Introduction
The Hotel d’Angleterre proudly sits on the prestigious Quai du Montblanc, a wide boulevard with a promenade on the shore of Lake Geneva. Right next door is the infamous Hotel Beau Rivage, which has the questionable honor of being the place where Sissi, the legendary Empress Elizabeth of the Austrohungarian monarchy was assassinated.
The Service & Staff
The afternoon tea is served at Windows restaurant, which is in the winter garden overlooking the lake. The service is excellent. As as we sit down, a table close to us is vacated. One of the waiting staff removes the table cloths, while another lays down a new set and then proceeds to quickly iron them on the table. The service is attentive and friendly.
The Afternoon Tea
Our server brings us the menu for the afternoon tea and a separate menu for the teas. As usual, I have the Earl Grey, which is served in a small silver teapot.
The food is served on a traditional three tier étagère, with the scones on top, the sweets in the middle and the savouries at the bottom.
The selection of sandwiches is classic: chicken mayonnaise, boiled egg, cheddar and tomato, cucumber with crème fraîche, smoked salmon, and mushrooms.
There are two warm scones per person, two plain and two with raisins. The scones are incredibly fluffy and light. They are served with strawberry jam and whipped crème double de Gruyère.
The sweets are very rich, and I don’t manage to finish them. They taste lovely, but they’re just too much. I do have the Tiramisu, though, because it’s one of my favourites.
By the time we’re done, two hours have gone by rather pleasantly and it’s time to go for a digestive walk along the promenade.
Conclusion
This was a rather nice afternoon tea at the Hotel d’Angleterre in Geneva. I think what is immediately striking and a stark contrast to the German speaking part of Switzerland is how well mannered and properly trained the staff were at the hotel. Other than that, the quality of the food was very good and the hotel’s location on the lake is lovely.
Delicious looking tea—— and not a bad price for 2 in such nice surroundings. And of course, no tip expected—— although i always leave something. Great!
Meaning because its Switzerland no tip expected!
Slowly tipping is becoming a thing in Switzerland as well. Although not as aggressively as in North America for example.
Pity
Dang, those prices…welcome to Switzerland indeed.
Still, it looks like a nice experience. But did they only serve one desert each? It seems like they had 2 of each for the scones and sandwiches, but only one each of the desert (or maybe it was just the angle of the picture).
No, there were two sets of desserts, but the other set came on a separate plate. But the prices? Well, as you say, it’s Switzerland.