Carly, from the MKFM team, was invited to sample Afternoon Tea in the sky at Hotel La Tour, available every Saturday 12-3:30pm and here is her full review…
We arrived at Hotel La Tour and parked with ease outside, the Hotel looked resplendent in the August sunshine. We took the lift to the fourteenth floor and were welcomed by Jelani Agu-Lionel, General Manager, who showed us to our table. We had an early booking so the restaurant was quiet and Jelani encouraged us to have a look around, enjoy the balconies and take in the views of Milton Keynes.
The Restaurant and Sky Bar have a very exclusive feel, like we'd just stepped into a fancy London establishment, but with all of the familiar views and landmarks that let you know that you are still at home in MK. From memory where the Hotel stands used to be a coach park, please let me know if I'm wrong, it really feels like the hotel was always meant to be there perfectly positioned over Campbell Park. It was the perfect position to watch people enjoying the Park on a beautiful Summers day, Keith Emmett's Fair was in town, further afield you could pick out The Parks Trust and Aqua Parcs at Willen Lake.
Back at our table we were presented with a beautiful box full of jars of selected teas that we were encouraged to have a sniff of and choose which we would like to try. This was a bit awkward as avid coffee drinkers but we made our choices I went for the Dream Catcher, Rooibos from South Africa infused with whole vanilla pods and blended with Sri Lankan cinnamon, whilst my partner opted for Cloud 9, Croatian chamomile flowers high in essential oils with calming and relaxing properties. We were encouraged to try as many different teas as we liked as they are bottomless we were also reassured that we could order coffee if it wasn't to our liking. We were both pleasantly surprised with our choices, massively helped by the staff who had recently had training in their tea selection and their recommendations were perfect!
When the Afternoon Tea stand arrived at the table we were blown away with how beautiful the cakes were, real works of art. However you have to start with the sandwiches first so we dutifully tucked in. These weren't just the finger sandwiches that have become a staple of a British Afternoon Tea we had Brioche rolls, Pinwheel wraps and the piece de resistance was a pot of Welsh Rarebit with Brioche Croutes to dip. This was definitely my favourite and something that I had never seen included on an Afternoon Tea menu before, what a treat!
Next we had the scones which were so deep and didn't fall apart when you cut into them, I hate it when that happens! Having Cornish roots obviously I did it the right way and had my jam then cream on top, the jam was something else strawberry flavour but with rosewater, a match made in Heaven! By this point we were both very full and wondering how we were going to squeeze in the whole tray of cakes in front of us but you will be pleased to know we did it!
The Peach & Lemon Verbena Tart was a hit with lots of "Yums" and "Wows" coming from my partner whilst he enjoyed it. The Raspberry Cheesecake we both sat silently throughout secretly wishing the portion was larger! The Mixed Berry Pavlova was so chewy which we loved, the mix of blackberries, strawberries and raspberries felt like a real summertime treat not to mention how exquisitely beautiful the colour and presentation of this dessert was. The Gateau Opera was one step too far for us, rookie error leaving the heavy chocolate cake until last, with us both only enjoying a couple of mouthfuls please learn from our mistake and enjoy your desserts in a better order!
As the restaurant got busier it was wonderful to hear the clinking of glasses as Congratulations and Happy Birthdays were passed across the tables, Facetimes with absent friends were happening and as we took our Prosecco outside to enjoy in the sun there were friends meeting for cocktails on the balcony. This was a very special way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday and the smiles on the faces of all of the guests said it all.
