ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London

I love chocolate. Actually, I adore it about as much as I love tea. So when I heard that the Hyatt Regency London was introducing a brand new Chocolate themed afternoon tea (called the “ChocolaTEA”), I just couldn’t resist reviewing it:

The ChocolaTEA’s Cakes & Sweets paired with the Maya Gold Cocoa Nib Tea

Montagu restaurant at Hyatt Regency London The Churchil

The ChocolaTEA Savouries – Afternoon Tea at the Hyatt Regency London

ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea
The Hyatt Regency London The Churchill (map)

Overall Mark: ★★★★☆

ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea price: £38/person
£47 with a glass of Champagne or the Sir Winston’s Martini cocktail

Tea Refills: Yes; Food refills: No

Service: Monday to Friday: 1:00 to 5:30 pm; Weekend: 3:30 – 5:30 pm
in The Montagu Restaurant

The Hyatt Regency London The Churchill Hotel Setting ★★★★☆

The Hyatt Regency London The Churchill is located in the West End, just a minute away from Marble Arch and Hyde Park. This five-star hotel is designed to honour Winston Churchill and features many nods to his life such as the eponymous Churchill Cigar Bar.

The afternoon tea is served in The Montagu restaurant or in the Lobby. The Montagu is a very pleasant venue with plenty of natural light and several chandeliers while the adjacent lobby features a proper fireplace. There is an open kitchen in the Montagu so guests who are sensitive to smell (e.g. Steak or Chips) will probably favour the lobby.

The Montagu restaurant – Hyatt Regency The Churchill London

The Lobby – Hyatt Regency The Churchill London

The Tea & Beverage Selection ★★★★☆

There are many classic teas to choose from, such as good old Earl Grey or white Pai Mu Tan tea.

The star of the show is the ChocolaTEA special blend: the “Maya Gold Cocoa Nib Tea”, infused with orange, cinnamon and nutmeg. I’m normally not keen on cinnamon based drinks but this one gets my vote. Its fruity and refreshing flavour pairs well with the sweets.

For an extra £9, guests will be served a glass of Champagne or the “Sir Winston Martini” cocktail, a classic Martinez garnished with Green & Black’s rich 85% dark chocolate. I recommend drinking the Martini first as the herbal flavour and the chocolate induced bitterness will complement the savouries really well!

Maya Gold Cocoa Nib Tea infused with orange, cinnamon & nutmeg, inspired by the Maya Gold bar and the Mayan ‘kukuh’ drink, one of the earliest known uses of cocoa as an ingredient – ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Special Tea – Hyatt Regency London The Churchill

Sir Winston’s Martini the award-winning Churchill Bar & Terrace’s latest creation. A twist on the classic Martinez garnished with Green & Black’s Rich 85% Dark Chocolate ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Special Cocktail – Hyatt Regency London The Churchill

ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea - Montagu Restaurant

ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea – Hyatt Regency London The Churchill

The Savouries ★★★★★

I was very happy to see that the Montagu’s kitchen team took risks and decided to incorporate chocolate with the savouries. The Hyatt Regency London afternoon tea is unique in that aspect, as other chocolate-themed afternoon teas will only use chocolate with the sweets.

The ChocolaTEA afternoon tea features five savoury bites. My two favourites are marked with a heart (♥):

Smoking Salmon Sushi Sandwich, Cucumber and Dill Cream Cheese Garnished with Green & Black’s White Chocolate Flakes
Churchill Mini Burger with Chocolate-infused BBQ Sauce (infused with Green & Black’s Dark 70% Chocolate) ♥
Venison and Milk Chocolate Pâté with Fresh Cherries, Braised with Green & Black’s Milk Chocolate
Aubergine Mousse Éclair, Dusted with Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Powder
Coronation Chicken Sandwich in Homemade Green & Black’s Chocolate Bread ♥

The chef has cleverly used chocolate to add a touch of originality to each savoury. The burger is the tastiest of the lot: it’s so good that you’ll regret the absence of food refills! The coronation chicken sandwich is the second best: I found the chocolate black bread heavenly.

The venison pâté was delicious too but it would have been perfect with a piece of bread or a toast. The Frenchman in me struggles to eat pâté on its own and I don’t think the pâté would be a proper match with the scones either!

The Savouries – ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London The Churchill’s Montagu restaurant

The Scones ★★☆☆☆

The plain and chocolate scones are quite decent but a bit dry, and the choice of toppings (clotted cream and chocolate spread but no jam) is rather odd. After all, what’s the point of serving clotted cream without any jam?!

I hope the Montagu will rectify that soon enough but as such, the scones are the most disappointing aspect of this chocolate afternoon tea.

The Plain & Chocolate Scones – ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London The Churchill Montagu restaurant

The Toppings: Chocolate spread and Clotted cream – ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London The Churchill’s Montagu restaurant

The Chocolate Scone topped with Chocolate spread and Clotted cream – ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London The Churchill Montagu restaurant

The Cakes & Sweets ★★★★☆

Instead of an amuse bouche, the ChocolaTEA is served with Lime Sorbet. This sweet is actually a palate cleanser and is meant to facilitate the transition from the savouries to the sweets:

Refreshing Lime Sorbet in Ginger Chocolate Dipped Cone (palate cleanser)

It certainly does that really well, on top of being very tasty and refreshing. You may eat it straight after the savouries but I believe it’s best to wait for a bit, after finishing the scones for example.

ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London The Churchill Montagu restaurant

Refreshing Lime Sorbet in Ginger Chocolate Dipped Cone (palate cleanser) – ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London The Churchill

The Cakes & Sweets – ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London The Churchill

Aside from the sorbet, there are four cakes and sweets (reminder: I recommend ordering the “Maya Gold Cocoa Nib Tea” with these as it’s a great pairing):

Passion Fruit & White Chocolate Macaroon Stack
Dark Chocolate Cupcake with Buttercream & Salted Chocolate DIY Garnish ♥
Butterscotch Tea Cake with Gold Leaf Garnish
Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Layered Mousse with Fresh Raspberries

I especially liked the Chocolate cupcake with the DIY garnish. The sweet bitterness of the dark chocolate combines perfectly with the salted buttercream garnish. On the other hand, I found the Butterscotch tea cake tasted a bit odd though it is hard for me to define why this was so.

ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London The Churchill

Passion Fruit & White Chocolate Macaroon Stack – ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London The Churchill Montagu restaurant

Dark Chocolate Cupcake with Buttercream & Salted Chocolate DIY Garnish (in the plastic pipette); Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Layered Mousse with Fresh Raspberries – ChocolaTEA Afternoon Tea Hyatt Regency London The Churchill Montagu restaurant

The Service ★★★★☆

The staff is polite, efficient and accessible. The waiters were perfect and always made sure I had enough tea.

Do note that the afternoon tea is served on a rather short span on weekends (from 3:30 to 5:30 pm) which is slightly annoying.

Below is a video detailing the full contents of the ChocolaTEA afternoon tea:

Conclusion & Overall Mark ★★★★☆

The Hyatt Regency London ChocolaTEA is the only “true chocolate afternoon tea” I have ever reviewed in the city, as chocolate is used with the savouries, scones and sweets.

It’s a great alternative for chocoholics who wish to try something different from the excellent, but extremely sweet-tooth oriented “Charlie & The Chocolate Factory” afternoon tea.