249. London | Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson Hotel

During my second day in London, I dropped by the Sanderson Hotel to try their Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea. Before I left on my trip, I did some extensive research on where to go for afternoon tea in London (obviously I couldn't visit this city without having it at least once!). The Mad Hatter's was one that really stood out. I was looking at photos on their site and the "Eat Me" cake and "Drink Me" bottle were what drew me in at first. The other reason was that it's located in the restaurant of the Sanderson Hotel - a beautiful Philippe Starck-designed luxury boutique hotel. Inspired by the theme of Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter's tea is a twist on the traditional British afternoon tea. If you are ever in London, I highly recommend a visit there! I will definitely go back next time I'm in the city. I stayed inside their restaurant, but you can also have it out on their courtyard.


Here is the menu. It comes with everything on the left + one champagne or cocktail + one tea.


I decided to go with the champagne - Laurent-Perrier Brut NV. It was pretty good; has a bit of a fruity taste. The tea I got was their fruit tea (as you can tell, I love everything fruity) which is a blend of pomegranate, hibiscus, orange blossom, rosehip and apple. I looooved the scent of it and it tasted really sweet.


These rainbow-coloured finger sandwiches were my favourite. Normally I'm pretty picky with food and don't like mustard or mayo (that they used in these) but I loved all of these. My favourite was the smoked salmon and cream cheese on green spinach bread. The others are: ham and English mustard on yellow saffron bread, cucumber and black pepper on beetroot bread, and egg mayonnaise and cress on brown bread.


Besides the sandwiches, I really loved the lollipop on the left; hazelnut praline ice cream. It "explodes with a single bite". On the right is a blueberry lollipop. You're supposed to put it on your tongue and flip it as one side is hot and one is cold.


On the 2nd tier: the "Eat Me" cake is strawberry and cream mousse inside a chocolate shell. I actually found this to be a bit too sweet. Then there is the "Drink Me" bottle of passion fruit jelly, coconut panna-cotta and exotic foam. The Chocolate Opera Rabbit's Clock is a chocolate and coffee layered sponge cake; tastes just like tiramisu. I also really liked this. Then there are the traditional scones at the bottom which I was told are supposed to "bring you back to reality" at the end.




So all in all, a very good experience. I enjoyed the food but more importantly, the service was excellent. The server explained everything in detail and the staff at the hotel were all very friendly.


This is the lobby of the hotel - the Sanderson Hotel by the Morgans Hotel Group (who also manages various other boutique hotels around the States)



Sanderson Hotel:
50 Berners Street
London W1T 3NG
United Kingdom
(Right by Oxford Circus station, off Oxford Street)
Phone: 02073001400

Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea:
Hours:
Monday-Friday: 2pm to 5:30pm
Saturday-Sunday: 1pm to 5:30pm
For Reservations:
02073005588
Price:
£35 ($55) per person