Sunday 2 September 2012

Afternoon Tea At The Missoni Hotel, Edinburgh


Situated on the historic Royal Mile, in the heart of the beautiful Scottish capital; Edinburgh you will find the cosmopolitain Hotel Missoni. Hotel Missoni has the exclusive tag of being the only five star hotel on the Royal Mile; and is the debut hotel from The Razidor Hotel Group who specialise in exceptional service and the luxury fashion house, Missoni. 


To date there are currently only two Hotel Missoni's worldwide; one in Kuwait that opened in March 2011, that is designed to embody the flair of the country through design and bold, bright colours and the original in Edinburgh. Hotel Missoni, Edinburgh first opened its doors in June 2009, and since then the hotel has continued to make a prominent mark. The list of prestigious awards that can be attributed to the Hotel is very impressive; the most notable awards are Hotel Missoni being voted Europe's leading New Hotel of the year in 2010 at the World Travel Awards, coming runner up for the trendiest hotel in Europe at the Trip advisor Travellers' Choice Awards in 2011, and the hotel being named 'Boutique Hotel Of The Year' at the Scottish Hotel Awards in 2011. All of these awards further ratify why the Missoni Hotel is widely regarded as one of the most desirable destinations in Scotland.


Undeniably; a degree of this popularity must be attributed to the stunning hotel decor that has been carefully selected by one of the original founders of the Missoni label; Rosita Missoni. Rosita has combined over six wondrous floors the unmistakable Missoni prints with the work of designers that she personally admires including Marcel Wandes, Eero Saarien and Arne Jacobson. A touch that I personally adore; and believe helps to further confirm the exclusive designer touch on the hotel is that some items that can be discovered in the hotel for example Hans J Wegner's Wishbone Chair can also be found in Rosita's own home.

In light of the above; Chelsie and I on a recent weekend break to Edinburgh could not resist stopping by for a spot of Missoni styled afternoon tea! At the Missoni Hotel; afternoon tea is a glorious affair with the menu incorporating the spirit of Italy from which the designer label has its roots. Afternoon tea is served in the fabulous 'Bar Missoni' which is located in the hotel lobby and is both modern and contemporary in style with an open and relaxed atmosphere.


The Missoni Hotel is easily recognisable; the building is modern, and airy with lots of windows allowing natural daylight to pour through. As we approached the entrance of the hotel; we were greeted warmly by the doorman who was dressed in a traditional Scottish kilt, but with the Missoni signature striped print which was very handsome. I must admit; Chelsie and I were immediately taken aback by the beauty of the hotel; the simple yet effective colour scheme combined with the atmosphere of the hotel really reinforced that this is a place to be seen! Our waitress Hannah; directed us to an intimate table, with a cute tea light. We were offered a glass of either still or sparkling water to refresh our pallets, before being talked through the different afternoon tea varieties available. The varieties included afternoon tea without an alcoholic drink, afternoon tea with a glass of draught Prosecco or afternoon tea with a glass of rose Prosecco/ Ferrari Spumante accompanied with chocolate dipped strawberries. Whilst Hannah spoke, out of the corner of my eye I noticed the barman creating delicious looking cocktails for some other guests; so Chelsie and I decided to indulge in selecting one of the cocktails from the menu to enjoy with our afternoon tea. We both selected the sentential 'Rabarbaro' which is a light, fruity cocktails with a gorgeous summery aroma.


Before delivering our afternoon tea to us; Hannah showed an exceptional level of customer care even going as far as to lay our napkins over our laps for us. Our afternoon tea was presented on a bold black and white three tiered stand adorned with captivating treats. A touch that I really liked is the Missoni afternoon tea mimics the fashion world; in which the design and contents change depending on the season. Hannah proceeded to talk us through the contents of the different tiers; the bottom tier was savoury and included the following homemade finger sandwiches- Focaccia with grilled artichoke, eggs and mayo, Brown bread with Scottish smoked salmon, soft cheese and chives, brown bread with red onion confit, spinach and cheese, piadina bread with prosciutto from Tuscany scattered with plump, black olives imported from Scilly. The middle tier contained freshly baked plain and fruit scones with clotted cream and jam; we were told that freshness is integral to the Missoni afternoon tea and the scones were only baked upon our order. The top tier our favourite tier contained a selection from the pastry chef- mini homemade ice cream, pistachio cake with olive oil and polenta, pink praline macaroons with white chocolate ganache, bigne with sabayon and guru de cacao and mini bomboloni with custard.

All cutlery used at the afternoon tea is available for purchase at the hotel
Following this we were left to enjoy our afternoon tea in plenty of time; the intense freshness, care and detail taken into the creation of each and every item in the afternoon tea selection is truly evident in the taste. Keeping inline with personal preference, Kate and I requested that our tea be served with our desserts which Hannah was more then happy to oblige with. The tea selection at Missoni has a considerable degree of variety ranging from the classic 'Earl Grey' to the zero caffeine, high in anti oxidant 'Rooibos'. Kate selected 'Fantastia' which combines rosehip, orange, hibiscus, apple and sunflower petals blended with blood orange to yield a bold red tea with a distinct enjoyable taste, whilst I selected the 'Breakfast' tea which is comprised of ceylon, darjeeling and assam.

As we sipped on our tea, taking in our surrounding whilst enjoying each tier we both felt incredibly content. There was not one item on the menu we did not enjoy, but we did mutually agree on some favourites that are unmissable: piadina bread with prosciutto from Tuscany, the fruit scones baked to perfection and the pink praline macaroons oozing with dreamy white chocolate ganache.

Kate and I really enjoyed our Missoni afternoon tea experience! We firmly agree that this is the ultimate fashion afternoon tea; and a must for any Missoni fans. This afternoon tea would be a perfect birthday treat, a sophisticated hen party stop (making full use of the extensive cocktail selection of course!) or an intimate catch up with friends. 



Missoni Afternoon Tea is Served daily from 2:30pm – 5:30pm 

Dietary requirements can be taken consideration but notice must be given ASAP.

£20.50 per person
£25.70 per person with a glass of draught prosecco 

£29.70 per person with a glass of rose prosecco and chocolate dipped strawberries 

£34.45 per person with a glass of Ferrari spumante and chocolate dipped strawberries 

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