togri-bakery-blog

Afternoon Tea Review - Hotel La Tour - Birmingham

Tom Grimmett

Hotel La Tour Afternoon Tea - 5 out of 5

As you may have guessed by now I am really into my cakes (and puddings, and pies, and ice cream..).  Let's just say I have a sweet tooth.  Anyway, I'm very sniffy about factory made cakes because they are bland, dry and uninspiring.  So, if I am going to splurge on a sweet treat then it needs to be really worth it.  It needs to be delicious for the eyes and the belly.

I apply these same high standards to afternoon teas.  In fact, I have even higher standards regarding these mainly because it is supposed to be a really special experience and it's rather expensive too. 

So for afternoon tea I expect handmade sweet and savoury treats, exemplary service, fine surroundings and attention to detail.

The great thing about taking afternoon tea is it's a really special way to treat and spend time with friends and loved ones.  I always treat my parents to afternoon tea because they love it and so do I.

This time we decided to go to Hotel La Tour on Albert Street in Birmingham.  This is a rather smart and modern hotel and the afternoon tea they serve is one of the best in Birmingham that we have tried.

Image courtesy of Hotel La Tour

Booking is by phone or email, which you can get from visiting https://hotel-latour.co.uk/bar along with their current menu and pricing.  When we visited we paid £19.95 per person but now the current price is £24.95 per person, but it is still worth it in my opinion.

The hotel is situated on the site of the old Masshouse Circus on Albert Street and even though it does not have its own car park there is a large open air car park just opposite.  However, if you have a limited mobility this can be quite a walk so I dropped off my parents at the entrance and I met them in the foyer after parking my car.

The foyer at Hotel La Tour is very grand and modern and they have obviously spent a lot of money on making their hotel look fabulous.  The receptionist was very welcoming and guided us to the bar where afternoon teas take place.  Fortunately for my parents, there is a lift so they didn't have to negotiate the imposing spiral staircase.

Image courtesy of Hotel La Tour

We were greeted by friendly staff and promptly seated in Alice in Wonderland style comfy chairs, which was fun, and we were given a tea menu to browse.  There is a choice of 8 loose leaf teas. which is excellent as loose leaf tea is a must for an afternoon tea experience. A bag of Twinings tea does not cut it!

The cutlery and crockery were high quality and the food was brought to us on bespoke free-standing tiered plates, which we were made especially for the hotel.  This was a great idea as it allowed for much more space on the table to actually eat our food.

The food was explained to us in detail, which was useful as sometimes you have no idea what some of the cakes or sandwiches are.  The food was presented to a high standard and the amuse bouche (a modern take on Welsh Rarebit) was a delight and a definite highlight.  There were six different types of sandwich and all were outstanding in flavour.  The chicken with tarragon and lemon mayonnaise was a highlight for me.  Delicious!

The scones were perfect and the assortment of cakes were varied, flavoursome and just plain perfect.

All in all, a visit to Hotel La Tour for an afternoon tea will not dissapoint and certainly deserves 5 out 5 from Togri Bakery.  Well done Hotel La Tour!