Dining

Forget the scones – this savoury London afternoon tea is a seafood lover’s dream

The Mayfair Chippy

The Mayfair Chippy has swapped cucumber sandwiches and cakes for oysters, crab and king prawns with its gloriously savoury ‘Afternoon Sea’.

There are certain things we expect from a London afternoon tea. Finger sandwiches. Tiny cakes. Scones accompanied by the inevitable debate over whether jam or cream goes first.

A towering platter of oysters, crab claws and king prawns? Not usually.

But as Afternoon Tea Week runs from 10 – 16 August, The Mayfair Chippy is making a fairly convincing case for ditching the Victoria sponge altogether. Its brilliantly named Afternoon Sea takes the familiar three-tiered afternoon tea format and fills it entirely with seafood instead.

And for anyone whose idea of a treat leans more towards shellfish and sourdough than macarons and Earl Grey, it might just be one of London’s most delicious takes on the tradition.

Forget scones – The Mayfair Chippy’s ‘Afternoon Sea’ is a seafood lover’s dream

Available at The Mayfair Chippy’s Mayfair and Knightsbridge restaurants, the £48-per-person spread starts with Cornish crab on toast with treacle-cured salmon, celeriac and mustard slaw and pickled cockles. Then things get even more decadent.

There are Atlantic crab claws, dressed Cornish crab, king prawns, Carlingford oysters and cooked mussels, all piled onto the tiered stand and served with freshly baked sourdough and a selection of sauces. It’s afternoon tea – but make it seafood. And without a miniature éclair in sight.

The experience needs to be pre-ordered at least 48 hours in advance and is available for a minimum of two diners. If you’re turning Afternoon Tea Week into a proper occasion (and who isn’t?), the restaurant also suggests adding English sparkling wine. Frankly, oysters and bubbles require very little persuasion.

The Luxe Review can confirm this isn’t simply a novelty menu – The Mayfair Chippy is one of the best fish restaurants in London.

Despite the deliberately old-school name, this is a gorgeously polished interpretation of the British chippy, with an extensive seafood menu sitting alongside its award-winning fish and chips. The signature Mayfair Classic a must try, with thick fillets of haddock in a perfectly crisp batter, alongside moreish old-school chips and an array of chip shop favourite sauces.

Oysters, crab and mussels are regular fixtures, while dishes such as the Soft Shell Crab Burger take things considerably beyond your Friday night takeaway.

The result is exactly the sort of place we’d send seafood lovers looking for something fun without sacrificing seriously good food.

And the Afternoon Sea feels like a particularly fitting introduction. Because London has no shortage of beautiful afternoon teas – but a three-storey tower of crab, oysters and prawns? Now that’s our cup of tea.

The Mayfair Chippy Knightsbridge, 138 Brompton Rd, London SW3 1HY. Bookings at www.mayfairchippy.com/afternoon-sea 

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Bex April May is an experienced entertainment, travel and lifestyle journalist based in London, writing for The Guardian, Metro, Cosmopolitan, MTV, Shortlist, OK! and more. Follow her adventures on Twitter @bexlectric and on Instagram @bexaprilmay