The tea and treats (mini sandwiches, pastries and scones were fabulous. Our waiter was the only one working in the afternoon tea section and soon was overwhelmed. We felt sorry for him as a couple of the other patrons were getting upset with the wait time. The restaurant is in a great section of London located right next to Hyde Park. read more

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Podium Restaurant & Bar is located in the London Hilton on Park Lane, the upscale Mayfair five-star hotel. It is the main restauraunt serving the hotel, which serves the hotels cooked breakfast and Afternoon Tea, and a regular menu in-between As expected with the central London, Mayfair location and the hotel it is located in, Podium is pretty high end but it is worth it for the experience, especially if you're staying at the hotel so might qualify for the discounted breakfast rate in with the room rate, or perhaps pick up a Groupon to receive 241 on Afternoon Tea, this is what I used and instead of paying £39 each, I managed to pick up my Afternoon Tea for the same price for two people. The Afternoon Tea is highly regarded due to the pastry chefs here winning Masterchef Professionals recently, because of this I had ultra high standards and sadly they weren't met, they did do a good job in creating different pastries and unique ones, for my gluten-free diet and my friends regular one, but I found them to be a little sickly. The Afternoon Tea was presented differently too, with a huge emphasis on the desserts with the open sandwiches served first, which I feel were probably the highlight, after removing a prawn and lettuce sandwich (I tried it in the executive lounge's afternoon tea and didn't like it) for the coronation chicken and pineapple, I was pleased with most of my sandwiches other than the smoked salmon and horseradish sandwich, which I feel wasn't a good combination as the horseradish' flavour tasted disgusting, and didn't go well with the smoked salmon I normally love. I feel cream cheese would have complimented the smoked salmon better than horse-radish, however, the chefs come up with a cool and innovative sandwich of cucumber and cream cheese, with generous toppings of most making a fantastic sandwich. The other sandwiches were a ham and tomato chutney, both home-made and great quality again and a coronation chicken and pineapple, the latter is another bold and maverick combination but one I still enjoyed. The selection of teas were pretty much standard and nothing too exciting, bold or impressive which I've had before at other Afternoon Teas from Hilton or other hotels. The decor of Podium is slightly old-fashioned, which definitely contracts the other Podium in the UK, located in the Hilton Manchester Deansgate which is pretty modern, I feel it could definitely do with a refurb of some sort, it does remind me a lot of the Hilton London Green Park's restauraunt which is currently being refurbished over a long period with the rest of the hotel, The hotel breakfast served here was also good, and I really liked the fact there was freshly squeezed orange juice you can squeeze yourself in the machines, although maintenance of the machine could have been better. I also didn't like the fact the staff weren't proactive in offering to get extras including hot beverages straight away, but the staff here did seem friendly as I began speaking to a rather friendly Italian server about football, who supported Napoli. I did have an issue in the waiting time for extras, it just took too long on my second day I ended up having to wait over 20 minutes for my omelette, which once served was far too gooey and cheesy despite asking for less cheese - dissapointing especially for the ultra high end price of £30 per person for breakfast. Breakfast is served until 11 so that is a bonus if you enjoy eating later or sleeping in, or like me both! It does have its' flaws but Podium at the London Hilton on Park Lane is a great hotel restauraunt, although it is a different class from the Glavin at Windows on the 28th floor (michellin starred restauraunt with better views compared to this one with no view), it still was pretty good none the less and anything less than a four-star rating would surely be an insult, I do think the price of certain aspects of the experience is too high however and it isn't matched by the waiting times and/or service which does let it down. read more

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Great value for their afternoon tea. I was so stuffed beyond belief. The tea was amazing too. Service was kind and proper but struggling on speed because it was just one server trying to handle quite a few tables. Occasionally the manager came to help. I'm glad I chose this place as my afternoon tea option for my short visit to London. read more

Too sweet for me but staffs were really kind so I had a nice time there. Normally we can drink a pot tea but this restaurant serve two pods of tea, which made me more enjoyable. read more

Came here for an evening meal using a Groupon voucher which made it excellent value. Decour and atmosphere could do with a bit of work, but other than that it was a lovely meal. Food was excellent (scallop starter, duck and lentils for main and apple creme brulee for dessert) read more

Podium Restaurant & Bar - Scallop starter - British Near Me - London, XGL

Went this afternoon for tea. Podium is located Inside the Hilton hotel on Park Lane. Waiter -Bogdan he was originally from Romania, he was very attentive, helpful & polite The food was very good - a lovely selection of open faced sandwiches which is a brilliant idea. (Not too much bread) The pate/ham & prawn cocktail were my favourites. My husband loved the cucumber & cream cheese. The smoked salmon was super fresh & melted in our mouth. Devine They offered more sandwiches if you liked which was a nice surprise. Then the cakes & scones came on a pretty 3 tiered tower. I had requested gluten free & my bread & scones were delicious. This was the best desert tray I think I've ever been served as it was packed solid of goodies - there was a winter wonderland theme & it was pretty spectacular. It had layers of chocolate & endless little icing treats. There was a little edible fence that sat on chocolate layers, adorable sweets to look like toadstool, trees & pretty shapes. Every inch was edible. We weren't able to eat it all and so they packed up what we had left in an adorable box for us to take home. I would very much recommend eating here. The only thing that spoilt our afternoon & the reason I deducted 1 * was as you walk into Podium the bar is on your right - a large crowd went into the bar & stayed 35 - 45 mins - they were very drunk, extremely noisy, screaming, cursing & overall very offensive - we were baffled that no one told them to leave or at least quieten down, yet there were plenty of staff. I got up to use the bathroom & literally had to push to get past them as they were so drunk they didn't see or care to see me. It was a shame as it totally put a damper on our afternoon having to listen & put up with such ill behaviour. In fact I am finding it extremely hard to believe that a nice hotel as the Hilton on Park Lane in Mayfair allowed that kind of behaviour. read more

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Podium is the hotel restaurant at the Hilton Park Lane. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. I went there for both lunch and dinner. As far as the food goes, it is all very basic stuff, but they do a good job with the execution part. The breakfast was the typical big hotel buffet spread and the service was very attentive. When I went for lunch, the service was also very good. I had a chicken club sandwich with a side of chips. Nothing special, but the sandwich was very good. The prices here are on the high side, however. My lunch for a sandwich, soda and water was over £23, £17 for the sandwich. The one downer on this place aside from the prices is the décor. It is straight out of generic hotel restaurant central casting, very sterile and not much atmosphere. However, the food and service was very good and I guess they are well known for their afternoon tea service. It is always a good thing to have a solid restaurant in your hotel. read more

Nice afternoon tea! Started off with the sandwiches, which were all fantastic. They are also unlimited so I did get a second tray of sandwiches. Then, they brought out the tower of scones, pastries and desserts. Scones were very fresh, and I enjoyed the various textures of the desserts and pastries. The champagne was very good, and so was the tea. Make sure to try the nutty chocolate tea, as It compliments the desserts nicely. Maybe this place isn't as upscale as the Ritz, but it was still good. read more

This was a lovely taster of the Podium Resurant. The bread was delishous. Half Brown and half white and both as scrumptious as the other. I had deep fried seabass with coleslaw for start with was so yummy the fish was beautifully cooked and salmon with samphire and squid ink pasta which was very nice and very filling. The evening was enjoyable the music wasn't too load so you could talk easily. The service was good and everyone was friendly. I think i would recommend this but there was a bit of an air of superiority coming off the other dinners which was a little off putting. read more

Podium Restaurant & Bar - British Near Me - London, XGL

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I am staying at Hilton park lane and decided to stop by the breakfast buffet. They offered scrambled eggs, potatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, black pudding, sausage, miso soup, porridge, fruit, yogurt, baked goods, a half dozen types of smoothies. My description isn't doing it justice. There are lots of options. Everything I tried was very good. read more

Absolutely flawless service, I felt like royalty. The treats were exceptionally delicious, the choice of teas exquisite and I was particularly impressed by the strawberry jam (jam doesn't feel like the right word, is there a superlative special word for this strawberry paste of the Gods?) and the chocolate spread (makes nutella looks like Sainsbury's Basics brown goo). read more

We had the Dover Sole...one of the best pieces of fish I have had in a long time. Pan fried with a beautiful lemon sauce. For dessert our server recommended the apple raspberry chocolate pastry. Amazing. The Staff was so very nice. read more

Podium Restaurant & Bar - Amazing dessert! Apple Raspberry white Chocolate Ganache. - British Near Me - London, XGL

For photos see Greedy Diva @ http://greedydiva.blogspot.com/2010/10/podium-restaurant-london-hilton-on-park.html When the alarm goes off on Monday morning, it will be Chocolate Week. Yes, Chocolate Week. This week was British Egg Week, and that was fun (who doesn't like a nutritious omelette)? But in the end, Egg Week is the sensible Birkenstock of Weeks compared to the frivolous, fancy and blatantly indulgent Manolo of Weeks that is Chocolate Week. Chocolate Week has got to be one of the best excuses to make like Augustus Gloop that was ever invented. My trusty "if-it-involves-chocolate-and-champagne-you-know-my-number" friend, the inimitable Ms P, was surprisingly quick to put up her hand to help me mark the occasion. We were invited down to Podium Restaurant at the London Hilton on the Park for a preview of 2 special afternoon tea packages: The White Chocolate Afternoon Tea (available during Chocolate Week, from 11-17 October 2010) and the Halloween Afternoon Tea (available from 18-31 October 2010). We also cast our eye over the regular Confessions of a Chocoholic Afternoon Tea. The decor at the Podium Restaurant is not as glamourous and swanky as you might experience (and pay for) at The Ritz or Claridges. And the melodious live piano tunes that accompany your meal are actually emanating from an organ rather than the grand piano that your ear anticipates. But the setting is relaxed and contemporary, the quality and service are excellent. And, as you nibble daintily on your chocolate chips scones with Devonshire clotted cream, it's easy to visualise a grand piano at all times. Savoury starters include open sandwiches - egg and cress, Foreman's smoked salmon with horseradish, honey roast ham and Pommery mustard, prawn mayonnaise and baby gem lettuce and cucumber with cream cheese and chives. Each is lovely, but not earth shattering, and perhaps the ham sandwich is a bit of a plain Jane. But we are not here for ham. Our triple decker tiered stands of pure, chocolately indulgence then arrive. Normally, it's one between two, but we're not taking any chances and we road test two between us. The White Chocolate arrangement is stunning - so much so, that another table comes over to take a photo. Our eyes are immediately drawn to the gorgeous white chocolate tea pot on the top deck. It is surrounded by lychee, raspberry, rosewater mousse and sugared diamonds, white chocolate millefeuille with griottine cherries, a cone of marshmallow and white chocolate ganache, pineapple crumble with white chocolate jelly and a vanilla and white chocolate macaroon. It's all girly, dainty and delicious. That's just the top shelf. Underneath, we have 4 cupcakes - chocolate and banana, and milk chocolate and raspberry. And finally, a selection of scones - plain, fruit and chocolate chip, served with clotted cream, strawberry jam and praline chocolate. (The upcoming menu also advertises a white chocolate and raspberry scone.) The Halloween Afternoon Tea has more of a childish appearance, but loses nothing in taste. The cupcakes are dark chocolate and orange, and gooey toffee - the flavours are quite mild and hard to detect, other than in the icing, which is probably a good thing to avoid the experience becoming too sickly sweet. The top shelf fancies are "miniature toffee apples" (which are actually glaced cherries), an almond paste pumpkin, a dark chocolate witch hat, a white chocolate and raspberry dome and a blood orange chocolate bat. All the chocolatey bits are made in-house with Valrhona chocolate (70% cocoa), and - this is possibly the best bit - the top shelf of each stand is presented on a large, edible chocolate plate. If you can't get through it all (we couldn't and we're seasoned veterans), you are even presented with quite a glamourous "doggy bag" to take home the leftovers. Oh, yes the tea. All teas are from the Harney & Sons - we tried the Hilton Afternoon Tea blend which is designed to accompany the chocolate afternoon teas (full flavoured and smokey) and, my favourite, the elegant Imperial Earl Grey. I loved the timers which also allowed us to known when to pour for mild, medium or strong tea. The Podium Restaurant's Chocolate Week Afternoon Tea (available 11-17 October 2010) and Halloween Afternoon Tea (available 18-31 October 2010) cost £25 - great value for a gorgeously indulgent way to while away a wintery afternoon. The restaurant also offers its standard "Confessions of a Chocaholic" afternoon tea at all times for £22.50 (or £29.50 with a glass of champagne). All afternoon teas are available daily from 2pm-6pm. read more

The chocolate afternoon tea is divine. Plenty of food for 2/3 people as the cakes are quite rich. Beautifully presented and very creative compared to afternoon teas I've had elsewhere! Will please any chocoholic . read more

Podium Restaurant & Bar - Sandwich selection with the afternoon tea. - British Near Me - London, XGL

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Went along here to have a chocolate afternoon tea at the Podium restaurant in the hotel. The furnishing is ok maybe a little outdated looking. First of all you are served sandwiches along with your chosen tea. There are many different teas to choose from passion fruit, hazelnut, etc. and you can have as many pots of tea you like thoughout. If you don't like tea you can have coffee instead. The sandwiches are open sandwiches and all ingrediants are set on colourful bread for instance there was a curried yellow bread with egg, a green bread with ham on it etc. After the sandwiches you are served your cake stand with many scones and cakes. There was chocolate chip scones, plain scones, raspberry cupcake, lollipops, white edible plate etc that you get to eat. All very delicious. On the day we went Sunday there was also a singer singing and she was playing a guitar she sang and played beautifully. The only reason I give this place 4 stars though is I was cross that the member of staff that brought our cake stand out did not explain to us what each cake was but she did with everyone else she just slammed ours down and ran off. I felt she was rude so I had to complain about her. We was then sent over someone to explain all the cakes and a apology from the other member of staff. From then of we had someone coming up to us practically every 5 minutes to see if we was alright and can we get you anyting else. I also only give the restaurant 4 stars as I felt the place is a little outdated. read more

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Wow this was so disappointing. From check in to check out. A quick lunch was needed - simple starter and soup, so slow - haphazard and ambivalent service , I had to rush out and pay at door without a query about my experience at all. Food was fine but I'll not be returning I'm afraid. read more

AMAZING AFTERNOON TEA!!! My absolute favorite in the area. You can't go wrong...trust me! I have been there half a dozen times and am impressed every time. We also went there for dinner with a groupon that I had. Food was fabulous and fresh and the groupon was so cheap! I like this restaurant... you won't be disappointed...highly recommend. read more