir fry from "The Japanese Larder" by Luiz Hara
My big, fat South African potato bake

Featured on

Also available on

The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a 7 metre diameter scale model of the moon suspended in the Painted Hall at the  @oldroyalnavalcollege in Greenwich this week, by @lukejerramartist. A surreal and fabulous sight!
Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need to get down to @canarywharflondon between now and Saturday 28 Jan to catch the free Winter Lights 2023 event, back for the seventh year.

My favourites include @lukejerramartist ‘s Floating Earth; Tom Lambert’s Out of the Dark; Fluorescent Firs; Toroid by This is Loop; and the surreal and mesmerising Anima by MEATS - a tunnel filled with hundreds of thin optical fibre lights that change colour and move in the breeze 😍 

Have you been to Winter Lights? What was your favourite?
“When we look down at the Earth from space, we s “When we look down at the Earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” - International Space Station astronaut Ron Garamond

To experience the “overview effect” (a phenomenon experienced by astronauts viewing the earth from space), head down to Canary Wharf in the London docklands this week where you can see @lukejerramartist ‘s beautiful Floating Earth installation as part of the Winter Lights event. 

This giant 10m diameter installation is created using high resolution NASA images to create a floating scale model of the Earth, lit from within so that it glows from its current home on the Middle Dock, surrounded by the headquarters of international banking and finance corporations.

The artist hopes that viewed in this context, the installation will make visitors and the bankers working in surrounding buildings question how their money in savings and pensions is invested, and whether investments can be greener.

Aside from being a thought provoking piece, it is also mesmerising and surreally beautiful, so make sure you visit the free Winter Lights event before ends on Saturday 28 Jan.
Happy lunar new year! [Invited] To celebrate the Happy lunar new year! 

[Invited] To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, why not head over to @mamachensdumplings currently doing a residence at the @thegantrylondon in #stratford where you can feast on prawn & chive dumplings; pork, Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushroom dumplings; pork & prawn wontons with Mama Chen’s chilli oil; vegetable dumplings; smacked cucumber salad; and spicy noodles coated in garlic and Szechuan pepper oil.

And afterwards, make sure you head up to the @unionsocialoc bar for a cocktail - I loved the Moreish Fashion with bourbon, PX sherry, chestnuts and mandarin orange bitters!
Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Chr Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Christmas? Turn it into this super simple and super indulgent broccoli and Stilton soup! So easy to make and soooo delicious to eat - and it is low carb and GF. What more could you want?! Click the link in my bio for the full recipe. What’s your favourite soup?
CELEBRATE. So the fireworks are over, the champag CELEBRATE.

So the fireworks are over, the champagne is finished and the leftovers are all eaten. We are one week into 2023 and I have had some time to think about what my intent is for the year. 

In 2022 my brother had a life saving kidney transplant. Since the operation, he has had a Peanuts cartoon as his WhatsApp profile pic, where Charlie Brown and Snoopy are sitting on a pier talking. Charlie says “Some day, we all die Snoopy.” And Snoopy replies: “Yes - but every other day, we will live.”

Waking up in the morning is a gift, every day, and it is so easy to forget this. The last few years have been difficult for so many people and the coming year promises its own challenges. But every day that we don’t die is a day to live, to celebrate life in some small way.

So my intention in 2023 is to celebrate. Celebrate our achievements however small. Celebrate our friends and family. Celebrate small things. Celebrate life.

Did you make any resolutions or goals for 2023? I would love to hear them in the comments! Wishing you all the very best for 2023 🥂
Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes fro Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes from last night with friends in Deptford. My deconstructed avocado ritz; @twinkleparkstephen ‘s bobitie; Giles’ Ottolenghi tomato salad; and Jean’s clementine trifle - and the London night sky ablaze with fireworks!  How did you spend your evening? 🥂🎇🎆
Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope your day was merry and bright, filled with family, friends and love 🎄🥂. Mine was spent alone at home - my choice and the result of a combination of Covid (not mine!) and rail strikes 🤦‍♀️ but very relaxing and indulgent!
Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter y Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter you can make ahead? Look no further than my individual smoked salmon terrine! Hot smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives wrapped in cold smoked salmon in a ramekin. Still one of the most popular Christmas recipes in my blog, it looks cheffy but is soooo simple to make - and will save you time and effort on the day! Get the recipe by clicking on the link in my bio.

How is your Christmas meal prep going? Are you entertaining at home or going to friends or family? 🎄🥂🎄🥂🎄
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Bowls of broccoli and Stilton soup
Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2023 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2023 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT