Where: Charleston, South Carolina Style: Rooftop patio Tea Selection: 8 loose leaf teas by Oliver Pluff & Co. Teatimes: Parties of 4 or more, Thursday to Sunday, 11, 1 or 3 Reservations: Required Contact:Reserve here, 843-872-9600 Cost:$85 Lady Loutrel’s Afternoon Tea Destination Tea Tips: There is street parking and nearby public lots. You will check in at the front lobby desk and be escorted to the roof when your table is ready.
Destination Tea Notes: Last May, The Loutrel launched its afternoon tea service, held on its rooftop for parties of four or more. It was a warm, windy day in November when we visited, allowing us to enjoy blue skies, the nearby church bells ringing, and even a C-17 jet flyover (on their way to Clemson for Military Appreciation Day). The afternoon tea here is mostly outsourced from Charleston purveyors, featuring: colored glassware by by Estelle Colored Glass; scones, honey and desserts by Simply Your Desserts, Edisto Gold Honey and Christophe Artisan Chocolatier; and loose leaf teas by Oliver Pluff & Co. The table was beautifully set, the menu was plentiful, and our servers Brenda and Tasha were friendly, spending time to chat and trade life lessons with us. The one major difference we would have preferred, would be for them to have left the teapots with us at the table, especially as we were a larger party, so that we would not have to sit waiting for cups to be refilled. By dessert, we were informed that there was no more hot tea. For a higher priced afternoon tea such as this, we would like to see tea flowing freely throughout the entire meal. With this correction, The Loutrel would be a fun venue for a special occasion al fresco tea party in the more temperate spring and fall seasons.
The designer lobby is where you will check in and wait to be invited up to the rooftop.
Gorgeous flower arrangements and multi-colored table settings await, beneath large umbrellas. We did need the shade, and they were great about repositioning the umbrellas to make sure everyone was covered.
You can see the thought that went into this table’s decoration.
Cousins at a rooftop afternoon tea
Tea Selection
As we were choosing our teas, water and sweet or unsweet iced tea was poured.
Tasha and Brenda presented the teas, inviting us to each choose our favorite.
Tea canisters were passed around to help us choose.
We love that the teas were properly prepared in back and brought out ready to pour. However, we prefer for teapots to remain on the table so that we can keep our cups full without needing the staff’s attention. Before the dessert course, Brenda took several requests for refills, which were never fulfilled. When we asked about it, we were told there was no more hot tea.
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
The pumpkin and cranberry orange scones were tasty and large, but had risen very little.
We appreciated the generous, delicious spreads provided for our scones: real clotted cream, two preserves, lemon curd and local honey. Cleverly, the curd and cream were kept cool over icewater.
Funnily, the two-tiered curates set on the table were not used at our afternoon tea. Instead, these pretty rose Estelle cake plates were used to display each course, one by one.
All of the tea sandwiches were double deckers: Bacon & Cream Cheese, Smoked Salmon with Capers, Chicken Salad, Pimento Cheese and Cucumber Cream Cheese (not pictured). We found that four pretty thick layers of cream cheese in one bite can be a bit much, but these sandwiches were overall enjoyed by most.
While the mini canelés were a bit burnt and overdone, the dessert course overall was full of decadent handmade mini pastries: chocolate truffles, fruit tarts, petits fours and macarons. A medley is offered, not intended to provide one of each to every guest, but we liked that the variety had something for everyone.
We later learned that the nearby belfry with its chiming bells, which added a historic and religious presence to this scene, was of Saint Philip’s Episcopal Church — the oldest congregation in the United States south of Virginia, founded in 1680. Often referred to as the “Westminster Abbey of South Carolina,” this facility was originally built in 1723, and reconstructed in 1838 after a fire.
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What a shame that reservations for two are not available!