As the name
suggests, the restaurant specialises in French cuisine, and you can expect to
find croques, crepes and baguettes on the daytime menu. While the restaurant is
quite small, the décor is stunning – with its glass-front, plush velvet
banquettes and lush greenery throughout (as seen above).
One thing I will
say before I get onto the food is that when we arrived, the table was still
occupied, which meant setting up – and even sitting down – was delayed. I would
have thought for a large and special booking, this would have been mitigated.
Luckily, we were all sitting down before the surprised second-time mum arrived.
Afternoon tea
at French Affaire is priced at £30pp, although you can upgrade to a prosecco afternoon tea for £38. This includes a selection of savouries (not just
sandwiches!), scones and sweet treats, as well as two cups of tea or coffee per
person. We ordered a bottle of fizz to celebrate… and I ended up having two
lattes with the tea.
The savoury
selection was so much better than your traditional finger sandwiches and made a
nice change. We ate:
- Turkey, pesto and red pepper sandwich
- Mackerel pate and picked radish brioche
- Prosciutto, cranberry jam and brie croissant
- Quiche with cheese and champignons
- Goats cheese mousse, fig, honey and pecan crostini
Everything was
so dainty and delicious – and I don’t think I could pinpoint a favourite. I loved
the different textures and flavours of the sandwich; the mackerel pate was
super smooth and more like a mousse; the mini croissant was cute and delicious;
and I adore fresh figs so the crostini was always going to be a winner – especially
with the combination of cheese, nuts and honey.
While a vegetarian
option could be given, the restaurant doesn’t cater to any other dietary
requirements with the afternoon tea yet. Our group were well looked after though,
as those that don’t like afternoon tea were able to choose a savoury and sweet
dish from the daytime menu instead! I’ll definitely be back to try one of the
sweet crepes.
The sweets were
brought out afterwards, in super cute birdcage-style cake stands. Alongside two
scones per person, we also tucked into:
- Salted caramel and gingerbread cheesecake
- Apple crumble macaron
- Ferrero Roche delice
- Black forest cherry and chocolate mousse
I usually prefer
the sweets to savouries, but on this occasion, I didn’t – and I definitely had
a favourite. The apple crumble macaron tasted as good as it looked, it was
utterly divine, and I would have bought (and eaten!) a whole box of them! The
textures and flavours were just spot-on. Everything else I could take and
leave. The flavour of the black forest was far too subtle, and I wasn’t getting
any cherry at all… in fact, I thought it was just a chocolate ganache. The chocolate
delice was rich and so chocolatey – but, in my opinion, there was just too much
chocolate. That coupled with the scones, meant I couldn’t eat it all, and ended
up feeling very full.
The scones were
gorgeous, however – still warm and super crumbly. We had to ask for more jam
and cream as the portions to share were quite small – especially for those that
like to pile it on. I wish I could have managed them both. Anything that wasn’t
eaten could be boxed up to take home, and the waitress even potted up more cream
and jam for the leftover scones.
We also played
a few games, including baby bingo – which I won (one of the rounds anyway). And
it was so nice to be able to get together and celebrate, before Christmas and
baby’s arrival. We ended with the presents before it was time to leave – and we
were the last ones in the restaurant.
Judging by the
design on the menu, I think we had the festive afternoon tea – although the
menu online is still the same one. I’d be interested to see if there’s a
different year-round menu, and maybe even try that. Although the day-time
dining sounds more up my street. The lobster croque, followed by the apple tatin
flambee crepe is calling my name (followed by a lengthy nap, I’d think).
Have you been
to French Affaire? Which dishes would you recommend?
Love, Lucy xx
No comments
Post a Comment
Enjoyed this post? Let me know. Leave a comment, or find me on social!
Love, Lucy xx