Review: Afternoon Tea at Tozi Grand Cafe

Stood proudly on the ground floor of art’otel, Tozi Grand Cafe radiates class and trendiness with its striking tapestries and abstract sculptural light fittings. The red-painted bar sits modestly at the front of the restaurant and makes for a movie-like setting when you’re perched with a glass of your favourite tipple people-watching the shoppers of Battersea.

Greeted with a glass of prosecco we were introduced to Good & Proper Teas’ founder, Emilie Holmes. A tea-over-coffee girl, Emilie passionately believed that there was a lack of quality in the tea industry in London. Turning her dreams into reality, Emilie converted her 1974 Citroën-H van into a mobile tea bar and joined the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Ten years later, Good & Proper Teas has expanded to a successful growing network of café and restaurant partners.

So on to our afternoon tea: the traditional three-tiered stand was served with a selection of four classic Good & Proper Tea signature blends – Earl Grey, Hibiscus, English Breakfast and Green tea.

The savoury tier offered a mini charcuterie board with Tozi’s Italian influences prevalent. Pairing pane carasau, a Sardinian flatbread, with a selection of cheeses, cured meats and chutney, it was a savoury lover’s dream. The creation of prosciutto, mozzarella and rocket on ciabatta while sounding simple, tasted amazing with a perfect balance of everything included. The marinated vegetables and pesto on focaccia snacks are modelled for fans of anything pickled, with a slight crunch to it and a kick of the ideal combination of sour and saltiness, it was my personal favourite of the day.

Next was Tozi’s take on the classic British scones. Tier 2 presented four raspberry maritozzi buns – a sweet Italian cream bun filled with whipped cream. Doughnut-like in texture but not as sickly sweet these were a nice lead to the sugary tier still to come.

The tasty treats tier introduced three creative tea infusions. The first delight I tried was the green tea and strawberry-infused macaron. Usually not the biggest macaron fan, I was pleasantly surprised by the softness of the crunch paired with the creamy flavourful filling. The green tea infusion complemented the sweet strawberry notes and made for an almost refreshing taste.

Next was the Earl Grey and chocolate torta, a treat that I am labelling the moistest chocolate cake I have ever had. It completely melts away in your mouth with the perfect amount of chocolate flavour to not be overwhelming. The Earl Grey flavour comes through to give it something different which works beautifully with the sweet mousse.

Lastly was the hibiscus and morello cherry crostata, the cherry on top of the afternoon. The hibiscus infusion served to strengthen the sweet flavour of cherry which was balanced out by the tart base. This was another favourite for me given that the Good & Proper hibiscus tea was my go-to. A smooth blend of the perfect meeting point between bitter and sweet.

All in all, I was a big fan of this Italian and tea-influenced display. For fans of afternoon tea looking for something different to the classic British offering, this is a good-value experience offering the perfect opportunity to try new flavours.

Price £28pp

Tozi Grand Café

art’otel London Battersea Power Station

https://www.tozigrandcafe.co.uk

Good & Proper Teas

https://www.goodandpropertea.com