High Chai at Cinnamon Soho

Food *** 1/2

Ambience ***

Service ****

I gave the High Chai (afternoon tea) at Cinnamon Soho and average of 3.5 stars and here’s why…

Address: 5 Kingly St, London, W1B 5PF

Located amidst the hustle and bustle of Soho in Central London the Indian inspired afternoon tea is the brainwave of Chef Vivek Singh of the Cinnamon Club. My guest and I arrived at 3pm on a busy London Saturday afternoon but the restaurant was pretty quiet at that time as you can imagine. As both of us are lovers of afternoon tea and Indian food we were very excited to see how Singh had combined the both. We opted for the Bellini afternoon menu and started with a cinnamon Bellini. The Bellini was made with sparkling wine and fresh cinnamon. It was beautifully crafted and tasted excellent. We then chose to have traditional Indian masala chai. I felt it should’ve been creamier and not made with tea bags; however the flavours were nice.

We then were given menus.. First of all given the Valentines menu’s but then told they weren’t available and then my guest and I were given two different menus – mine said there was a lamb burger and my guests said beef burger. We were told they didn’t do the lamb (even though that is what was advertised on their website) and since neither of us eat beef we were asked if we wanted chicken burger which we said yes to. After all of the confusion our food arrived about ten minutes later so we didn’t have to wait long.

The afternoon tea food plates consisted of Bombay Potato Bonda with Green Chutney, Bangla Scotch Egg, Tandoori Chicken Sandwich, and the Slider burger. For dessert (which differed to the menu we had seen online again) sticky toffee pudding and scones. For myself the stand out piece was the Scotch Egg which was made of quails eggs. It was nicely spiced and delicate in flavour. The tandoori chicken sandwich had a nice filling however the bread had become hard. The burger was also nice as the supplementary items such as sweetcorn, sauces, onions etc to the chicken complimented the flavours and spices perfectly and was served in a homemade brioche bun. There is also a vegetarian option available.

The overall experience I would say was pleasant with attentive service and however the mix up with the menu’s and the bread quality was a slight let down and to be honest I was expecting more. It also appeared our Bellini’s were served in plastic glasses. However the food was lovely and it is great to see chefs being innovative with their menu’s and offering something different. In conclusion High Chai at Cinnamon Soho was a great way to relax amidst the hustle and bustle of an afternoon in London Town. High Chai at Cinnamon Soho is £30 for two for the Bellini menu or £20 for two without the Bellini.