Afternoon Tea at the Langham Hotel

“You, me, and a cup of tea in the afternoon.”Ahmad Ali

For my birthday this year, I wanted do to another afternoon tea.

At first, I was going to try Tea Around Town, an offering in Beverly Hills (and seemingly franchised in different states as well) where you have tea on a double-decker bus and drive around Beverly Hills. I was very close to checking out and was searching for a coupon code—but then I found several unsatisfactory Yelp reviews that made me begin my search again.

Funnily enough, the Afternoon Tea offering at the Langham Hotel was listed right underneath and it had much more favorable reviews so I decided to book an afternoon slot for me and my friends.

The Langham Hotel is tucked away amongst other gorgeous homes and landscapes that make up Pasadena. Located on Lake Ave, the entrance is unassuming and tucked away from the street.

According to their website, the Afternoon Tea served here is inspired by the original tea service first served at The Langham London in 1865. Seating is located in the Lobby Lounge, a slightly misleading name as you do walk through the lobby and a lovely open courtyard to the dining area.

The Lobby Lounge was bright and airy with large windows that looked out on the lawn. The sky was clear and it was a beautiful day. They were setting up for a wedding!

Our waitress was lovely. She was very kind and did a wonderful job of explaining the different dining packages, tea offerings, sandwiches and pastries. We opted for the basic tea service at $85 each, as the other options were just a non-alcoholic beverage add-on or a champagne add-on.

The tea flavors we chose were Peach Flowering and Cloud Dancer. I loved the Peach Flowering so much that I bought a small batch to drink at home. Both teas were light and appealing—the Peach Flowering had a lovely sweet peach flavor and the Cloud Dancer was very floral but not overpowering.

There were 2 types of scones–vanilla and cherry. They were served with devonshire cream (which our waitress said was house-made and whipped for 20 minutes), lemon curd and assorted fruit jams. The devonshire cream was so good that we all forgot about the jams!

Next, we moved on to the sandwiches:

Smoked Salmon, Lemon, Watercress and Horseradish on Turmeric Bread

The turmeric bread had a subtle spicy kick that paired well with the salmon. The horseradish spread was actually pleasant and not overpowering.

Chicken Salad, Cabbage, Cumin and Parsley on Apricot Charcoal Bread

Thoughts of tuna salad (instead of chicken) were all that came to mind during this small bite. The charcoal bread was a bit dry and I could not taste any apricot.

Egg Salad, Celery, Onion and Truffle Sauce on Beet Bread

This sandwich was adorable! I loved the flower theme. Egg salad was nice and creamy.

Prosciutto Basil, Asian Pear and Cinnamon on Wheat Bread

The asian pear spread brought a sweetness I didn’t expect and paired well with the cinnamon. It was an interesting combination!

Cucumber Clotted Cream and Chives on Pan de Mie

My favorite of all the tea sandwiches. Simply cucumber, clotted cream and chives–you can’t go wrong.

We were starting to get a bit full but we powered on to the desserts.

Apricot Mille Feuille Tart — Vanilla Sponge Cake with Apricot Puree

A perfect combination of tart and sweet. The puff pastry was a bit crunchy but was a good contrast to the apricot filling.

Lavender Blueberry Gateau Blueberry Layered Cream Cake

Ooh boy–unfortunately this little guy was not it. The lavender flavor was very overpowering. I like the hints of blueberry in the cream. But I could not finish this dessert.

Strawberry Rhubarb Choux Filled with Strawberry Whipped Ganache and Rhubarb Compote

The rubarb compote was sweet and paired well with the light strawberry ganache. I’m a sucker for anything strawberry and this was my favorite of the desserts.

Chocolate Mousse with Malted Crunch Center Dipped in Chocolate Above a Ganache Nest

A perfect way to top off the desserts. The chocolate was rich and velvety.

Our waitress also surprised me with an additional birthday dessert!

After we paid our bill, we wandered around the hotel to admire all of its exquisite details and grandeur.

The history of the hotel is very interesting. The hotel originally opened in 1907 as the Hotel Wentworth and passed through the hands of several different owners. The hotel closed in 1985 as its structural strength did not meet modern earthquake standards. Plans were proposed to demolish the hotel and rebuild to its original architectural footprint while meeting the required safety standards. The rebuild was completed and the hotel reopened as The Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in 1991. It was sold again in 2007 and has been operating as The Langham Huntington, Pasadena ever since.

The lobby, ballrooms and various restaurants and bars around the hotel have been used in movies such as The Parent Trap (1998), Seabiscuit (2003), Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), Saving Mr. Banks (2013) and television shows such as Westworld, Modern Family, Lucifer, and America’s Next Top Model.

We wandered around the property a bit more and found the Picture Bridge that the valet hosts had mentioned. It is a covered bridge that with painted scenes from California (including local scenes from Pasadena, Cathedral Spires in Yosemite, the Seventeen Mile Drive in Carmel, the Mt. Wilson Observatory, and Avalon Bay on Catalina Island). It is one of only two Picture Bridges in existence in the world.

Lastly, out front by the valet there was a super cute bright pink old fashioned Rolls-Royce.

Overall, it was a lovely experience. Our waitress was very attentive; she constantly checked on us to refill our teacups and make sure we were comfortable. Everything was well paced and we did not feel rushed. There was a harpist playing as well.

Our waitress mentioned that in past years, the hotel has hosted a Christmas themed tea so I will be keeping an eye on their social media posts to see if they are going to host one again this year.

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