Mad hatter's afternoon tea

"Eat Me" and "Drink Me" two of my favourite phrases, but they also appear in the much loved book "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll. This year the book celebrates its 150th anniversary and as it was one of my most loved books as a child anything Alice inspired gets my vote.  

The Hyatt Regency London is celebrating the special occasion with the creation of their very own Mad Hatter's Afternoon tea. 

We are seated overlooking the wonderful Portman Square Garden's, to peruse the menu.    

We begin with the "Drink Me"cocktail, incorporating gin, vanilla, cherry liqueur, pineapple juice, red grenadine and "buttered toast" pineapple foam. 

The addition of the eat me pocket watch and a toffee cherry sitting on top of the cocktail shows great attention to detail. Actually this attention to detail runs throughout the entire afternoon tea as you will see. 

Can we just take a minute to look at how wonderful and true to Alice and Wonderland the sweet treats look but more of that to come.  

Savoury "Eat Me" Treats:
We start with a Cucumber gazpacho soup, which has the perfect balance of cucumber and garlic. Great for cleansing the palette and no one flavour is over dominant. 

Now whilst I love traditional afternoon teas and their savoury sandwiches, sometimes it is nice to also have alternatives.

The Montagu certainly doesn't disappoint. 

The dressed crab sandwich for me was delicious and a definite highlight. It was packed with flavour and to be honest I could have happily eaten a few more. 

Salmon and cream cheese is a regular on an afternoon tea, but the replacement of bread for pancake meant that it was all about the filling and less about the bread, perfect. 

Our savoury tier was followed by a "Drink Me" treat, of raspberry elderflower sparkling tonic. 

We took this as the perfect opportunity to order our tea. 

I opted for the whole rosebud china black tea. I have never had rosebud in a tea previously but will definitely be having it again it was wonderfully refreshingly with floral notes.

My dinning companion opts for Jing Organic Bohea Lapsang, on pouring you can instantly smell the smoky aroma. The tea comes all the way from a 400 year old farm in the Fujian's Wuyi mountains. If within a tea you could smell history then for me this definitely encapsulates it. 

Sweet "Eat Me" Treats:
Normally there is an even balance between savoury and sweet on an afternoon tea, not here this afternoon tea is definitely weighted towards the sweet. 

To be honest I was expecting a dry biscuit with jam but the base was soft and wonderfully crumbly. The addition of the naughty white chocolate flower was very welcomed. 

Will you find a key to open the door?

Once a week, one lucky guest will find a small golden key hidden in their tea set.

If your lucky enough to find one make sure you let the team know as you have won the chance to experience The Montagu’s Saturday New York Italian Style Brunch for two; while once a month, one lucky winner will have the chance to win an ‘Explore London’ overnight stay.

Our lovely afternoon tea came to completion with freshly baked scones. Now by this point I was spent and probably a good job, as scones for me are a highlight and the consistency of these were more like sweet bread. 

The Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea is priced at £38 per adult, with children receiving a 50% discount. Add the drink me cocktail to your tea and the cost will be £45 per adult.  

Available until 8th September 2015 from 1:00pm to 5:30pm Monday to Friday and from 3:30 pm to 5:30pm Saturday and Sunday. 

A very sweet challenge that's all a bit mad! But one things for sure, your guaranteed an afternoon tea that will please your inner child.  

What is the maddest thing that you have done recently? 

Hyatt Regency London
020 7299 2037

30 Portman Square, 
London, 
England, 
W1H 7BH


Thank you very much to Hyatt Regency London for a tasty afternoon tea. Our afternoon tea was complimentary for the purposes of a review, but this is an honest and fair reflection of the restaurant and our experience.