Art Afternoon Tea at The Merrion, Dublin

During my recent trip to Dublin my husband and I were kindly invited to review an Art Afternoon Tea at The Merrion Hotel.The Merrion is a five star hotel encompassing four restored Georgian Townhouses and is situated in the heart of Dublin city close to Merrion gardens. The hotel has the largest privately owned 19th and 20th art collection in Ireland and is famed for their art afternoon tea.

Firstly, I have to say that The Merrion has to be one of the most luxurious hotels I've ever had the pleasure of dining at. The chandeliers glistened, the decor was out of this world and I could easily sit and admire the paintings all day. The staff were really polite and accommodating and the atmosphere felt really relaxed.

My husband and I were seated on a large comfortable sofa overlooking the grand fire place and within minutes were presented with the Art Afternoon Tea tea menu. I opted for the Jasmine Pearl tea as I like fruity and floral aromas and my husband chose a whiskey and cocoa tea. The whiskey tea had a smokey, rich flavour and tasted like autumn in a cup. It was fiery, rich and full of intense flavour and it was surprisingly easy to drink - it was one of the most warming and comforting cups of tea I have had.

I often feel nervous about telling waiters that I'm vegetarian. Some of them are really helpful and others panic and try to chuck dishes together that somehow don't work. As a vegetarian, I felt more than welcome at The Merrion. They made me a special plate of sandwiches, all of which had the same amount of thought and presentation put into them as the meaty dishes and all of which tasted delightfully fresh. The sandwiches above are: cream cheese and cucumber, asparagus and cream cheese on rye bread, a brioche bun with egg mayonnaise, mozzarella and pesto and a classic cheese and tomato.

The second course consisted of scones and jam and  a variety of cakes including: Battenberg, Lemon Cake and Fruit cake.  The scones were a perfect size for an afternoon tea and tasted fresh out of the kitchen. The previous afternoon teas I have had have all been great, but the scones have been so big that they could have been a meal on their own. The Battenberg was really yummy and I loved all the different colours they had.

The piece de resistance was the Art Afternoon tea course that was presented after the traditional afternoon tea. Each of these desserts were created to replicate some of the paintings around The Merrion. When the dish was presented, we were given a card naming the piece of art and at the back, it told us the name of the dessert. I loved this special twist on the traditional afternoon tea and I enjoyed seeing all the detail the chef that put into the desserts.  The Art Afternoon Tea is €36 and I think it is really good value for money to say you get a large pot of tea (we drank three cups each), an ample amount of sandwiches and a hefty amount of desserts. 

Our visit to The Merrion hotel was definitely a highlight of our Dublin trip and I would go back there in a heartbeat. If you're looking for delicious food, Instagram worthy decor and fantastic service,  I would highly recommend this place.