Ok – full disclosure, we’re not the biggest fans of afternoon tea. We don’t really have a sweet tooth (unless it’s wine, in which case, fill me up) so afternoon tea tends to leave us craving something salty. However, we’ve got to say that the super cute Butterscotch Tea Room from Bea Vo totally won us over.
The new location, tucked just off St Christopher’s Place, near Oxford Street is split over two floors. As is de rigueur of new London restaurant openings in Spring, Butterscotch has been adorned with hundreds of paper flowers for maximum Instagram appeal. Upstairs has a more relaxed vibe where you could grab a quick cake to go or sit outside and soak up the sun, whereas downstairs opens up to marble tables with splashes of copper and rose gold. It’s a stone’s throw from Selfridges, so the ideal place to drop after you’ve shopped.
We shared the classic ‘Camellia’ Tea which is their entry price point option (you can choose to add prosecco or champagne if you wish!)
First to grace our table was the white and gold elephant shaped pots of tea (try the vanilla black if you’re after something deliciously sweet to go with the cake-fest). And then came our mountain of treats. The first tier is home to mini baguettes stuffed with the likes of roasted cherry tomato, mozzarella with basil infused olive oil and hummus with roasted red pepper and rocket – our favourite was the ultra decadent goats cheese with butternut squash.
Next up comes the obligatory scones which are freshly baked, light as air and served with generous portions of Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam – we’ll leave you to decide which goes first (cream, then jam!!) They shared a tier with the dreamiest red velvet cupcakes (our favourite component of the whole tea – cream cheese frosting for lyfe) and squidgy madeleines.
The third tier offered a mix of blondies and peanut butter brownies, topped with meringues. And just when you don’t think you can muster another bite, along comes the adorable waiter to hang chocolate mousse from the ceiling. We’re not even kidding. Fear not, they are happy as pie to package up your leftovers so you can take them home with you – so no need to feel guilty if you can’t manage it all in one sitting. At just £22.50 it was incredibly good value.
“I’m so excited to unveil a whole new space for afternoon tea in town, it’s my absolute favourite British tradition, and our take will put a modern spin on it, from the recipes the aesthetic – it’s going to be anything but quintessential,” said Bea Vo. I want people to feel like they can come to Butterscotch for a good time, whether it’s a cocktail and a slice of cake or a full blown affair with all the trimmings.”
It’s an ultra girly space and we think it will be a big hit with mums & daughters, well-behaved hens & any other girly occasion you can think off.
