Sense and Sensibility

While British cuisine is often code for dull, bland… inedible, life affords few higher pleasures than afternoon tea, that exquisite indulgence in scones, crumpets, petit fours and crustless sandwiches over fragrant pots of tea at 4-5 PM. This quintessential British ritual, born in the early 1800s in the late afternoon cravings of the 7th Duchess of Bedford, was once a strictly private ceremony. Today, the practice is perpetuated in tea rooms and hotels throughout the U.K. and the former British colonies.

Even breezy, “hang 10” Tel Aviv, with its sandy, dog-friendly cafes, is home to a single oasis of white tablecloths, hushed conversation, porcelain tea cups and antique silver spoons.

In other words, Hotel Montefiore.

Hotel Montefiore’s flawless Happy Hour & Afternoon Tea, held every day between 5-7 PM, is an elegant, luxurious haven from the 24/7 rush of the cultural capital. Situated in a meticulously-restored 1920s building on a tree-lined street off of Rothschild Boulevard, pristine Hotel Montefiore breathes with quiet efficiency and Old World decorum.

Alongside your choice of excellent coffee, tea or bubbly, you may expect silver trays laden with profiteroles, whiskey chocolate mousse, airy scones, tart berry preserves, smooth clotted cream, smoked salmon blinis, olives and cheese and antipasti finger sandwiches—all for the price of a single beverage.

Seated on a plush leather chair, slowly sipping tea from the daintiest porcelain cup, one would be remiss not to relish the true gift of afternoon tea: the unrushed moment.

Happy Hour & Afternoon Tea, Hotel Montefiore, 36 Montefiore Street.
03-564-6100

www.hotelmontefiore.co.il | Facebook

Photo credit: Tal Sivan Ziporin.