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| The Grand Café |
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It has been written that, ‘an Englishman would interrupt a war to have his afternoon tea’, and I’d have to agree. There is something so civil, genteel and traditional about this meal.
Afternoon tea should be much more than just the food itself; the ambience is equally as important. This is not a meal to be scoffed on the hoof, more a ritual to take time over. The Grand Café encourages you to do just that.
One thing they have got absolutely spot-on is the ‘feel’ of the place. The actual building and décor is reminiscent of the 1930’s, with Italian overtones. You can choose to relax in wicker chairs or adopt a more Victorian pose on one of the wooden-backed chairs. And an absence of hustle and bustle encourages you to take time to sit and reflect. The Slow Movement would definitely agree with the sentiments here.
The day we treated ourselves was a rather typical, British autumnal afternoon, wet and miserable. It may be cliché to say, but the warm welcome we received by each of the staff on arrival more than lifted our damp spirits. The service is as attentive as it needs to be and you’re not hurried in any way which allows one to feel free to stay a while.
We opted for High Tea, although we have to confess, without the champagne. Lovely though it sounded, we still had a lot to achieve that day and a clear head was needed. A pot of tea made with tea leaves (thank goodness, a tea bag would have only served to immediately dispel the illusion) arrived minutes after we ordered. We had time to savour our tea before the highlight of our visit arrived.
Served on a small cake stand, exactly as it should be, were salmon and cream cheese on rye bread and egg mayonnaise sandwiches, two scones each (slightly larger than one would normally expect for afternoon tea, something which I’m sure ever-hungry Oxford students don’t complain about) with clotted cream (full marks for this, we were recently served cream from a canister with afternoon tea at another establishment!!) and jam. Rather than small cakes, the Grand Café has opted to further indulge you with chocolates to round off this mini feast.
The Grand Café is also open in the evenings and we’re very tempted to return to enjoy a cocktail, just need to work off the calories from the sumptuous afternoon feast first!
Reviewed by Tracy Jeffries. |
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