Hiding itself away underneath an already inconspicuous bookshop along the street that runs right in front of the British Museum, it would be a shame for any fan of the concept of "tea-time" or "afternoon tea" to miss this little gem.
Decked out in cozy and antique decor, the shop offers a quiet escape from the hustle and bustle of the urban landscape that is London. The staff are friendly, the atmosphere serene, and the prices are gentle as well ;)
There really are few places that I've been to over here that can offer the same level of quiet and peacefulness of Tea & Tattle whilst you sip your tea!
On both occasions, myself and Ao went for the Traditional Afternoon Tea sets, which is a hefty meal in itself consisting of two pots of tea/coffee, two HUGE slices of cake of your choice, two scones, two (deceptively worded) sandwiches and to top it all off, two glasses of lemonade! That's all for £28.00 (for both people), don't tell me that's not value for money!
We usually opt to start off with the lemonade to prepare our taste buds for the feast to come. Not too sweet and with enough punch, Tea & Tattle's lemonade is great to ward off the summer heat, or to entice the palates for more treats!
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| LEMONADE! |
But value for money isn't just about the amount of food you get; the food should taste more than it's worth! I have my reservations about the cakes, being a little too sweet for my taste. Ao has found a personal favorite in the Victoria Sponge, whereas I find the Walnut Cake being more worth the stomach space.
Their scones come in little perfectly shaped ovals, all prepped with clotted cream and your choice of jam on top! We highly recommend the Bramley Jam or Fruit Marmalade that definitely do NOT taste like your generic sweet jelly from the supermarkets. We haven't had the craving for any of their more adventurous jams yet, but when we do we'll be sure to update this post!
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| Look at them perfectly shaped scones!! And everything on top is applied for you so you don't have to get your fingers all oily and sticky and what not. |
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| Fat.... CHUNKY.... CAKES! |
They also offer a fairly wide variety of sandwiches, though I'm not a big fan of them. My favorite has to be the "Crab and Avocado with Mayonnaise and Lemon",
and a close second would be the "Smoked Salmon, Creme Fraiche with Cucumber and Lemon". Both offer an interesting taste that is not too heavy to defeat the mood that is tea, yet savory enough to bring justice to the name that is sandwich :)
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| Yes those are two sandwiches in total. I know it counts 8, but that's.. two. |
I'm not entirely sure what brand of tea they use, but the range offered all taste pretty superb, my personal favorite being the Earl Grey and Peppermint, whilst Ao prefers the more refreshing Camomile and Jasmine. I must say that there is nothing TOO spectacular about the tea, but they are offered in generous amounts and come well filtered.
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| You'd think that cute little teapot would hold only about 4-5 cups of tea.. You could never be more wrong! |
All in all, the food isn't anything to shout about but taste homely enough to fill the stomach and bring a smile to one's face. The generous amounts offered will definitely surprise first time visitors especially for the cost. I mean, come on! LOOK AT THE PHOTOS. I'm not kidding about the amount of food you get. Try to anticipate that, or you'll end up so fully bloated like myself and Ao always do :D
In the ranks of Afternoon Tea spots, this will definitely be one of our favorites, and we'll be returning to it in the future for sure.
Website: http://www.apandtea.co.uk/
Address: 41 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3PE
Nearby Landmarks: The British Museum
Nearby Landmarks: The British Museum
Nearest Tube Station: Russell Square, Tottenham Court Road
Price Range: ££
Rating: 3/5 teapots! :D because more teapots are always good.
Food Variety: Teas, Coffees, Smoothies, Cakes, Scones, Sandwiches - Your typical afternoon tea fare!
If you could only try one thing...: Some people swear by their smoothies but we haven't got around to trying them yet. I'd say the best part of the place would be the scones and their lovely jams!
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Manfred & Ao <3
