Bea’s of Bloomsbury
Earl Grey Supreme
Strawberries and Cream Cupcake
Scones with Clotted Cream and Jam
Brownie Bite, Walnut Brownie Bite, Blondie Bite, Strawberry Meringue, Vanilla Marshmallow
PB&J Slice
Carrot Bread
Jammie Cookie Cupcake
Red Velvet Cupcake
Following a proper Sunday Roast another goal for my trip to London was a suitable spot for cream tea and not particularly sold on pricey finger sandwiches in the refined environs of five-star hotels I turned to Bea’s of Bloomsbury – their offering of a dessert forward “Sweet Tea” service far more my speed. Apparently now an expanding commodity with three small shops throughout the British capitol it was without reservations that I entered the Theobalds Road flagship and although packed on arrival it was a matter moments before a table up front opened up – my boxed to-go order soon joined by a £12 septet served alongside steeping Earl Grey Supreme. Every bit a cutesy café with servers bustling to and fro while a team of bakers brought new treats forth from the kitchen in back it was with little debate that my tasting began with Bea’s warm scone and although a bit more crumbly than other scones to follow the combination of thick sweetened cream and freshly made jam made the point moot – a similar effect achieved by the hefty dollop of cooked frosting and plump strawberries atop a cupcake whose base proved a touch dry. Admittedly a bit uninspired by my first few bites it was onward to small treats that I progressed and although somewhat lacking in diversity the results were quite nice as all three brownies proved quite rich while meringue and marshmallow were expectedly light. At this point taking my tasting to the streets it was in part that evening and then the next day that I continued my Bea’s experience and perhaps as a result of selections or maybe just a matter of time each of the remaining selections would prove better than anything I tasted in-house, both cupcakes well balanced and quite moist while carrot bread and a cake seemingly made of nothing but pureed peanuts and thick jam beneath buttery streusel rivaled similar versions back home.
RECOMMENDED: Oddly, ‘American’ options like the Red Velvet Cupcake and PB&J far outperformed more “British” traditions.
AVOID: The Scones simply don’t compare to those at Fortnum and Mason or Harrod’s, let alone those served in more refined environs.
TIP: Reservations are recommended – were it not for a cancellation my proposed wait time for Sunday tea around 2:30pm was over an hour.
http://www.beasofbloomsbury.com/cafes/bloomsbury/
