Ting is a restaurant in the Shangri-La hotel, located on the 35th floor of the Shard, offering breathtaking views. One of the highlights of this place is the afternoon tea, which changes depending on the season. I was lucky enough to try the Christmas themed menu, inspired by the flavours that usually appear during this festive period.
It was my first afternoon tea in the UK and I didn’t know how to choose the right one or what to expect. Another reason to go to the afternoon tea was my friends’ first visit to London. So when I was making my decision, I had a few things in mind:
Delicious and beautiful food
A good view from the window so we could skip the London Eye. In fact, this place has an advantage over other skyscrapers due to the location and the lack of other tall buildings nearby. And from here you can easily see Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, the City and Westminster with Big Ben
Christmas menu
A bit of a fancy place
I think we had it all.
The food is served on tiered cake stand, we ordered two for four. And this stand is full of different Christmas flavors:
I liked the roast beef and truffle egg salad among the sandwiches
The beetroot hot dog with hummus and the parsnip burger were also fun and delicious
And I liked the cakes! There was a chestnut sleigh, a chocolate hazelnut snowman and a coconut Santa hat
There were also gingerbread cakes and some amazing scones that I forgot to take a photo of
Ting's signature dish is a Shard-shaped cake filled with jasmine mousse and covered in chocolate. It's served on a plate with dry ice, which creates a misty show at the table.
I loved the bottomless tea option, the teas were delicious, I tried 4 or 5 of them. And when I asked for extra cream for my scone, I was given a whole batch of scones with all the jams and cream instead of one pot of cream. So maybe the scones are bottomless too, who knows. In the end, we couldn't finish all the food, so we asked for a box and had a lovely "morning afternoon tea" the next day.
Afternoon tea prices are £78 per person with tea and start from £88 with alcohol.
I liked the experience, but as I said, it was my first time and I have nothing to compare it to.
But I also have a few minor remarks:
The view from the 35th floor is great, but some seats have better views. We were unlucky that we arrived when the most interesting seats were already taken, and our seats were facing the southeast, where there are not many attractive sights.
The sales of champagne and cocktails can be too intrusive.
The sandwiches look too simple compared to the cakes (despite the fact that they were delicious). But then again, I have never tried any other tea, so maybe it's just tradition.
