L'Espalier at The Mandarin Oriental

774 Boylston Street
Boston MA 02199
(617) 262-3023

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In late 2008 Boston's beloved L'Espalier moved over to the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel to be their flagship 5 star restaurant. They left behind history and charm in the form of their Back Bay brownstone and moved up to the sleek jetset of one of the world's premiere hotel chains. With Tom back in town for February this shift of their Fantasy Tea Party provided The Boston Teacup with at least one more tea to try ('at least?' you say... read on).

Now if you recall, weekend afternoon tea at L'Espalier was one of our of favorites, with impeccable service and undeniably good food (old review here). With more room in the new kitchen and more space for the waiters could this possibly improve to an even higher level? And how about the atmosphere and tea? Will the 2008 model make-up for losing the idiosyncratic charming romance of the 19th-century original?

As in the old digs, we both ordered 'Red Riding Hood's Basket' ($36) - your choice of tea plus a selection of petit fours, pastries and canapes. We had one regular and one with vegetarian substitutions and picked our choices from a basic list of 7 posh teas. The menus were whisked away soon to be replaced by white teapots and three rounds of bite-sized creations, ending of course, with the classic L'Espalier swan.

From our table we could gaze down through glass walls to Boylston Street below, or pan our eyes around the room and gawp at our fellow diners taking the tasting menu or the equally interesting modern chandeliers. On our exit we were able to wander through the refined 21st century maze that is the new hotel and much to our disturbance found ANOTHER TEA going on by the fire and sofas of the Mandarin Lobby. Damn! A new tea that the Boston Teacup hasn't yet reviewed!


Tom...
I'll jump straight to it, I've not left an afternoon tea feeling so failed. What had been one of my favorite afternoons in 2007 became a hefty 2009 disappointment. To lose the setting of the Gloucester Street Brownstone is unfortunate, but to lose the service, the atmosphere and the tea is careless. As a positive, the decor was at least a step up from that seen at the rival modern hotel, The Ritz Carlton. The food as well, is still top class but it didn't feel world class like before. Sigh.
The whole experience felt detached and awkward. We were the only table having tea and I felt like a second class citizen to those around me getting full introductions to everything on their tasting menu. What was I nibbling on? I had no clue! And with the menu long taken away how could I tell that I just broken my own moral stance and accidentally eaten foie gras? I was not a happy bunny when I later found out. The tea was also a major let down, no longer baby-sat meticulously at the back of the room but left in a plain white pot on your table to stew. It was just a small mistake but I should also mention that I was initially served the cold left-overs of someone else's pot. Not quite L'Espalier service, is it?

Upon spying the new tea going down in the comfy and warm Mandarin Lobby downstairs, I was left to wonder whether L'Espalier should really bother to serve their Fantasy Tea Party any more.

Hana...
Was it the chipped teapot that left me heartbroken? Was it the lackluster service that left me dissatisfied? Was it the reply of "if more hot water would be fine," when I asked for a new pot of tea that left me disappointed? These may all seem like minor details. But isn't afternoon tea all about details? I'm having tea at L'Espalier, no less.

What you get at L'Espalier's tea is a small white pot of tea, which is cute, but will run out after 2-3 cups. Aside from the buffet style tea at the Atheneum Library, I can't recall a place I've been to that doesn't introduce us to our tea treats. Even the tea buffet had labels and more personality than this.

Overall, compared to other tea venues, I felt L'Espalier lacks the breezy feel of the Boston Harbor Hotel, the warm and cozy atmosphere from The Taj, and the old world charm of its old location. This is yet another modern, stainless steel accent, white table clothes with white ceramic dishes and white napkins restaurant.

Scores...
Tea - 75%
Food - 85%
Service - 60%
Ambiance - 80%
Average - 75%

Travels of Boston Teacup

As well as tasting teas and crunching on cakes all across Boston, the Boston Teacup has also managed to try a few well-known services around the world. Although we were unable to review these offerings as the delightful duo you know, our individual experiences are worth reporting, so that you can compare how the Hub's finest compares with the international legends.

First up, is The Peninsula... but sadly not the famous Peninsula of Kowloon, instead this was The Peninsula Beverly Hills. This discreet luxurious hotel is found just behind the famous Rodeo Drive strip of high-end fashion stores and provides a great place to relax and refresh between ridiculous splurges on thousand dollar T-shirts. Afternoon tea is taken on embroidered sofas at the back of the hotel atrium, with a harpist present and fresh L.A. daylight pouring through the glass. As you indulge in the excellent pastries and sandwiches you’ll be sharing the room with a revolving-door of movie execs coming in for deals over quick drinks. Eavesdrop for Hollywood gossip!

The Peninsula have rightly taken everything seriously here, after all, their brand is synonymous with afternoon tea. The food and presentation was top class and the lovely teacosies around the silver pots was a wonderful touch. The tea selection could be extended but they couldn’t do much to improve on the stellar service. It really is a recommendable afternoon, on par with Boston’s best and making a nice change to dine on soft sofas. It would be tough to choose between here and The Taj , but I think The Taj would win.

Next on the list is The Oriental. No, not Boston’s Mandarin Oriental but the original Oriental which has resided for 100+ years on the river banks of Thailand's capital, Bangkok. It is now part of the Mandarin Oriental chain but the hotel, and especially its afternoon tea, is far older and grander than almost any other hotel in Southeast Asia.

Tea is taken in the author’s lounge, a beautiful restored wing of the original hotel, famed for distinguished literary guests, its sun-drenched atrium and adjoining guest library room. Has anyone you know had tea and stayed here? Try Graham Greene, Noel Coward, Joseph Conrad and even Prince Charles and Diana!

In terms of ambiance it couldn’t get any better. The beautiful orchid filled room, the pianist, huge comfortable wicker chairs and outside a riverside garden with talking Mynah birds. Servers were friendly Thai ladies who behaved far more relaxed than most people serving tea at hotels like this. They persuaded me to dine on the Thai tea set, which had Thai-inspired sandwiches, scones and cakes that were much more interesting than the norm, but slightly too sweet for my tastes and didn’t go so well with the average tea on offer. The feel of the whole afternoon made up for it though, this is definitely an amazing place  to have tea, to relax and never leave.

And finally on the list is the UK Tea Council number 1 pick for afternoon tea in London, The Lanesborough Hotel, where a menu curated by London’s first tea-sommelier is served in the central conservatory away from the hustle of Hyde Park Corner outside. This is high-end award-winning  afternoon tea, noted for its luxury, top service and outstanding in its tea selection. It’s definitely somewhere great to take your sister for a treat.

The tea menu is indeed interesting and well-chosen but not quite as diverse as at the Park Plaza in Boston (where a tea sommelier has been in place for years!). Still, every drop is brewed to perfection and it goes so well with some of the best sandwiches and sweets to ever have had the fortune to meet my mouth. Why doesn’t coronation chicken appear in more sandwiches in the US? Beyond the wonderful tea, the fabulous food and the elegant room with its piano, polished silver and art noveau chandeliers there was something that made this really the best of the best (yes, better than any in Boston) and that was the service. Our young French waiter was a level above perfect – attentive yet discreet, a showman yet humble, and with a sweet smile that made you feel as royal as the family who live literally just across the road.

All Good Things...

...come to an end.

Yes, sadly Tom left Boston to go 5 hours over the Atlantic back to the fabled shores of tea and crumpets and thus your fearless team of tea-testers has been split to move on to bigger things. Hana is now flexing her culinary talents at the wonderful Pink Cat's Bakery and Tom is just making another mug of Earl Grey and thinking about seeing the world.

Before our sad farewells, we went out for one last afternoon tea together in June. Where would we go? Take a look at that side bar of percentages on the right, and it's not rocket science to guess it would be back to The Taj Lounge. And yes, one year on from our original review it was still a delight to be pampered like the royalty we deserve to be. The menu was slightly changed from before but the experience was still elegant class at Boston's very best.

Holding back the tears we looked back on our year sampling teas on your behalf. Yes, there are some regrets... Why could we never get round to writing reviews of the quick-stop tea shops? Will anyone else ever sum up what bubble tea is all about? Should we have even bothered with the Inn at Harvard? But those few regrets were countered with the pride of having held our own tea-tasting party, having secured access to the wonder of the Athenaeum, and of course having reviewed all of afternoon teas on offer in this town. Well done to us and our worthy project.

And now for the conclusion - the final verdict. Five of the afternoon teas stood out way beyond the others and would be our recommendations to everyone.
* The Taj Lounge for five star luxury
* L'Espalier for culinary majesty
* The Athenaeum for time-travel experimentation
* Upstairs On The Square for funky originality
* The Boston Harbor Hotel for sun-drenched relaxation

We hope we help you enjoy your Sunday afternoons for years to come. Thanks for reading and much love for you and your tea-loving tastebuds. Tom and Hana

P.S. Feel free to keep sending comments and emails to us. We'll still be here to help.