Birthday tea at Hotel Bel Air

This year, since my birthday was on a Friday, I decided to take the day off and asked a couple of friends to join me for afternoon tea at Hotel Bel Air. We'd been to the one at the Peninsula and I love a nice tea. Well, this one outdid all of them!

First, the location is in the rather lush, quiet and secluded enclave of Bel Air. It's a little challenging to drive up there (the other drivers are a little aggressive!) but once there, it's so serene! In the midst of the drought, I haven't seen this much green lush lawn in CA in ages. As soon as you enter the grounds, there is a small bridge over a pond/creek with the famous swans and a few ducks. The landscaping is all green with white flowers. The hotel entry is sort of disguised, as it doesn't seem obvious that it's a hotel reception. The restaurant is just past it, and opens up to a well lit garden setting. Tea is served in small booths giving a wonderful sense of privacy.

The food was fantastic. There were the usual open face sandwiches (salmon, cucumber) but there was also a grilled cheese, mushroom puff, crab slider. Every thing was delicious. I forgot to take a picture of this display.

The next course were the scones, two each. They were the best scones I've ever had! The outsides were crisp and flaky, insides tender and moist and the scone did not crumble into a pile at the slightest touch. They were served with Devonshire cream, French butter and three jams, with the Huckleberry being particularly outstanding.

Before the final course, they brought out a small chocolate cake with 'Happy Birthday' written on the plate. They had asked if we were celebrating a special occasion when I called to reserve. This was a nice touch.

The dessert plate was just as wonderful as the rest of the meal. We were so full, we barely finished our treats, but we took them all home for a nice reminder for tomorrow.

Finally, the women's restroom was incredible. It looked like what might be a super fancy bathroom at your super wealthy friend's house (if you had such a friend).

Here are some pics.