If you would have asked me a few years ago what I thought about ‘high tea’ I would have answered: ‘dull, nerdy and frumpy’. Usually it wasn’t anything more than sipping one generic tea all day and having dry, square sandwiches with just not enough cucumber spread on them. And then there was the afternoon tea 2.0 and suddenly, tea time was made trendy. Of course, copied from our frenzies from the UK where they were having afternoon teas centuries ago. Basically, the afternoon tea is a light meal that you can have between four and five in the afternoon served with all different kinds of tea. And all this because there was a duchess that couldn’t wait until dinner because she would get ‘hangry’. Today you can enjoy various versions of the afternoon tea in many luxurious hotels in Amsterdam. Now, I’m a high tea fangirl and I’m trying them out all over the city, catching up over macarons and cotton candy. If it wasn’t for the 5000 calories you’d easily down during an afternoon I would go every week! The other day I went to The Duchess (part of the W hotel) to try out their afternoon tea. Want to know how it all went down? Check it out below.
Afternoon tea is usually served in multiple courses. The first serve at the Duchess contains of poached winter fruit, spicy tuna sandwiches, mini cumin flatbread and quiches. Oh and how do mini hamburgers sound? Yummie, right? And of course you won’t go home without having delicious macarons, scones, biscuits and eclairs. You can choose from different kinds of teas, or you can have the waiter choose for you. You’ll start with a light tea and with every course the tea will get stronger. Would you rather have some champers? No worries, just try the third and most luxurious menu and get your bubbles of your desire.
‘You had me at cotton candy..’. Next to the most awesome ‘Alice in Wonderland’ tableware they also serve cotton candy! There is always room in my stomach for that fluffy stuff so yes, the cotton candy needed to be destroyed #omnom.
After two courses it’s time for the tiered stand. It’s custom to start with the appetizers at the bottom of the stand and gradually work your way up. It was all so delicious. If you have certain food allergies they will take that into account and replace the appetizer. The only point lost: the mini donut with foie gras ganache. Left that one on the stand.
The tea room at the Duchess is gorgeous and so is the view of the Amsterdam canals.
Next to afternoon tea you can also stop by for lunch, dinner or classy business meetings.
No time for an extensive afternoon tea? No worries, grab a quick cuppa and get something for your sweet tooth from this mouth watering wall of fame.
Some other locations for a luxurious Amsterdam afternoon tea.
- Amrâth Hotel. Yay: soup for starters, free prosecco welcome drink, very affordable and long session from 12:30 till 17:30. Nay: not a very inspiring (pretty) environment. Prins Hendrikkade 108
- Conservatiorium Hotel. Yay: gorgeous location, skincare candy shop SKINS has a branch here. Nay: with mini apple pie and smoke salmon on the menu not a super exciting culinary experience. Van Baerlestraat 27
- Amstel Hotel. Yay: location (big chance to run into celebs, hi Queen B!). Next to serving sweet and savory dishes also serving a warm course. Nay: it’s a quickie. You’ll only get two hours, from 12:30 to 14:30 and 16:00 to 18:00. Professor Tulpplein 1
Who’s joining me on the next afternoon tea?
xx Mishanou