Hong Kong | Afternoon Tea at the Ritz
By Naomi June 02, 2015 afternoon tea, asia, culinary, hong kong, reviews, travel
One calm Wednesday afternoon, the girls and I found ourselves craving some afternoon tea, which is what Hong Kongers like to partake in during lull afternoons, stemming from the fact that +852 was occupied by the British for a good number of years.
Having never done tea at the Ritz before, we found zipping up 103 floors, where the view from the top is literally breathtaking. This picture that I quickly snapped from the gold glided bathroom barely scratches the surface of what it's actually like. A dizzy number of skyscrapers framing the harbor where the water is seemingly unending.
Our original plan was to go to the Bar and Lounge for their afternoon tea set, but was told that we had to make reservations #oops. Talk about planning in advance. Instead, they told us we could go one floor up to Cafe 103 for their special Vanilla themed afternoon tea which they were hosting in conjunction with Pierre Herme.
Despite going for the tea. the highlight was finally solving the question of 'how come tablecloths have no creases". Apparently the solution is not some amazing machine or wrinkle free cloths, but rather hand ironing each one - when its actually draped over the table #magic. Talk about practicality.
We spent the next half an hour gazing wistfully at the empty tables below us, which is where we initially wanted to go for tea.
Soon enough, our tea arrived, and the food came closely behind, presented in an adorably traditional shelving. Everything was infused with vanilla, from the crab-meat sandwiches to the delectable macaron.
While the tea was good, the food was honestly a little underwhelming and too sweet for the price. For those of you who like vanilla, this may be a set you want to look into. Pricing for this particular one starts at 388HKD/person and bubbly is an additional bit on top.
Afternoon teas are one of the best ways to spend a relaxing afternoon in Hong Kong, where the options are endless. If mornings are more your jam, the brunch selection here is amazing as well.
naomi
