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Brian Dillon & Aoife Raeside

We tried afternoon tea with a manly twist - here's what it was like

Afternoon tea is a tradition that has seen a surge in popularity in recent years.

A slew of Dublin restaurants and cafes offer afternoon tea experiences, many of which are different to anything else you'll get. Perhaps the most unique among the bunch is the Gentleman's Afternoon Tea at The Morrison Hotel.

This experience offers a rather manly alternative to the usual afternoon tea offerings you get. Instead of finger sandwiches and light sandwiches, it's meaty steak sliders, sausage and more.

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Gentleman's Afternoon Tea costs €37 per person and with what you're served, we think it's worth the money. Instead of the usual tiered afternoon tea stand, you get all of your manly bites served on a platter instead.

First, you'll enjoy the savoury bites on the platter which consists of a beef slider, a pork sausage with chilli jam, a 3oz steak sandwich, paprika chips and a smoked rasher and cheese savoury scone with apple chutney. Following that is whiskey chocolate truffles and a salted caramel and honeycomb pot.

Gentleman's Afternoon Tea (Brian Dillon)

All of that is served with a bottle of Wicklow Wolf beer. Altogether, it's a fairly blokeish dining experience, perfectly enjoyable for a man who might be a little too dedicated to his masculine identity to enjoy a finger sandwich.

The jump-out feature for us was the sausage, which was rolled up in the centre of the platter. It was more spiced than your usual breakfast sausage and the pickled gherkin and jalapeno on the skewer were a nice addition.

The slider and steak sandwich were fairly tasty and fresh. Meanwhile the scone was a happy surprise.

Steak sandwich and beef slider at Gentleman's Afternoon Tea (Aoife Raeside)

A raisin scone sandwiching bacon and melted cheese doesn't sound like it should work, but we are happy to report that it does indeed play its part in this unique culinary experience.

The desserts came at a time when our bellies were already feeling stretched from the meaty goodness we had just been enjoying, but after a short break, we were glad to dive right in. First up, it was the whiskey chocolate truffle which came in a small chocolate cup.

Gentleman's Afternoon Tea desserts (Brian Dillon)

The richness of the chocolate mouse paired with the strong whiskey taste makes this a treat that you'll want to slowly enjoy to take in the flavours. Following that is the salted caramel and honeycomb pot, a soft delight that makes for a beautiful finale to the gentleman's Afternoon Tea.

One might be under the impression that the Gentleman's Afternoon Tea platter isn't as substantial as other afternoon tea experiences they've had. That is probably down to its lack of height and grandeur compared to others that come on a tiered stand, but trust us, you will be full to the brim after the Gentleman's Afternoon Tea at The Morrison Hotel.

If you would like to try the experience for yourself, you can book it at morrisonhotel.ie.

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