For a unique Japanese afternoon tea experience in London, you can beat a visit to Ginza St James’s.
My boyfriend and I went to London over Easter for a mini-break and went to Ginza St James’s for afternoon tea as a birthday treat.
Tucked down a side street in Mayfair, you can’t miss the restaurant as it’s covered in pink cherry blossoms, but when you head inside to the bar everything is sleek and modern.
We were taken downstairs to the main restaurant, which was full of mirrors making it look huge.
Not your average tea selection…
We were seated and the waiter gave us the menu to choose our tea. Out of the five on offer, I went for the white tea which was flavoured with rose and pomegranate and my boyfriend opted for the bancha which had a smoky and nutty flavour.
They also brought me a glass of champagne as we were celebrating!
The teas arrived in traditional pots with a long handle and were poured for us into beautiful blue mugs, they smelled wonderful!
After a few minutes came the main event – a huge circular tray of delights!
It looked stunning and was a real centerpiece. Also, because it was tall and thinner than normal, it didn’t take up much room on the table – win!
We had a feast!
There was deep fried marinated chicken with kewpie mayo, white fish, salmon and veggie maki rolls, teriyaki beef with crispy shallots, lightly seared salmon with a spiced dipping sauce, a black cod croquette with wasabi mayo, and a Wagyu slider with Japanese pickles.
It was all divine. I think the teriyaki beef was my favourite – the amount of flavour you got from one mouthful was amazing!
Time for dessert
Next came desserts! And because we were there celebrating my belated 30th birthday, the lovely waiter brought mine out on a slate plate with ‘happy birthday’ written in white chocolate – such a lovely touch!
We had a pot of passion fruit curd, a chocolate brownie and a green tea mochi. The curd was my favourite, it was so tasty and refreshing – a perfect end to this afternoon tea!
We were also brought a cup of matcha to finish. Now I’m not the biggest fan of matcha normally, but I don’t think I’ve had the right stuff before because I have to say this was really tasty!
My thoughts on afternoon tea at Afternoon Tea at Ginza St James’s
At £45p per person you got a lot for your money and we left feeling full but not completely stuffed.
I’d definitely recommend visiting if you’re in the area!
