For a while now I have wanted to visit Hotel du Vin & Bistro in Birmingham and see what all the fuss was about as it’s a hotel and bistro that is often praised by many in and out of Birmingham. As a lover of food and of course, afternoon tea, I thought now was the time to book myself in to experience and trial Hotel du Vin’s exceptional reputation in Birmingham.

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The Hotel & Bistro is located on Church Street, a great location for travellers who are staying over at the hotel as you have Grand Central station that is just under a 10-minute walk away, you are surrounded by restaurants and bars, and if you had forgottten any essentials ( I always forget pants which is ridiculous but my brain chooses 2 x biscuits in case I feel sick in the night instead of pants, absolute LOLS) you are also surrounded by retail shops, so the location is perfect. Upon entering the Hotel, it does have a fabulous entry that leads to the courtyard where you can dine in, but our afternoon tea took place in the Bistro restaurant which is just darling! It’s elegant and it just oozes Le Paris!

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We were shown to our table and then handed menus to choose which tea we would like to have, I opted for the English breakfast and my friend opted for Earl Grey. They had a pretty impressive variety of drinks on offer that you can have with your afternoon tea, from hot drinks to fancy champagne and Hendricks cocktails. I did nearly choose the “Dozy Girl” tea with lavender and rose petals but we were on a tight schedule as we chose to go in our lunch hour, so we wanted to avoid falling asleep on the keyboard and getting the sack! The tea was served first and it came within 5 minutes, sharp service, I like it!

One of the staff members asked us if we had any allergies and then confirmed we was having vegan (for my friend) and non vegan (for me) afternoon tea. Shortly after, the afternoon tea followed glistering with a range of savouries and sweets and wait, do I spy POPCORN? (I shall not quote Stephen Kings IT…POP POP POP…damn it) Vegan afternoon tea on the top and the non-vegan on the bottom. My eyes lit up and I couldn’t help but sigh with relief when I spotted the sweets because bread is Jesus and the number of afternoon teas I have had and they just plonk a load of cakes on it and have 3 tiny sandwiches?! This certainly wasn’t the case with Hotel du Vin, let’s start with mine first.

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With the non-vegan afternoon tea you get a pretty good selection of finger sandwiches with a variety of fillings.

Cheese and pickle

Coronation chicken

Cucumber and mint

Smoked salmon and cream cheese

Egg and cress

A selection that I was pretty satisfied with. The bread was fresh, the fillings were full of flavour and I enjoyed the variety. Next up was the deserts which to me, are perfectly sized and again, great variety.

Carrot Cake

Paris-Brest

Tutti Frutti macaroon

Black Forest gateau

Rum Baba

Now, the rum baba I never tried because my mother is the Queen of rum baba’s. She is completely obsessed with them, so obsessed that she would try and blackmail my dad in going down to Waitrose and buying her 10 packets of the stuff, “well, I am not making you dinner” whipped by a rum baba, the shame. She did comment on it saying it was delicious but of course, she would have liked a larger portion. Now, the other desserts were absolutely delicious, the Paris-Brest was my favourite and it just complimented my cup of tea so nicely. The black forest was just pleasurable that’s all I am going to say, and the carrot cake took me by surprise but they all did, because there not the sort of desserts I would go for but it sure did tickle my sweet tooth and left me pretty satisfied.

Vegan afternoon tea was quite impressive, again, a very generous and good variety of vegan treats for my friend to tuck into…

Cheese & onion tart

Tempura cauliflower

Vegan scone with peppers

Salted popcorn

and more vegan savoury tarts 

The deserts

Pistachio cake

Chocolate truffle cake

Victoria sponge

Danish pastry

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As a vegan, my friend noted that it is often quite difficult to find a vegan afternoon tea and she was pretty impressed with the selection and variety on offer at Hotel du Vin. Thumb ups on the vegan front. I am a non-vegan and I have to say it did look very appetising and I liked the quirky touch of popcorn…Nope, I am not quoting “IT” again. We also received scones which had me pondering for 5 minutes if they even were scones, they had a glaze on top almost like a donut would have and the texture was also different to a regular scone “I’m not like a regular scone, I am a cool scone” Yes I just quoted Meal Girls but anyway, I’m a fan of the scones! Different but delicious.

The Bistro is absolutely stunning, decorated with wall art and empty wine bottles empowering that rustic feel with a touch of quirk. I would like to mention that the staff at Hotel du Vin are professional and very informative, they check in with you now and again to make sure you are enjoying your experience to the fullest.

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When it comes to Afternoon Tea, Hotel du Vin have got it spot on. The décor, the ambience and the food is stunning here and its priced at £22.50?! in which, I believe is an absolute steal for sensational service and food. In a way, it doesn’t feel like you are dining out in Birmingham more like a French Bistro in an upper-class town in France back in the 1940s. The Afternoon Tea has fought its way into my top 5 Afternoon Teas in Birmingham, for sure! Hotel du Vin is a delightful treat for anyone, If you are a lover of Afternoon Tea then you must, I repeat MUST take a trip to Hotel du Vin & Bistro in Birmingham where you will receive luscious food served to the highest standard surrounded by French charm, it’s a stunning experience for all to enjoy.

Fancy it? you can book your Afternoon tea here

AMY ELIZA