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Not only is it Afternoon Tea Week (12-18 August) but Dalchini in Wimbledon is 25 years old this year and starting their anniversary celebrations! We visited this week to sample their new Indo-Chinese afternoon tea, and to see the beginning of the preparations for their anniversary year including their new Speakeasy which opened in May.
Dalchini (meaning cinnamon) opened in 2000 in its present location at 174 Arthur Road, Wimbledon, right opposite Wimbledon South on the District Line. Inside, the spacious restaurant is open 364 days a year with air conditioning. We were seated by the large opening windows at the front of the premises – ideal for people watching! The afternoon tea (£17.95 each or £34.95 for two) includes a choice of two sandwiches from a choice of 4 fillings, a choice between Crispy Chilli Garlic Paneer or Sesame Prawn Toast, Aloo Mutter Samosas, raisin and cheese scones with jam and cream and a selection of cakes and muffins including Chocolate Brownies, Fruit Tea Cake and Chocolate Muffins. The photos show the complete selection on the menu as a special taster but this was way too much for us, so the choice between the different sandwich fillings and savoury snacks is welcome.
The sandwiches are a mixture of vegetarian (Mediterranean vegetables and cheese & cucumber) and two types of chicken (pepper chicken and honey mustard chicken) use the Indo-Chinese spices to add delicious flavour that you simply can’t make at home! We loved the prawn toasts too, which come with chilli sauce and like all the food on the Afternoon Tea, is made completely in house. In fact, even the bread is baked in house! The samosas and paneer pieces are also fabulous, with a mint or tamarind chutney to accompany.
The two different types of scone (Cheddar cheese and raisin scones) are also freshly baked and you can really taste the freshness. There’s strawberry jam and cream with them too. Finally, there are so many cakes it’s hard to keep up! The cakes are baked in house and include a chocolate brownie, dry fruit tea cake and vanilla and chocolate muffins. My favourite was probably the dry fruit tea cake which was full of almonds, nuts and dried fruits like raisins and currants. There’s an impressive list of teas as well, where we opted for the traditional Flavoured Black Tea which is similar to English Breakfast, or the refreshing Fruit Tea called Granny’s Garden – made with fresh summer fruits and infused in a teapot to keep the flavour.
Along with the restaurant upstairs, there’s a new Speakeasy situated downstairs via a secret door too! Seating 40, the underground bar serves their own take on traditional cocktails and has their own beer on tap, along with Cobra and usual spirits. There’s a long table as well as a snug and it’s all air conditioned. Perfectly timed to help celebrate their 25th anniversary and in the run up to Christmas.
Dalchini of Wimbledon add that something different to your Afternoon Tea this week, and with the celebrations coming up for their anniversary, you can be sure there will be more yummy surprises coming up!
£17.95 each or £34.95 for 2: https://www.dalchini.co.uk/afternoon-tea
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