Cream Tea Chronicles: National Portrait Gallery

January 10, 2010 | Map

Twice makes a tradition. And so we held our traditional New Year’s Cream Tea as usual last year in the Portrait Restaurant at the top of the National Portrait Gallery. A special place, this Portrait Restaurant, especially for its fine view of Trafalgar Square, including the back of Nelson, Whitehall, and the Palace of Westminster.

To safeguard some window seats, I booked in advance, and the folks from the Portrait Restaurant were very kind to us: we definitely had prime seats to enjoy the lovely view. I admit, parts of the National Gallery‘s roof does get in the way, but as London does not offer too many rooftop views, especially not in the middle of the main tourist hub, any semi-aerial view that includes a handful of world-class attractions is fantastic by default.

Speaking of tourists: I must say that I am impressed by the National Portrait Gallery’s signage. It guides tourists in search for refreshments directly to the downstairs café, so that the much better restaurant is left for those in the know. Almost nothing in the entrance area hints at the rooftop restaurant, just a small sign on level three points towards an unassuming staircase. Great.

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But how was the cream tea? Well, we did not order any of the set teas on offer, but opted for self-assembly instead: scones plus tea. The waiter’s question “which scone?” raised suspicion, and indeed, contrary to last year, we were served only one single scone each! However, it was a biggie: palm-sized and easily matching at least two smaller scones. Even though I am not particularly fond of sultanas, I was glad I decided for the sultana-apple version instead of being a purist. Taste-wise, the scone was not too crumbly, thus easy to handle, and the light bitterness of wholemeal showed through. Quite a trendy scone, this.

The clotted cream could not be faulted. It was of the white-ish variant, had a smooth but plenteous texture and was neither too sweet nor too tasteless, in other words: just right. And plenty for one scone, bringing back memories of last year, when the same amount had to suffice for two. Which it didn’t.

The Portrait Restaurant serves Wiltshire Tea. When one of our party ordered the lighter Blue Lady version of an Earl Grey, our waiter was quite appreciative, as if he classified a standard Earl Grey as an equivalent to builder’s tea. Anyways, my Pai Mu Tan White Tea had a fantastic smokey aroma, despite a light and gentle body, matching the wholemeal scone quite well.

The overall bill came to about £7.50 per person, mildly above my affordability limit criterion. Great, my first C.C.TeaC. report and I am already violating my self-imposed criteria. Which is absolutely justified in this case, because this is a formidable place to be and the quality of all components is simply an outright pleasure. And I think I would conclude the same even if I wasn’t in such delightful company.

Note to self: Let the tradition live on.