Sex and the City Afternoon Tea

To coincide with the release of Sex and the City 2, Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill has created the ultimate afternoon tea for all SATC fans. I've tried it and thought it was a lot of fun.

This tea deserves all the hype as it is fantastic. A wonderful venue, excellent staff, and an unusual introduction to the pleasures of afternoon tea for many. Maybe you will persuade the man in your life to take you as there are burgers involved, or maybe we should keep this treat for the girls.

For more afternoon tea reviews see:
Best Afternoon Tea in London.

Venue:
The Montagu, Hyatt Regency London The Churchill, 30 Portman Square, London W1H 7BH

Days and Times:
3-6pm daily (timing can be earlier or later to match with local cinema schedule)

Cost: From £39 per person.

Dress Code: Smart casual.

Reservations: 020 7299 2037.

Music: No music.

Sex and the City Afternoon Tea Review

Hyatt Regency London The Churchill is close to Selfridges and Oxford Street so is a great location for those who like to shop. It is a 5 star luxury London hotel and entering the hotel feels special as the friendly uniformed staff greet you.

The Montagu
This is a lovely, light, white room with modern, feature chandeliers. There are windows looking out onto Portman Square on one side but tables are not placed in the windows so you are not watched by passers-by.

I was seated next to a floor to ceiling mirror and where at other venues mirrors directly opposite me have been distracting, having the mirror at the side was not. I was also near the open kitchen which initially I thought I could smell but I was soon unaware of it. My companion enjoyed watching the buzz of the kitchen as they prepared the dishes so quickly and efficiently.

All seating is at proper dining tables and dining chairs with arms. This seems right for the venue and was certainly appreciated by the ladies who were in for the first weekend of this special afternoon tea as many were wearing short cocktail dresses and could not have sat on sofas with modesty in tact.

All tables have crisp, white linen and fresh pink roses, and the crockery has a feminine floral design. Tables are large enough to easily accommodate the beautiful cake stand, teapots, tea cups, etc without obscuring your dining companion.

These thoughtful touches are not instantly noticeable but make a huge difference to your overall experience.

Staff
All staff are uniformed and all who we spoke to were charming and courteous. I saw them offering to take photos for guests and making ladies laugh while describing the cake stand. I was pleased they also know about tea and were able to advise on brewing time and when to pour.

Tea Selection
For this special afternoon tea, the tea selection is limited to four options each evoking the characteristics of the Sex and the City girls. I enjoyed my favorite Organic Silver Needle white tea (the Carrie choice) and I later tried the Flower Osmanthus (the Samantha option) which is a green tea that unfolds to reveal the flame-colored petals of the osmanthus. Tea is served in teapots - a glass teapot for the flowering tea - and it's loose tea so a silver tea strainer is provided. Staff will happily pour tea for you if preferred.

Cocktails
The Sex and the City girls are well-known for their love of cocktails so you'll be pleased to know there are a choice of four to choose from: a Cosmopolitan, a Manhattan, a Flirtini (Champagne, vodka and pineapple juice) or a classic Martini with an olive.

I've Never Seen a Cake Stand Like That!
At first glance you see a stunning silver three-tiered cake stand but then notice this is not the usual sandwiches, scones and cakes. Every item on there has a connection to Sex and the City and has been designed by an in-house team of SATC fans.

On the lowest level you'll find pastrami on rye, and lox and bagel (cream cheese and smoked salmon), and the middle layer is a mini hot dog and burger (yes, because of 'Jack Burger') served warm so start with this layer. I was impressed by the perfect circle of lettuce with the burger and the mustard added to the hot dog like decorative icing. Instead of clotted cream and jam, which normally accompanies scones, you are provided with mustard and ketchup which made me laugh out loud.

The top layer is the stunning fancies of mini strawberry cupcake - which Charlotte is seen making in the SATC2, a glazed doughnut - Miranda's favorite diet food, an appletini jelly in a mini martini glass which was a soft jelly and very sweet, plus strawberry-flavored white chocolate stilettos which look and taste divine.

The vegetarian options look very similar, and are served on the same cake stand as your companion, but it's a veggie hot dog, veggie burger, etc. It all looks stunning, it tastes great and there's a real sense of fun in the room.

Dress Up Ladies!
I was impressed at the beautifully-dressed guests in one-off cocktail dresses and incredible heels. Everyone made an effort to make their time here even more enjoyable.

Extra Options
The Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill is offering a package of the Sex and the City afternoon tea with cinema tickets and a chauffeur to take you to the cinema.

The hotel also cleverly bought in some of the limited edition Christian Louboutin glass high-heel shoe Champagne glasses from which you can drink Piper Heidsieck Champagne (purchased by the bottle). The shoe glass can even be bought to take home in a gift box with a bottle of Champagne but as the hotel were selling these at the same price they bought them in for, i.e. no mark up, at £120 I expect they will be sold out in the first few days.

You can also purchase a SATC book, also on sale at the standard retail price, i.e. no hotel mark up, as they simply wanted to enhance your visit by offering these extras.

The Sex and the City afternoon tea is on till the end of August 2010 and bookings were in for August before this had even started. Book well in advance and have a fun afternoon with the girls. Totally recommended.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.