662541 Mon Oct 26 16:59:52 -0700 2009 7 2 Los Angeles Area 0 5133000 I'm searching for a place for a nice afternoon tea for a little birthday celebration this Saturday. I'm looking for someplace pretty comfortable w/ good service, but without the incredibly inflated price....hopefully. I've been to Jin Patisserie & it was nice, but a little sparse on the comfort for my 8-month pregnant self. I've heard good things about SLS & the Gordon Ramsay @ the London, as well as the Rose Tea Room (I think) in Pasadena. Is there any place you've been that you recommend? Mon Oct 26 16:59:52 -0700 2009 48180 sunnygordy 1 5157299 I realize that your birthday celebration has come and gone, but for future reference, I just had tea this afternoon for the first time at Gordon Ramsey at the London and I loved it. The room is just so magical and absolutely perfect for late afternoon tea - you really feel like you are sitting in the middle of a gorgeous jewel box. The large banquettes are extremely comfortable and a welcome change from most tea venues, which either seem to involve tiny tables or sitting on a sofa and leaning over a low coffee table. However, cheap it is not. We opted for the champagne tea, which is the regular tea with a glass of champagne. I believe it was $40. (And I seem to recall that without the champagne, it was $28, so the champagne must add $12). Parking is $8. Still, if you are looking for a splurge, I highly recommend it. The service was spot on and very attentive. There was a nice tea selection and they kept bringing us not only fresh pots of tea, but new tea cups. The food was excellent - tea sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, berry jam, and a lovely tray of sweets. Gordon Ramsey is definitely my new favorite afternoon tea place in Los Angeles. Thu Nov 05 00:34:56 -0800 2009 5133000 27951 omotosando 2 5159199 Omotosando -- I wonder if you and your friend were the two people who came in right before my mom and I were just about done with our afternoon tea yesterday at the London. Funny! We had the non-champagne tea, which was indeed $28 pp and the scones were definitely the best part. I had Earl Grey and my mom ordered English Breakfast, and we both loved them -- clear and flavorful. I got a refill on my teapot whereas my mom carefully sipped hers to last the hour we were there. I was surprised to find out that we could ask for more food if we wanted! One of our three cute young male servers, Ryan, said he could get us more scones since we were raving about them, that it was part of the whole deal (and not an extra cost). I had thought we were strictly limited to what was first brought to the table. Good to know for anyone going in the future. The best part was the ambiance -- the interior of the entire London hotel is just unspeakably beautiful, and the dining room where we had tea left me shaking my head in amazement. I kept saying to my mom, "This room is so pretty!" like a zombied-out kid. My mom was equally impressed (which is rare), noting how modern, bejeweled, and yet unstuffy and welcoming it was. We felt like we were in the living room of someone who's rich and has really classy taste -- so perfect for an afternoon tea setting. Also, the aforementioned charming young male waiters were all so polite without seeming uncomfortably formal, stayed out of the way yet appeared regularly enough to tend to any of our needs, and exuded this warm vibe that made you feel like you were their favorite customer or something. It was an odd feeling (b/c I never feel this way in a restaurant) and highly flattering. If I weren't unemployed I'd return without a second thought. At $28 pp it's definitely on the less-expensive end of afternoon tea in LA and what you get in the full aesthetic experience of seeing the London in the flesh is rather priceless. P.S. I don't know about you, omotosando, but our cream wasn't clotted but rather plain whipped cream. Thu Nov 05 14:45:27 -0800 2009 5157299 24428 buttermarblepopcorn 3 5160041 Buttermarblepopcorn, I think you are right that the cream was whipped and not clotted. I agree with your description of the London hotel as "just unspeakably beautiful." Going there makes me feel like I am on vacation in some unspeakably sophisticated place. Watching the sun go down through the windows in the Gordon Ramsey while sipping tea - ah, what a life! Thu Nov 05 21:25:42 -0800 2009 5159199 27951 omotosando 1 5157945 I haven't been to the Gordon Ramsay I shall have to check it out. The Montage has a lovely tea about the same price as Gordon Ramsay. Skip the Rose Tree Cottage in Pasadena it does not live up to the hype! Thu Nov 05 08:18:11 -0800 2009 5133000 292692 torchsong 2 5158251 Yes, I've also been to tea at the Montage in Beverly Hills, which I enjoyed. I give the edge to Gordon Ramsey only because I like the room better than the "living room" setting at the Montage. Pasadena is outside of my roaming territory, so I haven't tried Rose Tree Cottage. Thu Nov 05 10:00:01 -0800 2009 5157945 27951 omotosando 3 5158865 One of the things that impressed me about the Montage was that they made special sandwiches and desserts for my sister who is a Vegan. Usually dessert for a Vegan at tea is just a bowl of sliced fruit. Thu Nov 05 12:54:44 -0800 2009 5158251 292692 torchsong 4 5159235 Incidentally, when I called in my reservation for tea at the London West Hollywood, the woman asked if anyone had any food allergies or other restrictions, as well as whether this was for a special occasion. So, my great experience with the London began from the first minute I made contact! Thu Nov 05 14:56:56 -0800 2009 5158865 24428 buttermarblepopcorn