afternoon tea • 27 comments • According to many locals, a visit to Cape Town is incomplete without experiencing the afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel. So, to ensure that our visit there would be complete, we made reservations for what was dubbed as the "Best Tea in the World" by the UK Sunday Times and Condé Nast Europe. The colonial style of the Mount Nelson hotel sets the mood for the grandiose experience. A distinguished old lady playing the grand piano in the corner added to the ambiance. Smoked salmon, roast beef, and cucumber finger sandwiches; quiches, scones, and assorted cheeses were some of the items included in the spread. The menu included over 40 different loose-leaf teas. If we could have tried all of them, we would have. The Mount Nelson Hotel blend accompanied the savoury foods, while we chose the vanilla tea to compliment the confections. The indulgent dessert selection was almost as extensive as the tea options. Meringues, miniature cupcakes, chocolates, fruit tarts, hot berry compote coconut ice, and petits fours were laid out on pretty silver platters and cake stands. Needless to say, we left very content and several pounds heavier. We'll be chasing that vanilla tea for awhile. A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterward. ~A.A. Milne
