Just had afternoon tea with the family, we were a party of 5. Things got off to a bad start when we weren't seated until 3:30pm for our 3pm reservation. We were offered apologies from the hostess but nothing else.
We were seated in the Russian Red Room at the back and it felt slightly claustrophobic. Tip: When making reservations, ask to be seated in one of the front rooms. They're brighter, newer and much more airy. The Red Room has a slightly worn out feeling to it.
THE GOOD
- Our two servers were very cordial and fairly attentive, no problems whatsoever.
- The tea list is one of the best I have seen in the city. They offer everything from strong black teas (Russian Caravan!) to light white teas and everything in between.
THE BAD
- With a name like Windsor Arms I expected perfection and elegance. The table setting didn't represent that. We had dried tea leaves stuck to some of our serve ware and the "fine" china was so old and tea-stained!
- Although the desserts were pretty fab (except for the macaron which was there more for style than substance) I was greatly disappointed in the sandwiches, scones and berries & cream. They had a mass-produced feel to them and judging by photos from other Yelpers, their menu has not changed in over a year. Instead of sandwiches they had sandwich rolls with gummy, soggy bread. The scones were run of the mill and the accompanying clotted cream had been sitting on the table before we got there so it had an unpleasant "skin" on the surface.
I'm glad I was able to experience Windsor Arms because I have always heard so many good things about their afternoon tea but being a bit of a regular afternoon tea-er, I will most likely stick to my old hotel faves like Park Hyatt and Royal York.