The Montague on the Gardens
I have tried many afternoon teas in London but was especially excited about having tea at The Montague on the Gardens, not only because of the fun safari themed photos I had seen but because it was the first time I had taken my daughter for afternoon tea and was excited for her to join me on something I love doing most.
The Montague on the Gardens is a few minutes’ walk across a beautiful landscaped square from the nearest tube, I imagine it would be so pretty in the warmer months. Tucked down a quiet street, we easily found the canopeed frontage of The Montague. Dressed in wrought iron railing and ivy garlands, it looked every part of what I had imagined. We were greeted and given the option of dining in either the conservatory or the safari themed lounge. Of course, we choose the lounge, the safari theme was tastefully included in nearly every detail of the bar and lounge with leopard print walls and banana leaf patterned carpet, I even noticed a waiter wearing a leopard print apron! It sounds a little over the top and possibly something you would imagine in an “only fools and horses” episode but it wasn’t, it not only worked but teamed with the brown leather and brass furniture, bronzed figurines and the most fabulous piano, it felt luxurious and unique.
The Montague offer a choice of afternoon teas, Traditional, Safari, a scone Afternoon tea and for children, they offer the wonderfully named Prince and Princess Afternoon Tea. To my disappointment, I was informed that they needed 24 hours notice on the safari themed menu and I hadn’t let them know this so we both opted for the traditional tea but asked for the additional safari cocktail and this wasn’t a problem at all. With our tea menu, we were presented with a case of sample teas, something I had never seen before, so that we could smell and see what the different teas were like before ordering. Even this felt like it had been thought out to go with the jungle theme, a rustic leather case with brass buckles strangely reminded me of something out of the film Jumunji. I loved it!
I opted for the Elderflower and Blossum Darjeeling and my daughter who had never ventured past PG Tips, bravely choose the Jasmine petals and pearls tea. Our tea was served on an ornate, green marbled side table along with a tea timer, again a first for me. If you’re anything like myself, I never quite know how long to let my tea brew before pouring but this solved the problem without me having to clock watch for a few minutes….3 timers for 3 different types of tea, what a simple but genius idea!
Our Champagne and impressive cocktails were served shortly before the food. The Leopard cocktail looked amazing – a chocolate spotted glass filled with an African inspired creamy concoction topped with a big cat paw print. Needless to say, my daughter was straight on the phone instagramming this! The cocktail not only looked good, it tasted wonderful.
Our food was served shortly after on a traditional 3-tiered stand topped with 2 cute banana flavoured lollipops. Our waitress was very friendly and talked us through both the savoury and sweet plates. The sandwich selection included classic egg mayo and mustard cress, Smoked Salmon and cucumber and cream cheese. My favourite though was the delicious mini bun filled with chicken, celery and Almonds. All were freshly made and faultless. The raisin and plain scones were served warm along with the most delightful homemade strawberry preserve and clotted cream. The top tier comprised of a generous 8 different pastries. We cut them and shared so that both of us could try them all. The selection was varied and extremely tasty, a perfect end to what was a fun afternoon.
The staff at The Montague were smiley, informative and professional and have now given my daughter the taste and love for Afternoon Tea that I have, we would definitely recommend Afternoon Tea at The Montague and hope to return very soon.