When my friend OS suggested we head to Dominique Ansel’s London outpost while where in town, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it myself. We’ve visited the Japanese store in Tokyo – and yes, we queued. Rather, I queued while DS went for a walk because he was so cold and he hates queuing.
Only after a long time did we realise that the line we were in was for takeaway only! We wanted to sit in and got seated immediately.
We were definitely not making the same mistake at DOMINIQUE ANSEL BAKERY LONDON. In particular, OS had told us to go for the AFTERNOON TEA. Apparently the London store is the only one that does it! We booked well ahead of time and were led straight into the beautiful wintergarden, still decorated for Christmas.
First order of business was tea of course. They had a pretty big selection of the usual teas (DS got an English Breakfast) but the Dominique Ansel Bespoke Blend caught my eye. It was in fact a green tea, but definitely mixed with something caramel-y and sweet! It was delicious, I couldn’t get enough.
The Signature Afternoon Tea is priced at £42. There are fancier options that include a glass of sparking at £55 and an option with added caviar and the lobster roll for £80. We went for the Signature option given that I don’t drink and we aren’t that into caviar.
So…here we go!
First impression was that I absolutely love the presentation. Yes it is 3-tiered, but it’s not the traditional 3-tiered high tea setting. Each wooden level could be brought out and adjusted, so you can see every level of food really well!
The menu is flower / plant themed. So, as a plant grows from the ground up, we were instructed to eat from the bottom up! Here is the beautifully thought-out menu:
Afternoon Tea
SAVORY
- SEED – Wild mushrooms, confit garlic, pumpkin seed, squid ink choux
- SHOOT – Avocado & feta mousseline, green chili, coriander, squid ink choux
- YOUNG LEAF – Smoked salmon, yuzu dill cream cheese, Japanese cucumber, microbasil
- FULL LEAF – Cornish crab salad, apple, celery, brioche, baby watercress
- FALLEN LEAF – Steak tartare, crème fraîche, brioche toast, red radish
WARM SCONES, CLOTTED CREAM, FRESH FRUIT JAM
SWEET
- BUD – Lavender meringue, coconut ganache, passionfruit gelée, white chocolate petals
- FLOWER – Vanilla mousse, lemon marmalade, cookie crumb, whipped basil ganache
- BLOSSOM – Mascarpone mousse, Amarena cherry jam, dark chocolate, meringue ‘kisses’
- FULL BLOOM – brown butter financier, strawberry jam, rose ganache, rose petals.
SEED – wild mushrooms, confit garlic, pumpkin seed, squid ink choux 
SHOOT – avocado & feta mousseline, green chili, coriander, squid ink choux
FULL LEAF – Cornish crab salad, apple, celery, brioche, baby watercress 
FALLEN LEAF – steak tartare, crème fraîche, brioche toast, red radish
Ok so we need to talk about the scones, clotted cream and jam. You’re probably thinking, as I was, how creative can you get with clotted cream and jam?! The answer is – very creative. So creative that I was somewhat baffled and incredibly impressed. Here are the scones:
But then here is the clotted cream with fruit jam…
Isn’t this the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?! These little strawberries were actually clotted cream with bits of jam, coated in a thin layer of chocolate. You put a strawberry on your scone and squish it down, it cracks and you spread delicious the delicious cream and jam on your scone! I totally loved this little gimmick!
BUD – lavender meringue, coconut ganache, passionfruit gelée, white chocolate petals 
Interior of BUD – lavender meringue, coconut ganache, passionfruit gelée, white chocolate petals
BLOSSOM – mascarpone mousse, Amarena cherry jam, dark chocolate, meringue ‘kisses’ 
Interior of BLOSSOM – mascarpone mousse, Amarena cherry jam, dark chocolate, meringue ‘kisses’
FULL BLOOM – brown butter financier, strawberry jam, rose ganache, rose petals 
FULL BLOOM – brown butter financier, strawberry jam, rose ganache, rose petals
A few comments about our whole experience:
- While the wintergarden was a beautiful setting to be in with all the fairy lights, it was actually really cold. There was some heating but it wasn’t working properly. We were told they were working on it… But it didn’t really get warmer during our meal. It also didn’t help because, apart from the scones, all the food was served cold (intentionally), so we didn’t really warm up.
- I appreciated that there was a particular order in which to eat the food, however I usually like to mix up my sweet and savoury to balance out the flavours. I find it a bit too much having all the sweet stuff in a row! Especially after scones, which I find quite heavy. We did follow the eating order this time, however it meant that we both felt a bit sick at the end of it… guess I’m not that much of a sweet tooth!
- The food was all SO BEAUTIFUL. The sweet stuff was more visually appealing but still, it was all beautiful AND tasty! I loved the flavour combinations too.
Overall, this is such a unique experience that I would definitely recommend it. Especially because it’s the only Dominique Ansel Bakery that’s currently offering the Afternoon Tea! If you’re a foodie you’ll enjoy how pretty all the food is and it’s just such a fun experience.
DOMINIQUE ANSEL BAKERY LONDON
17-21 ELIZABETH STREET
BELGRAVIA / VICTORIA
LONDON
SW1W 9RP
UNITED KINGDOM
