A birthday at Richmond Tea Rooms

A week ago, the time had come for a group of 15-20 people to gather for a birthday celebration at Richmond Tea Rooms. I was one of them.

As we arrived, the staff looked a bit stressed, and although we had reserved our places they didn't seem to know how many of us to expect. Room got tight, but at least we all had somewhere to sit so everybody seemed happy.

Richmond Tea Rooms

For the rest of the afternoon and early evening the service was a bit messy, but it didn't really bother me. What else can you expect when going for afternoon tea on a Saturday afternoon, in a group of more than 15 chatty women?

I wasn't that hungry, nor do I fancy sweet cakes, so the natural thing for me to order wasn't one of the afternoon tea sets. Although they seemed impressive, I remember three years back when I ordered one for the first in my life in the Midlands Hotel; I hardly finished half of it, purely due to its size.

I thought I'd be more sensible and ordered a Club Veggie sandwich (£5.95). It would prove to be a good choice.

Club Veggie

The only downfall was that it came with crisps. It said so in the menu so it wasn't a surprise, but still. I know it's just me being weird, but crisps?

For a Swede it's impossible to consider crisps a food. I'm struck by how many Brits seem to dine on these oily potato flakes for their lunch. It doesn't matter what it's plated with, it will make any dish look hundred times poorer and greasier.

Other than that the Club Veggie was very fresh and tasty.

It consisted of a toasted onion bread with three layers of roasted peppers, rocket, goat's cheese and pesto mayonnaise, a colourful salad with a mustard dressing on the side and best of all; homemade coleslaw. Full of flavours and both crispy and smooth at the same time. This was my favourite part of the meal.

For various reasons I drank tap water the entire time so I haven't got much to say about the drinks.

However, my fellow celebrants were more keen on alcoholic indulgence, as well as the sweet and savoury afternoon teas. A few of them ordered the bubbly Richmond Tea (£23.95) including champagne, tea and the full selection of cakes, scones and sandwiches. These were available as a vegetarian option too.

Richmond Tea

To judge by their reactions it was a successful choice, although I didn't spot a single one finishing all of it. You can bet they asked for doggie bags though. Good value for money? Most certainly.

Richmond Tea cake selection

Richmond Tea fruit scone

I had finished my sandwich while the others were still nibbling on their finger sandwiches, so I felt like I should at least try some of the dessert. After all, it was a birthday. I ordered Chocolate Fudge Cake (£3.95), and I wasn't just surprised by the size of it. It tasted of rich dark chocolate heaven, perfectly balanced with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Fantastic! Though it was so rich I couldn't even finish half of it. Thankfully, the others came to my assistance.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Overall it was a lovely visit. The atmosphere isn't overly fancy but really relaxed. It's suitable for everyone, whether it's just the two of you, or you're going as a family or a bigger group. If you're going on a Saturday however, make sure to book in advance as the place seems to fill up quickly, and it's easy to understand why.

Vegetarian selection: 7/10
Vegetarian food: 8/10
Non-vegetarian selection: 7/10
Non-vegetarian food: 7/10
Service: 6/10
Value for money: 7/10
42/60