T’Cup might just be the perfect place to celebrate a (non) birthday – alone or with friends, get comfortable in this cosy loft-style cocoon, packed with solid wooden furniture. This mother and daughter team opened the place in 2016 and make everything themselves.
The afternoon tea menu (€21) includes an impressive choice of teas: oriental mint, fruity, smoked, black and green. You can even smell them before you make a decision. Then there’s a procession of sweet and savoury treats on a three-level cake tier, such as finger sandwiches with refreshing salmon, cream cheese and citrus, and egg with mint and cucumber. Decent but not quite up to Queen Elizabeth standard.
It’s the opposite with the scones – still warm, covered in roasted almonds, they come with a pot of churned butter and Wilkin and Sons blackcurrant and orange jam. You won't want to leave a crumb. Choose between brownies, cheesecake, chestnut muffins, carrot cake or tart – all also homemade. The carrot cake is cinnamon-tinged and melt-in-the-mouth but with a pleasant bite (and to die-for creamy frosting).
The lovey-dovey soundtrack wasn’t quite our cup of tea but sometimes you can’t have your cake and eat it too. T’Cup’s strengths are in their sweet treats, but they also do brunch and lunch. We’ll definitely be coming back, not least because it’s a damn sight cheaper than getting a Eurostar for a slice of this classic British custom.