The creation of Afternoon Tea is credited to Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford who purportedly invented the meal to fill the long gap between lunch and dinner. Some say she had this meal of tea, cakes and sandwiches delivered to her chambers in secret for fear of being ridiculed. However when she was discovered, the concept well received and caught on swiftly amongst the English middle and upper class. Whatever the origins, we owe her a debt of gratitude as I for one am always in favour of the creation of new meals.
Afternoon Tea is served at The Winery, which is the Langham's lobby bar. The Winery is set in a recess slightly below the level of the rest of the lobby. While there is no outdoor view to speak off, there is a fair amount of foot traffic past the bar for you to indulge in a spot of people watching. However, being slightly lower down than the rest of the lobby your view is slightly impeded if you are sitting against any of the walls. The furnishings create a feeling of grandeur. The crystal chandeliers, to the blissfully comforting winged armchairs, right down to the highly polished silverware are designed to "recall the grace and elegance of the original Langham Grand Hotel in London", reminding you that Afternoon Tea is not simply a meal, it is an occasion.
Afternoon Tea is served from 12 noon to 4:30pm, and we were told that there were no seatings later than 4pm. Reservations are recommended by the Langham, but from what I saw, they're almost compulsory if you want to avoid disappointment. Afternoon Tea appears to be quite popular in Auckland for all groups and ages. We saw everything from what appeared to be a hen's party, to a Grandmother's birthday to couples like ourselves enjoying a day out. The downside of this popularity is that The Winery was a tad overcrowded, with not much room to move between the plush, high backed arm chairs.
We were greeted by the Maître d', shown to our table and presented with menus. The Maître d' explained the menu and how the concept of Afternoon Tea worked, and left us to consider our options. The Langham offers Signature Afternoon Tea for $34 per person and Champagne Afternoon Tea for $56 per person. The Signature Afternoon Tea features a selection of sandwiches, scones, cakes and treats on a three-tiered tray, while the Champagne Afternoon Tea features a selection of the same accompanied with a glass of champagne. The menu also boasted an extensive selection of teas, black, green and herbal at $6.50 each. Eva and I selected the Signature Afternoon Tea for two, an Earl Grey Tea for me and a special Langham blend of black teas for her.
The service throughout the afternoon was exemplary. Attentive staff catered to all our needs promptly and politely. Our teas were brought out soon after our order however our tray seemed to be taking a little longer than expected. Almost as soon as we thought this, our waitress appeared and informed us that there was a slight delay and our tray would be out within 5 minutes. Due to the delay we were offered a complementary pot of tea each. While we did not end up making use of our complementary teas, we both sincerely appreciated the effort that the staff put into making up for the delay, and ensuring that we were happy and comfortable. The teas themselves were exquisite, and while I am no connoisseur, they were among the best I have ever tasted.
Not long afterwards our tray arrived laden with all manner of sandwiches and tea-time treats. The presentation of our food was exceptional, as the pictures below will show. Warm scones, savoury and sweet were nestled together on the bottom tier along with whipped cream and raspberry jam for two. The middle tier was home to delicate finger sandwiches and bite sized filled rolls from the humble ham and mustard sandwiches to the more exotic savoury eclairs. It is however, the top tier that was the star of the show. The cake and treats tier was where the Langham had really showcased their presentation talents.
With this amazing spread before us, Eva and I enthusiastically tucked in to our afternoon tea. I am happy to report that everything tasted as good as it looked, if not better in some cases. We began with the sandwiches, and soon established our favourites. Both of us agreed that the savoury eclair with the pate filling was the best of the sandwich selection, with the ham and mustard being my second favourite. Eva said she found the ham and horseradish to be her second favourite, but it was a hard choice between that and the eclair.
The scones were a perfect representation of this very English tea time treat. Beautiful consistency, delicate yet firm, and oh so delicious, I challenge anyone to find me a better scone in Auckland. Having diligently cleared the lower two tiers, we turned our attentions to the highly anticipated cakes and treats. These were so prettily presented, it was almost a shame to eat them. As hard as it was to choose between them, my favourites had to be the black forest brownie and the baked cheesecake. The layer cake with chocolate ganache also bears an honourable mention, however the chocolate was a tad overpowering. Eva said the kaffir lime panacotta was sublime and she would have gladly indulged in more of this were it on offer.
Throughout the afternoon, the service continued to be superb. The waitress came by several times to top up the hot water in our teapots and to make sure everything was ok and that we were happy and comfortable. Regrettably, the time came for us to be leaving and we said goodbye to the Langham feeling pampered, relaxed and refreshed from our afternoon of luxury. With a price tag of $35 per person, this isn't something I would be enjoying every weekend, but as an occaisional afternoon of indulgence it was a truly fulfilling experience.
Address: The Langham Hotel, 83 Symonds Street, Auckland
Phone: (09) 379 5132 - Reservations recommended to avoid disappointment
Website: http://auckland.langhamhotels.co.nz/restaurants/langham_afternoon_tea.htm
Class of Restaurant: Smart Casual to Formal
Parking: This can be a bit of a problem. Paid parking is available at two Tournament car parks close to the Langham. More information is available on the Langham's parking information page and at the Tournament Parking website. Alternatively, the Langham offer valet parking at $30 per 24 hour period.
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