Rob L.
Yelp
The Orangery is the perfect place to indulge in a traditional English high tea experience after a visit to the Kensington Palace and Garden.
Tip: Admissions are required only if you visit the Kensington Palace. If you visit only the garden and the restaurant, no tickets are required.
The restaurant is elegant in a way that is simple yet sophisticated, but not overly opulent. The vibes are relaxed, cool, and unpretentious.
Service was a bit slow in the beginning. We were seated for about ten minutes before our server greeted us.
Our server did apologize for the wait and she was upbeat and friendly. She offered to take pictures for us with the high tea setting which I think was a very nice gesture. She offered to do the same for other customers too. So I'm sure she is used to doing this numerous times a day every day. In fact, she is a pro - she took some very nice pictures for us at the perfect angles!
An afternoon tea set comes complete with the following:
-- A selection of finger sandwiches which include turkey and cranberry, ham with my favorite English mustard, egg mayonnaise, smoked salmon, and cucumber & mint.
-- Two different types of freshly baked scones (that day we had a plain vanilla one and a currant scone) served with English jams. (Compared with American jams, the English version is usually fruitier in taste, only lightly sweet, and not sugary.)
-- An assortment of pastries and mousses. The day we were there we had a slice of Christmas fruit cake, a key lime mousse, a cherry pastry among other goodies. The fruit cake, with a rich aroma of rum, was very yummy and was my favorite sweet of the day.
-- Your choice of tea or coffee (when in England for high tea, forget about coffee and order tea.) If you like a very strong cup of tea, try the Palace Breakfast which is a blend of Assam and Ceylon black teas. I personally like the Afternoon at the Palace which is a black tea with a smoother and lighter taste.
It was a delightful experience and I won't hesitate for a second to do this again the next time I'm in London.