Afternoon Tea in Dublin - The Shelbourne

Afternoon Tea is a traditional special dining experience. The tea ceremony has its beginnings in England. It was first created by Anna Russell, the Duchess of Bedford and a lifelong friend of Queen Victoria in the early 19th century. During that time, dinner was served later and later in the day and except for breakfast there was only a light lunch. The afternoon time was quite long and the Duchess found that a tea with sandwiches or cakes was the perfect addition and best enjoyed in company.

I have experienced Afternoon Tea in Victoria (Canada), Berlin (Germany), London (UK), Florida (Orlando, USA), Sydney (Australia). Among those Afternoon Tea session were also some very special themed and whimsical ones. The Afternoon Tea at the Grosvenor House (London) displayed a Royal Wedding theme as it was right before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding. The Afternoon Tea at the Kensington Hotel (London) had a Beauty and the Beast theme (Tale As Old As Time).

The Lord Mayer's Lounge (The Shelbourne)

Now, it was time to try Afternoon Tea in Ireland. I chose the Lord Mayer's Lounge at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. I liked the atmosphere of the lounge with the soft piano music and the classic style of a 4 tiered étagere Afternoon Tea. Also, they served unlimited food and tea. This is important to me, as I like to try different tea flavors :) And they included an Irish themed sandwich that was just delicious - using whiskey cured salmon and guiness bread!

As mentioned, the restaurant was delightful and I even got a table at the window that I asked for. The staff were very attentive but unobtrusive. They also did not rush you after your 90 min seating. The prepared the tea and poured the cup for you and kept the rest in a silver tea pot. However, you were not required to finish the entire tea pot. They even asked whether you want to try another one.

My Highlights

A Flowering Tea, a Maqui Mandra Rooibos Tea, and an Irish Bite 

• One hightlicht was the flowering tea. I have had flowering teas before, but somehow I never liked them. Here, I was completely enchanted by the way they served it and the flavor. They put the tea pot in front of you. However, it was a seethrough glass tea pot and you could see the tea flower grow. Very nice to watch.

• Also, I am not a big fan of rooibos tea. Nevertheless, I tried their Maqui Mandra, a rooibos tea with a fruity taste of the maqui berries. It sounded nice and I wanted to try somehing new. And - to my surprise - I just loved it. So much, actually, that I ordered it twice - I started and I ended with it ;) I wanted to buy it, but unfortunately, they did not sell it. However, it is a Ronnefeldt Tea and you can buy it online.

• Among the food, my highlight was indeed the Irish bite - a sandwich with whiskey cured smoked salmon and guiness bread. Doesn't that sound just delightful?

 

Teas and Bites in Detail

Teas I tried - All of them very recommendable :)

• Maqui Mandra - mild green rooibos with a fruite taste and aroma of the rare maqui berries
• Golden Fortune Balls (Flowering Tea) - mild green tea with a hint of passion fruit 
• Oolong Tea Tie Guan Yin - mild green Chinese oolong tea with a floral and sweet taste

The savory and sweet bites - The Irish bite was my favorite!

• First tier: Buttermilk scones with a gingerbread
• Second tier - Savory bites: Whiskey cured smoked salmon on guiness bread (Irish special), cherry tomatoes and feta cheese on pumpkin bread, egg salad and cress on white bread, chicken avocado poppy seed roll
• Third and Fourth tier - sweets: Lemon raspberry éclair, carrot cake with orange cream frosting, vanilla and pomegranate panna cotta with rhubarb and yuzu compote, chocolate mousse ball with hazelnut bavarois and liquid caramel

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Cupán Tae (Galway, Ireland)

Ireland's Best Afternoon Tea & Online Tea Retailer

I love my tea time and I found the perfect little Irish café and tea shop in Galway - Cupán Tea. Actually, I discovered the café because it was a stop on the Galway Food Tour I participated in. They showed us the café and let us try one of their specialty cakes. I liked the place so much that I wanted to try their tea as well. So, I went back there in the afternoon for some tea time :)

Cupán Tea has a very cute interior with a slightly whimsical decor, porcelain tea cups, floral teapots, tea cloths and lace. The perfect atmosphere for a traditional tea time. In the backroom they present their own house tea blends. They also have a nice little outdoor seating area. They claim to be Ireland's Best Afternoon Tea & Online Tea Retailer :)

It was an uncharacteristic warm afternoon in Galway and I was able to sit outside. They have a very good and large selection of different and interesting teas. I decided for some light and fruity tea flavors.With the teapot comes a cute little timer (colorful hourglasses). They also serve very decadent tea or coffee infused cakes and also offer a classic "Afternoon Tea" with some savory and sweet bites served on an étagere.

My favorite tea:

• Petals of Peony (white tea, light taste of peony blossoms and lychee) 
• Black Dragon (oolong tea, light floral and fruity flavor)
• The Champagne of Tea - Darjeeling Dahjea Green Organic Tea (green tea, light yellow and fruity fresh)

 

Some more of their bestseller tea:

• Storm in a Teacup (spicy herbal blend including blackberry leaves, apple bits, rosehip peels, elderberries, with the taste of anis)
• Dreamy Creamy Galway (blend of black tea, roasted coffee beans and jasmine flowers - tea with a subtle coffee flavor)
• Emerald Isle (black tea with the taste of whiskey, cocoa, and vanilla)
• Popcorn Caramel Candy (a blend of black and oolong tea with fruits, caramel, candied macademia nuts, sugar confetti and popcorn) 
• Roses are Red (black tea with almond slices, rosebuds and rose petals - taste of marzipan and roses)

 

Their tea- and coffee-infused cake:

• Courgette & Lime Cake (zucchini cake, infused with lemon-rooibos tea and layered with housemade lime curd and topped with a lemon-matcha-avocado cream)
• Coffee and Walnut Cake (double layered and drizzled with espresso and sprinkled with coffee powder)
• Tea-Infused Polenta Cake
• Lemon Drizzle and Carrot Cake 

Food Tour Galway (Ireland)

Irish Food

When I am travelling to a new city or country, I try to get to know their food. I did not know much about Irish food. I hoped it would be somehow similiar to the Scottish food that I tried and enjoyed last year. I knew that popular Irish dishes include hearty soups and stews which I both liked. The soups always came with their famous brown soda bread. Traditional stews are the Irish Stew (with lamb) and the Guiness Beef Stew with lots of vegetables. Of course, you should not forget about the hearty Full Irish Breakfast including baked beans, fried egg and a few meats such as bacon and black pudding (blood sausage).

However, besides those there are also a lot of local products including farmhouse cheeses, locally caught seafood, farm vegetables such as cabbage and kale and so on. In order to get a better picture, I participated in an Irish food tour. I have been on a food tour before, an American food tour in Seattle, WA - Seattle Bite Food Tour (see my post) - that took us to some nice places around Pike Place Market. I really enjoyed the experience.

Galway Food Tours

Of oyster shooters, shots of whiskey, oatmeal stout, pork belly and black pudding.... 

They challenged me and I accepted :)

What a fantastic experience and great inspiration to try new things!

For my Irish Food Tour, I chose Galway Food Tours and Gosia Letowska took us around Galway. She gave us a good overview of the local cuisine and local businesses, always including some history and details about the food and places. They work together with different places around Galway and they tailor the route to the group, so it always differs slightly. For our group she took us to about 7 different spots including local bakeries, markets, pubs and restaurants. We tried locally produced goods and spirits including fresh seafood and street food from the famous Saturday Market around St. Nicholas Church and even a Whiskey tasting.

And yes, while I neither like oysters nor whiskey, I did participate in everything on this food tour and tried both. I am really proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone during the food tour and trying something new! I actually enjoyed the salty meaty fresh oyster until someone told me I just ate a living thing.... The whiskey on the other side was actually quite smooth, way softer than the ones I tried in the US. However, it's still a bit too strong for my taste and I do not believe I will ever be a fan of whiskey :)

My favorite bites (and beverage) from this food tour where actually at the local pub Tigh Neachtain. We tried quite a few bites here including some salami cracker, deep fried goat cheese, vegetable and seafood sushi and drank an oatmeal stout. As I do not like dark beer (but I do love craft beer including IPAs and fruity beers), I was surprised how much I enjoyed the oatmeal stout. Also, the all wood pub was quite quaint, rusty and cozy with lots of nooks and niches to sit. There is also a fireplace and an outdoor seating area. They are proud of their presented art and the talented musicians and live music :) An Irish pub that I can really recommend.

Another place from our food tour that I really enjoyed was - of course - the Irish tea place Cupán Tae. I will devote the next post to it :)

Bites and drinks we enjoyed:

• Griffin's Bakery: Small bites of a doughnut and a carrot cake (the carrot cake is one of their bestseller)
• McCambridge's of Galway: A local cheese and meat board (including Kylemoore cheese, blue cheese, air drie Connemara lamb, salami from Meath) and a whiskey tasting (Slane Irish Whiskey ABV 40%, Micil Irish Poitin ABV 44%, Longueville House Irish Apple Brandy ABV 40%)
• Saturday Market: Indian pea and potato curry with yoghurt from a food cart and fresh oysters
• Tigh Neachtain: Oatmeal stout, deep fried goat cheese, cracker with basel humus and salami, turnip sushi and wild smoked makarel sushi
• Hazel Mountain Chocolate: Different kinds of chocolates with different percentage of cacoa and some fresh hot chocolate to drink
• Cupán Tea: Courgette and Lime muffin (zucchini muffin with avocado-lemon-matcha cream) from their Afternoon Tea menu (they also have slices of a full-seized cake available)
• Merrow at the Pálás Cinema (modern restaurant on the ground floor of the movie theater): A delicate looking fine dining plate with pork belly, potatoes, black pudding (blood sausage), apple sauce, fresh apple, greens and pomegranate seeds

 

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