Viva Brighton Issue #30 August 2015

food...........................................Pavilion Tea RoomCream tea, Regency stylePhoto by Alex LeithUnfortunately it’s raining when we visit thePavilion to try out the Pavilion Tea Rooms, andmuch as we beg the charismatic manager there, hestands firm that it’s not a good idea to sup tea andeat scones al fresco in a cloud of drizzle. “Everyonewill want to go,” he says. “I’ve got to think of thecarpets downstairs.”No worries; we approach a counter which is heavingwith cakes and other sweet-tooth delicacies andchoose from the ample menu: two of us go for thecream tea, the other for a Bakewell Tart.The tea arrives in ornate cast-iron pots, the cakes ona three-tiered tray contraption that screams ‘specialoccasion’, and (the following verb seems particularlyapt in this case) we tuck in. Yum. The large sconesare freshly home-made, there’s plenty of clottedcream, and the jam comes in little pots. There followsthe inevitable discussion about jam or creamfirst: I favour the latter option, damn me if you will.There’s an amiable decadence about the ritual ofcrafting every bite with a silver knife, and washing itdown with tea kept hot in a period pot.You have to pay to visit the Pavilion to visit its tearooms, which, the Pavilion being the Pavilion, isno bad thing. I get the chance to go again the following(sunny) day to take the photo you can seeabove. On this occasion I do sit outside, and repeatthe process again, with a much better view, idlywondering whether to buy myself an annual membership,so I can make this a monthly treat. AL....76....