A lot of people might look at Waterloo Gardens Teahouse in Cardiff and be put off by the imagined pretension of such a concept, but the reality of the tearoom is that it’s a lot of fun. Filled with a loving dedication to the idea of tearoom heaven and everything that entails, Waterloo Gardens is an experience that easily justifies its slightly steeper price tag.
The sandwiches, scones (the fasted baked good in the world) and cakes are of the highest quality and when you add to that the jam, clotted cream, strawberry slices and handmade chocolates what you get is a full-on taste-bud onslaught of brilliance, and that’s before you even take a sip of your tea.
There’s a large selection to choose from, including the house tea blend and some excellent artisan green teas that are packed to the healthy rafters with big doses of polyphenols and anti-oxidants. Served in their own rebooted style with leaf racks in the teapots and egg timers to determine how long to leave your brew to mash, you get more than just an homage to the history of afternoon tea.
Waterloo Gardens Teashop is also graced with great service from knowledgable waiters and waitresses which brings everything together into a nugget of gold. There are no pretensions, just a lot of dedication, fun and class. Not class as in the difference between the bourgeois and the proletariat, but class as in the stylish heritage of British tea drinking that spanned the entire range of classes, or the way fish and chips on the beach are class (unless you get a big fish bone caught in your gullet and have to reach down past your tonsils to get it out before it causes any serious damage other than bringing tears to your little squinty eyes).
Waterloo Gardens Teahouse review: 4.5/5
