The Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge is one of the best examples of the brave new world of ultra-luxe travel in London. Situated next to the infamous One Hyde Park development on the Knightsbridge side, it commands a location of unmatched prestige. Yet, it is interestingly discreet from the outside with only the name inscribed in the canopy giving its identity away. And it only has 86 rooms, albeit at prices starting from £1,500 a night and moving swiftly upwards. Perhaps this is a new form of ultra-boutique hotels. Which puts it in an almost unique category. On price, it surpasses the other, more well-known top-end hotels, from Claridges to the Savoy to its near neighbour, the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. But whereas they are very clearly temples to opulence, the Bulgari seems the opposite, exuding a calm, quiet confidence unexpected in a newcomer. That it is invariably fully booked shows that confidence to be well founded.
This confidence can now be experienced first-hand by booking afternoon tea at The Bulgari Hotel. Confidence is certainly needed here, as afternoon tea is perhaps the most quintessentially English service which cannot be found in hotels elsewhere. In all of the traditional five-star hotels it is a performance which has been refined to an art and is, let’s be clear, justifiably one of the great London experiences enjoyed by tourists and locals alike. To spend an afternoon eating elegant sandwiches and pastries, drinking tea (or champagne) and chatting with friends is, simply, rather wonderful. But that’s the thing: the existing hotels have got this one nailed, so what is the point of the Bulgari getting involved?
The answer is rather wonderful. Instead of trying to out-cucumber sandwich the places which are already very good at cucumber sandwiches, they have reimagined what an afternoon tea would be like if it was an Italian institution rather than British. And the result is playful, beautiful and rather delicious. It also takes place in the lounge just to the right of the entrance and feels part of the hotel rather than a theatrical add-on. This makes it a more intimate experience – there are few tables available -and one that allows you to experience more closely how a hotel at this level operates.
They have stuck with the fundamental structure of afternoon tea, and so kick off with savoury sandwiches: Scottish salmon green olive pesto and cream cheese “Millefoglie” served on rye, spinach, and tomato bread; Hummus, marinated sweet greens and ”Pecorino Romano” in bottoncino buns (which look somewhat like vegan sliders); “Parmigiano Reggiano’’ crackers with Burrata, sunblushed Datterino tomatoes and English asparagus; Organic egg, Umbrian truffle and chives served on spinach bread; and curry spicy chicken mayo served on tomato and spring onion bread.
Each of these (except maybe the Hummus) has an instantly recognisable British counterpart, such as smoked salmon and cream cheese or coronation chicken sandwiches, but each is also clearly Italian in look, feel and taste. And they do look spectacular, with the Salmon rye sandwiches served as layered dark triangles with the salmon a translucent layer between the dark bread. Most delicious however were the crackers with rich creamy burrata offset by tart tomatoes and asparagus, and the texture of the whole sharpened by the brittle crackers.
When it came to the pastries it would take a very Brexity disposition not to afford Italy the respect due to its native patisserie. As such it came as little surprise how delicious these offerings were: Baba Rosa cocoa biscuit, strawberry and rose confit, coconut ganache, coconut chips; Fior Di basilico lemon shortbread, basil ganache, raspberry and tomato compote; Sambuco pistachio financier, elderflower and raspberry syrup with mascarpone elderflower ganache, vanilla, apricot and Serenità lemon ovis mollis, velvety pea cream and vanilla mousse and white almond cream. My two guests and I were just about evenly split on which was the best, but I am going to claim writers veto and state it was the Serenita – very unusual and I loved the flavour of peas here.
For the final part of the food, the Bulgari offered a clever hedging of bets: a choice of Italian ice cream or quite traditional plain and sultana scones. But with the latter accompanied by a raspberry syrup which was utterly exquisite and, one has to confess, much, much more interesting and intense than jam. By the way, the answer as to whether to choose scones or ice cream is self-evidently both.
For once, the choice of teas was usual and excellent. We chose two specialities of the hotel: “Nine Ladies Dancing” and “Frisky Rascal”. I cannot tell you how subtle and delicious they were, and also cannot tell you where on earth the names come from. We also tried some drinks from the hotel’s Limonata summer drinks menu, which includes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks – I particularly liked the Bergamot scented tribute to Calabria.
Finally, mention must be made of Anthony, our waiter, who was referred to by one who knows as the secret weapon of The Bulgari. Charming and genuinely informative, he is a world away from the sometimes harassed waiter in larger establishments.
Overall it was a wonderful experience, and while it is undoubtedly expensive (£30 per head more than the Savoy), when else and how else are you going to experience this hotel, and who else has taken the time and made the effort to work out what an Italian afternoon tea would be like?
