Glam Rock Afternoon Tea at K West Hotel & Spa

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London is renowned for its music legacy of rock, punk and now grime, so it's no surprise that Britain's famous traditional afternoon tea has also been given the rock'n'roll treatment.



The Glam Rock Afternoon Tea in the Studio Kitchen of K West Hotel & Spa is a scrumptious alternative to the iconic three-tiered fare of food.

Old and new anthems play over the speakers to get you in the mood and instead of placemats, diners have delightful old LP covers as the table settings. I was greeted by a young, boisterous Rod Stewart starring back at me.

K West Hotel & Spa is only a few streets away from renowned music venue Shepherd's Bush Empire, which ties in well with the rock-themed tea. It's also just a few minutes walk from Westfield London Shopping Centre and Shepherd's Bush tube station.

The hotel is a stylish building that has the café on a mezzanine level above reception and the bar. Light floods in through huge windows to give a fresh, airy feel to the surroundings. It feels modern but luxurious and there's some comfy corner sofa seating to shimmy into if you reserve a table early enough.

Music continues through into the cocktails, which have song title themes. There are concoctions like Cherry Baby with cherry liquor, goji, cherry blossom tea, blackberries and cherry bitters or Wig-Wam Bam that is a mix of green mint tea with raspberry vodka, mint liquor, limoncello and green lady sparkling tea.

If you just can't decide, there is also a selection of six mini cocktails for an extra £20 but don't expect to do much for the rest of the afternoon as they are pretty potent.



There's plenty of loose leaf teas and herbal infusions too, ranging from classics like Afternoon Tea blend and Peppermint to Cherry Blossom, the Bobby Marley Blend or Rooibos Orange and Cactus Fig, to name a few.

But the headline act is the food. Sidling up to the table, the waitress presents a pyramid of delights in a flourish. It's a showstopper presentation-wise with immaculately placed morsels on each tier.



The opening act is a selection of artistically cut circular pinwheel sandwiches shaped like slices of Swiss roll and filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese, mozzarella and pesto or ham and mustard mayonnaise. It's not the shape, it's the vibrant colours, too, as the bread is slightly flavoured and comes in green, orange and yellow for a memorable starter to the meal.

Accompanying these savouries are small pastry cups overflowing with creamy concoctions ranging from chicken mayonnaise to beef and mustard, shrimp and sweet chilli, and Bocconcini and pesto.

On to the main performance of the middle tier where you will find warmed soft fruit scones alongside clotted cream and home-made jams.

There's also a big chunk of strawberry cream and sponge cake that can easily be shared and continental biscotti type treats. At this point, you start to feel a bit full but sip back some tea and cocktail and save room for the finale as the best is yet to come.

One of the benefits of this afternoon tea is that the friendly staff never make you feel rushed and encourage a leisurely atmosphere where pots of tea are regularly topped up for free.



For an encore, the top tier of the stand is awash with chocolate. There are delicate, crumbling macarons in a variety of flavours (including chocolate) that are settled neatly beside lollipop cakes and cakes. There's even a mouth-watering chocolate version of a Victoria Sandwich, which is a creamy vision for chocolate lovers.

It's a glamorous affair that stands out for its fun, quirky alternative rock theme amid a sea of classic afternoon teas across London. It's music to the ears of those who want something unique.


Richmond Way
Shepherd's Bush
London
W14 OAX

Glam Rock Afternoon Tea costs £24.50 or £31,50 for a tea including Prosecco. The Rock 'n' Cocktails Tea including one cocktail costs £36.50.

The Rock 'n' Cocktails Midnight Tea is available between 10pm and midnight in the Studio Bar from Sundays to Thursdays.

Visit the K West website or call 0208 008 6600 for reservations.

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