Straits Kitchen festive afternoon tea review at Pan Pacific London

Straits Kitchen is the luxurious contemporary restaurant in the five-star Pan Pacific London. Situated just a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street station, the hotel offers panoramic views of the city and a front-row seat to the glittering decorations of Houndsditch. We were invited along to sample their Festive Afternoon Tea which runs until 5th January 2025.

The hotel is cool and chic; the staff are on the ball, attentive and friendly without being obsequious. From arrival, you have that sense of serenity which comes with high-end hospitality. The interior is currently gilded with lavish décor for the holiday season, on the way to our table, we drifted past festoons of glittering foliage and bannisters adorned with iridescent baubles.

Once comfortably settled at our table, a crisp glass of pink Tattinger champagne in hand, we sat back to take in the impressive sky-high Christmas tree just outside the window whilst our waiter guided us through their incredible list of teas, aided by a beautiful sample box of infusions. I opted for a green jasmine blend and my friend choose the rooibos orange. Tea arrived in traditional bone china pots with silver strainers.

During our experience, we were entertained with a conveyor belt of inventive seasonal confections, finger sandwiches, and some unusual ‘amuse bouche’. A full afternoon tea can become overly sugary, but Straits Kitchen offers the right balance.

The savoury ceremony commenced with a delightful tiny beetroot tart with goat’s cheese and a savoury filled brioche, alongside this were finely cut finger sandwiches with classic fillings - smoked salmon with dill and crème fresh, wafter thin roast beef with horseradish and zesty coronation chicken, a sublime mix of curried mayonnaise and raisins, the bread soft and bouncy fresh. For those who prefer not to eat meat, they have an inventive vegetarian option.

The scones were my stand-out of the afternoon, the plain is feather light and fluffy, but the orange and cranberry are particularly memorable, served with thick luxurious cream and marmalade as well as traditional, homemade jam – delicious.

Get your camera ready for the patisseries to follow; the Rudolph chocolate mousse looks up at you with tiny white chocolate button eyes; a centre of orange and tart cocoa, next to him on the plate a sticky toffee cracker, a crunchy golden confection with a soft velvety praline-style centre. The delightfully festive mint wreath macaron is silky smooth, the shiny chocolate bauble is a glossy, sweet affair with a chestnut and cinnamon core, all very photogenic.

We left more than satisfied and very full of tea, having taken advantage of the refills throughout the afternoon.

Aside from this traditional tea ceremony, Straits Kitchen also offers an immersive Children’s Afternoon Tea, perfect for the little ones who love getting hands-on with food, complete with fun interactive activities like biscuit decorating and cupcake crafting, it’s a great afternoon out for all the family.

From £68 per person, Children’s Afternoon Tea from £29 per person  

Available from 13th November to 5th January – Thursday to Monday between 1pm and 4pm 

To book visit https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pp-london/dining/straits-kitchen/afternoon-tea-at-pan-pacific-london.html

Written by Claire Bloom

Photography courtesy of Straits Kitchen