Introduction

The Dolder Grand in Zürich is probably one of the best known hotels in the city. Partly, that is also due to the fact that it sits on a hill high above the city, overlooking the lake. The location is very nice. They also do an afternoon tea, and that is why I’m heading there today. Luckily, it’s a gorgeous day for it, too.

Getting to the Dolder

The Dolder is easily accessible from the city. It’s in walking distance. Alternatively, you can catch a tram line 3 from outside the main railway station. Alight at Römerhof and transfer to the Dolderbahn, which is a cogwheel railway that takes you up the hill in eight minutes.

The view from the top is rather lovely, especially when it’s such a gorgeous day. There are quite a few people around, obviously taking advantage of the good weather for their weekend constitutional.

The Hotel

The Dolder was opened in 1899 and extensively renovated in 2008. While the hotel has long been the meeting point for the rich and famous and the hopelessly pretentious socialites of Zürich, the architecture of the current structure has not been well received. Owing to its chateau-like design, it has even been referred to by some art historians as ‘the prototype of kitsch’. They may be on to something…

The interior of the hotel is quite different, though, and is in keeping with the fin de siècle design of the original construction. What is immediately noticeable, is that the hotel has rather a small lobby. As you enter, reception is to the left, and the concierge to the right. Behind that is a grand staircase leading to the upper floors.

The afternoon tea is served in the library, at the end of a long corridor, past the hotel bar and the restaurant. Within the library, there is one larger and then a smaller, more intimate room. I have a table reserved in the smaller room.

The Service & Staff

Our waiter is a friendly gentleman. He has a slight accent that is difficult to place. If I had to guess, I would locate it in Eastern Europe. In any case, he is friendly and very forthcoming. However, he is serving the whole library by himself – as well as helping out in the main dining area. As a result, the service is a bit slow. But that is often the case in Switzerland and usually the result of the prohibitively high labour costs.

The Afternoon Tea

The table is nicely set. The tableware reminds me of the Mandarin Oriental in Munich, which also does a nice afternoon tea. Included in the afternoon tea is a flûte of champagne. Instead, though, I ask for the Elderflower Breeze, a refreshing mocktail with cucumber sherbet. For the tea I have a second flush Darjeeling.

The savouries are brought out on a D shaped étagère. I’ve asked for the vegetarian option. On the top level is a beetroot tartare canapé and a cucumber and egg finger sandwich. In the middle is a chestnut paté macaron and a mushroom sushi with wasabi mayo. And at the bottom is a cucumber and radish finger sandwich.

The savouries are full of flavour. I think my favourite is the little sushi with mushrooms.

The scones and the sweets are brought out together. For the scones, there are two with raisins and two plain ones with a slight hint of cinnamon. They are served with whipped cream and orange jam. The scones are good, but I suspect that they weren’t freshly baked.

On the étagère with the sweets, there is a slice of Dolder cake and a Paris Brest on the top level. The Dolder cake is a sponge with jam, chocolate cream, vanilla custard and marzipan.

In the middle we have a citrus and pistachio cheesecake and a chocolate and hazelnut cake.

And at the bottom is a small apple tartlet. The sweets are all very nice. However, I think my favourite is definitely the apple tartlet.

Conclusion

The afternoon tea at the Dolder Grand Hotel is a nice way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon in a cozy, plush setting. The quality of the food at the Dolder is very good. It’s not just that it’s well prepared, they obviously use high quality ingredients. I certainly wouldn’t mind doing this again. I think I’d also be curious to spend a night at the Dolder. Perhaps one of these days if I’m spending the evening in Zürich.