The velvet seats of the Gallery Tea Room are world famous
It has already been shown that in the XXI century we are not satisfied with breakfast, lunch or dinner as is. Living a different gastronomic experience is as important as sharing it later with the rest of the world through social networks.
Variety, quantity and 'cuquismo' It is the formula that has made brunch on weekends fashionable. But now a recovered tradition is added to the mid-morning feast to enhance snacks: afternoon tea.
Surely you remember it from Alice in Wonderland. The table full of cakes, cake trays of up to three floors and flowery cups and teapots everywhere. Lewis Carroll already took it upon himself to record this british tradition of 1840 in his work.
But the original idea comes from the 7th Duchess of Bedford that, fed up with that 'feeling of weakness' that she experienced every afternoon between breakfast and dinner – then only these two meals a day were eaten in England – she asked her servant to bring her tea and bread with Butter.
At the Hotel Mondrian, tea is accompanied by delicious seventies-inspired sweets
And the custom led to palatial picnics with friends. A tradition that, despite never having gone away, now permeates new generations with the desire to mark special events and share. Almost 8 million results are returned by the hashtag “#teatime” on Instagram, 3.2 million for “#afternoontea”.
SKETCH BRINGS IT TO YOUR 'TIMELINE'
In the images, more than scenes typical of Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace as might be imagined, they are sites that exude modernity. The clearest example (and perhaps also the culprit that has become a trend), Sketch.
This London venue has two restaurants, a bar and the Gallery Tea Room, with a collection of 239 David Shrigley illustrations on the wall and pink velvet seats that have endowed its decoration with world fame.
Its basic menu includes the classics of this snack: tea, pastries, cakes and finger sandwiches (bread cut into thin strips), with luxury ingredients such as caviar or quail eggs and the traditional with smoked salmon and cream cheese. And its price is around 65 euros per person (80 if you want to add a glass of champagne).
Tea, pastries, cakes, finger sandwiches, smoked salmon and cream cheese make up the basic menu at Sketch
Other favorite examples of the networks to taste this experience are the avant-garde Art Afternoon Tea, served in the Mirror Room of the Hotel Rosewood in London, with a themed menu created by pastry chef Mark Perkins and inspired by artists like Yayoi Kusama, Alexander Calder and Banksy.
Or the Wyld Afternoon Tea from Dandelyan (Hotel Mondrian), in which the very elaborate cocktails, their seventies-inspired sweets (such as the battenberg cake based on currants and verbena) and –again– the pink sofas are a brand of the house.
Wyld Afternoon Tea by Dandelyan (Mondrian Hotel)
TEA TIME IN SPANISH VERSION
In Spain the tradition arrives little by little, but it arrives. If the thought of having tea at the **Ritz** (now closed for renovations) or the L'Éclaire del Palace Barcelona sounds like something exceptional or more typical of the upper classes, the custom is already established in the general public.
“Every self-respecting tea room should have an afternoon tea menu”, explains to Traveler Juana Albert, owner of Vailima , close to the Retiro Park in Madrid.
"It is the customers themselves who demand this type of snack to live the experience of having an afternoon tea like the British." Although it is very similar to our snack concept, Juana points out that it is “a more elaborate and extensive version”.
The Rosewood Hotel's themed menu is inspired by artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Alexander Calder and Banksy
"Clients usually come to drink our 'Complete Tea' in special occasions such as baby showers or bridal showers. Instagram has helped spread the concept of afternoon tea for this type of event”, says the owner.
Her menu includes mini french butter pastries (croissant, pain au chocolat or conch) , macaroons in assorted flavors such as raspberry or caramel, a choice of two finger sandwiches, a slice of cake and, of course, tea (they have more than 50 varieties, but if none convinces you, you can also have coffee, juice or a soft drink).
Clients celebrate their baby showers or bachelorette parties with an afternoon tea
For **Living in London,** the UK-based Madrid gift shop that also has its own tea room, the networks are playing a fundamental role in the diffusion of the custom "It shows a lot, we all like to play journalists and tell our experiences, both good and bad," says the businesswoman Christina Tassara.
In her snack you cannot miss the Scones, the typical round rolls of the United Kingdom. “Our chef makes them and they like them more and more.
"We serve them with clotted cream, a typical English cream (between butter and cream) and jam also English, which is the same one we sell in the store. It differs from the Spanish ones in that it has less sugar”, she points out.
Tea, scones, clotted cream and raspberry jam
from the restaurant TATEL, in Madrid's Castellana, confess that their afternoon tea (served under the name T for TATEL ) is not directly addressed to the user of the social network.
“We realized that it was an unmet need for our clients. Most of them are ladies who live around the restaurant, in the Barrio de Salamanca, and who are looking to go out for a snack with friends in inspiring environments,” she says. Nacho Chicharro, executive chef.
In your snack everything is homemade and you can include a glass of Champagne G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge for a total of 28 euros.
“The fact that it is not a purely Spanish tradition is what customers like the most, since sometimes we need 'different' things. Transporting ourselves to another country, another culture…”, says the chef.
T de TATEL, the afternoon tea of the restaurant located on Paseo de la Castellana
“It is a fantastic and different plan to spend an afternoon trying a wide variety of pastries and approaching the (very) unknown world of tea”, says Joan of Vailima.
And “a way to have an early dinner or simply to see friends in the afternoon without having to resort to drinks”, concludes Cristina from Living in London.
In the Tatel snack you can include a glass of Champagne G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge