Kona Afternoon Tea — Restaurant in London

I had the Indian Jasmine Afternoon Tea, Diwali Edition. Unfortunately for me it didn't live up to the hype, it most definitely didn't live up to the expectations. Let me break this down, first this costs £75, and if you want half a bottle of prosecco it costs £90, not to mention a discretionary 12.5% service charge, nothing discretionary about it, it is added to the bill... Masala tea was on point, can't be faulted, probably some of the best I have had outside of India. Firstly came the service of Sea Salt Badam Milk Falooda, which was actually great, not too sweet, full of flavour, this was accompanied with a masala cheese toast (not on the menu), but tasted great. Shortly after this the actual food came out on tier trays, beautifully presented. I cannot fault the presentation, which is absolutely stunning, and really looks the part. Let me start with the saviouries - Masala Mutton Keema Pinwheel - average tasting, nothing special, it is basically Keema curry spread on white bread and rolled up. While it is very tasty, I felt disappointed that Keema was cold, and fat had congealed. Scrambled Paneer Burjee - average tasting, very oily and greesy. I was disappointed the pastry had absorbed the oil from the paneer. Thankfully it was only a small bite. Khandvi Chutney Tart - Probably the best thing I tasted on the menu, however why serve it in a tart? Khandvi has such a beautiful taste it deserves to stand alone. Aloo Bonda Mango Chutney Bun - average taste again, nothing special, have tasted better from food stands in India, well presented. Duo Relish Dhokla Sandwich - presented very well, taste is on point, texture is dry and disappointing. This should be moist, not dry. Needs significant improvement to remain on the menu, in my humble opinion. The sweets unfortunately I could not finish, however I will review the ones I ate. Please note the sweets were extremely rich and opulent, too sweet for my liking. Motichur Shrikand, Chocolate Cups - the flavours are good, very very rich and sweet, will raise your blood sugar level through the roof. However the fragrant flavours are on point. Cheesecake Raspberry Sonpapri Floss- unpleasant experience for me, this tastes like panna cotta with a couple pieces of Rasmalai placed on top, can't recommend, too far from a traditional Indian sweet for me, also was topped with dry uncooked vermicelli noodles. Gulabi Trifle, Mini Rasmalai - brilliant, infused perfectly and taste fabulous, highly recommend. The rest of the deserts I didn't try, at this point I had a sugar rush. All of this was accompanied with scones, these were saffron and elaichi scones elaichi clotted cream and rose jam. While these were pleasant, the cream was dry and not the same as clotted cream traditionally served with British scones, the jam was more like jelly and generally lacked the rose flavours I was expecting. Overall a pleasant experience, I can not fault the service or staff, they are extremely attentive. I think at the price point this is not a good experience, you are clearly paying for the experience at the hotel, however there are much better hotels I have had afternoon tea at, this was a somewhat rushed experience and are told from the start that you have 1.5hrs. Staff do make themselves very much known especially close to the end time, while they are friendly and disguise their prompt to finish up your tea with an attentive manner, I would suggest giving the guest more space, and time. I can not recommend this experience especially as there are much better experiences available at this price point in central London. I was also a little disappointed that there was no flexibility in the menu even after telling the hotel in advance that I would like less sweet dishes and would prefer more saviouries, this was not accommodated on the day, however after I had finished they did offer to bring me more saviouries as I had hardly touched the sweets, however too late in my opinion, flexibility should exist at the beginning of the experience. Expensive experience, which didn't live up to the...

My wife and I recently had the opportunity to experience the Secret Garden afternoon tea at Kona London. While the concept and culinary offerings enchanted us, there were certain issues that, regrettably, cast a shadow over the otherwise delightful visit.

The Secret Garden afternoon tea at Kona London is a work of art. The setting is captivating - a lush, garden-inspired afternoon-tea that transports you into a charming, whimsical world. Every detail, from the 'garden gate' menu design that packs a surprise, floral decorations, the escape-room style start to the experience to the quaint crockery, is meticulously crafted, adding an extra sprinkle of magic to the experience.

The menu is equally enchanting. The assortment of sandwiches, scones, and pastries is thoughtfully put together, beautifully presented, and brimming with innovative flavours. The extensive range of teas, catered to suit various palates, is also worth a mention. The culinary team at Kona London deserves applause for their remarkable expertise and creativity in curating this unique experience.

Unfortunately, the visit was not without its flaws. We had booked our experience using an extended eVoucher from Buyagift, but upon arrival, the manually updated physical copy of the voucher was deemed invalid by Kona London's staff. This resulted in an unexpected charge for the full experience, causing a considerable amount of embarrassment and dismay.

Further investigation by Buyagift revealed that the voucher code had not been attempted for redemption on Kona's side, making the charge unjustified. The mishandling of the eVoucher and the resulting miscommunication were deeply disappointing. For a venue that prides itself on providing exceptional experiences, this lapse in service was surprising and needs to be addressed.

In conclusion, our visit to Kona London left us with a mix of impressions. The Secret Garden afternoon tea concept, the enchanting setting, and the culinary offerings are all remarkable and worthy of high praise. However, the technical difficulties with the eVoucher, resulting in an unjustified charge and an uncomfortable situation, significantly marred the experience.

I sincerely hope that Kona London takes immediate steps to rectify their handling of eVouchers to prevent such incidents in the future. Despite the unfortunate setbacks, I believe that Kona London has the potential to provide truly memorable experiences. With their innovative approach to afternoon tea and their dedicated culinary team, they have the ability to delight guests seeking a unique and magical...

My family and I recently dined at this establishment and had the Midsummer Night's Dream afternoon tea. Everything was delicious and fun to try. A mixture of different flavors you wouldn't expect, like passion fruit and dark chocolate, surprisingly go well together. Compliments to this restaurant for giving their customers a pleasant surprise with their food! The Chicken Sandwich was our favourite, really flavorful and it was halal. Yes, another plus is their ability to match a variety of dietary needs. Service was excellent, especially by Istefar (I believe that's her name, apologies!). She was very patient with us, accommodating to our needs and super polite. However, there is a lot that needs to be improved. First, the restaurant inside is pretty cramped so that you had to eat in a considerably small area next to other guests. You could hear everyone's conversations, servers were struggling to get past each other, and it was a little too intimate for my liking. I've never experienced such a tight space afternoon tea before, I couldn't truly relax until food was served. Next, you do feel pretty rushed here. I've also never experienced an afternoon tea that made you feel you had to quickly finish eating. Usually we spend as much time as we like, eating and enjoying our conversation. But here, you don't get that luxury. Staff were as nice about it as they could possibly be, it's not their fault of course. I started to feel sick afterwards because of the pressure. Well, at least that's pretty telling of the large portion sizes they give here! Still, 1.5 hours is just not enough to experience everything here. A few more mentions of improvement is that, even though it was good for the mood, you were given a big pot of pumpkin seeds surrounding a fairy cake for starters. The seeds portion one couldn't possibly finish. I know you're not supposed to eat them all but wasting so much food like that, which I'm sure they do for hygiene reasons, just doesn't sit right with me. It is pretty expensive here but like I said earlier, you do get a lot of food and leftovers was packaged away carefully for us. You get Scones after all the food is finished too, and the opportunity to ask for more of whatever food you liked most. And a lot of effort has gone into making the experience special even if it was short. Like a "love potion" shot, halal as well, to make you care a little more about the story. An unlimited supply of tea is always really...