It was a rainy, chilly, English...er, St. Louis morning when our St. Louis Tea Meetup group visited the London Tea Room. Despite the weather, the tea room was bustling with a very diverse crowd of patrons.
The atmosphere is stately, yet cozy, with a nice mix of glass and wood tables, as well as hardback and cozy chairs. Whatever your seating pleasure, they have you covered.
The main counter is fronted with a full case of quiches, pastries, cakes, brownies and, of course, scones. A bounty of teas fill the backboard, which proudly displays the moniker, "THE LONDON TEA ROOM."
Of course, we started off with tea. The menu of beverages is overwhelming for the casual tea drinker. Be sure to read all of the clever descriptions - you won't be sorry. I had previously tried the Monk's blend, and was going for the Fifth of November blend, only to find out that it had been sold out for the day.
Our waitress, Amanda, came to the rescue like a pro. She offered to make a blend of Organic Vanilla and a dash of Oolong, which would give sweet vanilla taste with a smoky touch. Bingo! I did tell her that the owners should add this as "Amanda's Blend" on the menu, and by the time I left, she had already made the same for another happy customer. It was so good, I'd definitely order it up front next time.
To eat, I went for "The Croque Monsieur," which is hard to say but, oh, so delicious to eat. It's basically a smoked ham sandwich on their pugliese bread. Add both muenster and gruyere cheese, and you have a delightful - and very large lunch.
Last time I was there, I had the Apple and Brie sandwich on the same type of bread. It was slippery, but something very different for the vegetarian appetite.
Dessert was a difficult choice, but definitely try one of the cakes. They had a citrus an poppyseed that I wish I had tried, but I went for the carrot cake and I was not disappointed. Each of my lunchmates had a dessert, and they were so large that not one of us could finish ours, and we are no amateurs when it comes to finishing desserts.
If you're in the mood for shopping, you can find many English treats to take home with you, from Cadbury chocolate to Marmite. I only recommend one of them. You guess which.
If you're down by the City Museum, definitely stop in for lunch or just a snack, and don't forget to pick up some tea to take home!
Visit http://www.thelondontearoom.com/ for directions.
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