Lillie’s Tea Lounge at the Radisson Blu Waterfront hotel takes its name from actress Lillie Langtry, the renowned ‘Jersey Lilly’, one of Jersey’s best known historical characters.
Lillie’s tea lounge has a great menu that offers a variety of light dining options throughout the day, including breakfast and lunch items. But it was the three tiered delights we were there to sample. We opted to try both the classic afternoon tea and the alternative afternoon tea, which offered us something a little different from the norm, in the form of two hot savoury elements, of which we could choose ourselves from a small menu.
From the classic menu we could choose two mini open sandwiches with a choice of toppings which included prawns and salmon, poached chicken and pancetta, ham, mayo and gherkin or simply cheddar cheese. These were a lovely savoury option and the bread and toppings were brilliantly balanced, setting the scene well for the sweet treats to follow. The Chef’s choice of two mini desserts included a toffee profiterole filled with cream, which will be hard to match, light and airy with the perfect balance of toping and filling and gone faster than you could blink. Alongside this there was a slice of toffee cheesecake, which was far lighter than you expected and also delightful. Of course you can’t have afternoon tea without scones, at Lillie’s you can choose between plain or fruit, served with plenty of clotted cream, jam and Jersey butter.
Next we move on to the alternative afternoon tea, where this time we could choose between a variety of fillings in our miniature bridge rolls, which included smoked salmon and cream cheese honey roast ham, mustard mayo and gherkins, egg mayonnaise and watercress, Tuna, crème fraiche and cucumber. Added to this were the hot options, where we opted for the Tandoori chicken drumstick, but could easily have enjoyed the honey and lemon chicken skewer or a courgette, pepper and halloumi skewer. Finally we had the choice of a duck or vegetable spring roll, served with sweet chilli dipping sauce. We opted for one of each, so we could try them both of course. The alternative afternoon tea is further accompanied by a fabulous chocolate cappuccino mousse, topped with cream and served with a chocolate flake. A freshly baked fruit scone, served with Jersey strawberries, more of that jam and clotted cream and a slice of light and luxurious lemon cake, which finishes it off perfectly.
The hot options see you waiting a little longer, thanks to the individual components being made to order by the chef and his team. This just means you have plenty of time to choose which pot of tea you want to accompany your feast. I’m not sure I’ve ever been faced with such an impressive menu of teas, at Lillie’s you can choose from a variety of different Ronnefeldt loose leaf teas, all served in individual pots and their very own timer, which you turn to ensure you’re enjoying your tea at it’s very best. Thankfully we had a very help lady on hand to help guide us through the menu, meaning we all got exactly what we wanted to drink and none of us were disappointed.
The service at Lillie’s was excellent and both of the afternoon tea options were superb, nothing was left on any of our plates other than crumbs. The one piece of advice we would give you before booking your table at Lillie’s, make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to sit back and really enjoy yourselves, this is not an experience to be rushed, oh and skip lunch as you’ll want to leave plenty of room for the generous portions.
The tea Lounge is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 – 6:00pm and you can contact them on 01534 671100 or email tealounge.jersey@radissonblu.com
