Afternoon tea | BRGR.CO

When researching how to spend a day in London, I came across a Time Out article which consisted of 101 things you must do – one of them was to have afternoon tea at BRGR.CO. Now I think everyone knows about my love for afternoon tea and Jake, well he loves burgers (typical man!), so this was just a match made in heaven. We booked a table for 3pm and took the tube to Oxford Circus, before walking to BRGR.CO in Soho.

The restaurant is small, but at 3pm was far from busy – I’d recommend booking though, to be on the safe side, especially if you’re going for the afternoon tea. The decor is really minimalist and there’s a really casual feel, so I quickly felt at ease. There wasn’t much space between tables which is the thing that always gets me, but luckily there weren’t people sitting either side of us for long.

A man (who I can only assume was in a managerial or supervisory position) came over ready to talk us through the menu, which was actually displayed on a blackboard in front of me. As I explained we had done our research prior to arriving he didn’t talk us through the experience. I’d have liked the surprise anyway. We had the festive afternoon tea, which varied slightly from the standard – both are priced at £17 per person.

We were supposed to begin with some mulled wine on arrival, but apparently the “wine hadn’t mulled enough” and instead, had a flute of strawberry bellini – even better! Soon after, we had a glass of cranberry iced tea, which was so refreshing.

We didn’t have to wait long before the food arrived – all presented on a silver tray, a mix of sweet and savoury. We were also given our own individual tray which meant none of that reaching over and knocking things over, as is normally the way when sharing a cake stand.

For the savoury element, we had three mini sliders and mini portion of salted fries. Each slider was different with shrimp and lobster (with fresh coriander), turkey (topped with crispy bacon) and the standard beef burger (with cheese). Each was served in a mini brioche bun which was so light and soft. The shrimp and lobster patty was really interesting, but my favourite had to be the turkey; it was just so lean and crispy bacon was perfect. I was slightly underwhelmed by the beef slider – it was basically steak tartare, which is weird ’cos I love my steak blue!

For the sweet treats, we had a mini vanilla milkshake (which I dunked my fries in – don’t judge), a mini chocolate brownie, a mini mince pie and a mini chestnut cheesecake. I loved the cheesecake which consisted of layers of biscuit and chestnut puree – not a traditional cheesecake but so nice and incredibly moreish. You can’t really go wrong with chocolate brownie and the mince pie was the festive touch. I only wish the milkshake was larger; one slurp and it was gone.

At £17pp, the price was reasonable, especially when you consider the cost of traditional afternoon tea, particularly in London. The staff were excellent and everyone else dining looked to have a good time – including another couple who sampled the afternoon tea and took proper photos! I’d love to go back to sample one of the burgers and the fries toppings sound unreal! Even though it’s casual, it’s upmarket too – so you get the best of both worlds. For afternoon tea with a twist, this was lovely and I’d love to go back to try it again, when it’s not the festive season.