The New Afternoon Tea At Brown Thomas Is A Gorgeous Way To Spoil Yourself This Spring

James Fenton

Walking down a bustling Grafton Street on a busy afternoon, it’s hard to imagine that others are living in the lap of luxury right above your head.

In recent weeks, The Restaurant by Johnnie Cooke in Brown Thomas has been hosting an afternoon tea that really is a chocolate lover’s dream. The eatery has teamed up with Godiva chocolatiers to provide a menu of delectable treats both of the savoury and sweet variety.

Last week, I made my way over to Dublin’s busiest street to sample the menu for myself. Upon arrival, I was shown to my seat in the bright restaurant located on level three of the store and was immediately taken by the presentation of the afternoon tea as well as the amount of choice the menu was offering.

The Restaurant offers a selection of 20 teas from all corners of the world and, feeling like it was the perfect opportunity to try something new, I decided to start with the Shizuoka Sencha, which is described as a ‘typical Japan tea with a fresh, mildly grassy flavour.’

Once I made my order, it was time to get stuck into the fine selection of food on the tray in front of me just waiting to be sampled, starting with the delicious Godiva Chocolate Chips Scones served with mascarpone cream and rose petal jam.

If the rest of the food on offer were as nice as the scones I was in for an absolute treat.

The savoury selection included something for everyone with delicious treats ranging from avocado and shrimp bruschetta to quail egg nests for the more adventurous of guests. The chocolatier, which sells a range of delectable products in the Brown Thomas store, also provides a Godiva Milk Chocolate, Raspberry & Duck Liver Mousse Macaroon which has to be tried before leaving.

The crème de la crème for me on the sweet side of things were the Godiva Chocolate & Raspberry Truffles that were so good I felt like asking for a few more to take home.

The Godiva Afternoon Tea at The Restaurant also provides a selection of champagnes starting at €47.50 which is a great way to top off a delightful day with friends or even by yourself.

Afternoon Tea at The Restaurant will set you back €35 but you’d better be quick as it only runs until April 1. Unfortunately, Saturdays are now fully booked for the rest the run but that’s just a testament to pleasurable experience offered by Johnnie Cooke and his team of expert chefs and chocolatiers.

You can nab your spot by calling The Restaurant at 01-6171163. Find out more information here.