Yesterday afternoon I had some time to kill between a meeting & my Cath Kidston Craft event (more on that later!). Oxford City Guide had tweeted that The Rose had been listed as one of the top ten tea rooms in Britain. So I thought I’d give it a go. I like tea & cake so it seemed like a win-win. I read through the menu beforehand, obviously, and saw a few things that I could eat. Off I went.
Upon arrival, I was greeted by a very nice waitress. The tea room wasn’t too full but it wasn’t empty either. I was given a tea menu but was torn between a sandwich & a cake. I had to ask for the sandwich menu but went for a delicious flour-less chocolate & almond cake. It came with a decent sized dollop of cream on the side. I opted for the Assam tea. It was lush. And the pot seemed to go on for ever & it didn’t stew. I stayed for a while, reading my book. The only thing it could’ve done with was a little bit more atmosphere – maybe a bit of music. When I was ready to go, I paid my bill & popped to the loo. The stairs were, um, small but this wasn’t the worst thing. When I got downstairs there was a hideous smell. It made me feel sick. If I’d gone down there first, I wouldn’t have been able to stay. I needed fresh air. The loos are tiny & the hand drier isn’t positioned well. A bit of a let down & it spoilt my time there. I’ve been in way better tea rooms & The Rose doesn’t fit into my top 10. Maybe top 15, but that’s as far as it’d go.
