Overall Score 8/10
Taste 4/5
Ambiance 5/5
Service 5/5
Value 3/5
Peninsula Afternoon High Tea on BUmRes.com (For more pictures and menu)
In Thailand, the tradition of sipping tea and relaxing al
fresco style in the afternoon rarely exists and usually only available in
hotels and some classy café in the hearts of Bangkok. The delight of afternoon tea is part of the
British culture for a few centuries. Among
the variety of teas and ways to formally enjoy a cup of tea in the afternoon, the
Tea etiquettes are surprisingly complex; like cream tea to be enjoyed with
scones, jam, and cream; and light tea with scones and sweets; while raising up
the pinkies for balance, which will complicate the laid back culture of Thai
people. Moreover, the hot climate in
Thailand may not be pleasing enough to sit outdoor and sip tea. Nonetheless, hotels and cafes in Thailand
still serve High Tea in the air conditioned setting and can be just as
pleasurable for the hi so crowd who follows the classy trend of the
Westerners. At the lobby of the
Peninsula Hotel Bangkok, afternoon high tea is served on regular basis. Seating is available indoor as well as on the
patio overlooking the Chao Phraya River.
An afternoon tea custom never once came across my enthusiastic, so this
review occasion was unusual and unexpectedly impressed me greatly.
To see all the coffee shops prevailing in every corner of
this financial center with working individuals rushing to grab and go a cup of
coffee and continue with their work routine, the afternoon tea culture appears
to be quite difficult to fit into their everyday life– not only in Thailand but
many economy driven cities around the world.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are rice folks who have more
leisure lifestyle that would often value the pleasure of afternoon tea. Besides these folks, there are westerners
traveling to Thailand who cares to carry out this fine custom. But for the larger group of locals, it is
merely impractical for them to formally enjoy the English afternoon tea
regularly. However, the afternoon tea at
the Peninsula Hotel Bangkok could be a great choice for a special occasion or
for a business discussion.
At the lobby of the Peninsula Hotel Bangkok, there is
traditional afternoon tea set or what is formally called High tea, which
usually comprised of savory, scones, and sweet items stacking on three
levels. The price for the set is 800++
baht. The tea can be ordered on the
side, so as other hot and cold beverages.
In the month of February, the hotel created a special set for the
Chinese New Year. The Chinese Afternoon
Tea set for 888++ baht. Eight is a
number for wealth and prosperity in Chinese culture. The review is on both traditional and
Chinese.
I was with two other friends. We all ordered different types of drink. I had the Lychee Black tea. At first I wanted a coffee but then I thought
again. This occasion is to experience
the afternoon tea tradition, why order coffee.
My fruity tea was amazing. The
taste was rich and subtle, came with the delightful and fruity aroma of the
lychee. The other two drinks on the
table were Mango Black and Hot Latte. I
would assume that the Mango Black is similar to mine except it would have the
Mango scent. For the Latte, my friend
was so in love with it. He said that his
coffee was way better, Starbucks had no chance to compare. Well, good to hear that. After enjoying the drinks, we were getting
pretty excited for the High Tea set.
Firstly, I will review the Traditional Afternoon Tea Set,
which available all year long. The items
in the set are newly created every six months or so, which I think is
great.
Traditional Afternoon Tea Set (Menu change every 6 months)
Pastries
- Mango cheese cake cube – the cheese part was rich and milky
and the crust was ordinary
- Banatoffee chocolate – comes in the pyramid shape. I didn’t know there was liquid stuffing, so
it was a nice surprise. Good blend of
banana, chocolate, and a hint of alcohol.
- Almond, lemon and raspberry macarone – the texture wasn’t
right, almost hollow inside and too sweet.
- Grand-Marnier and carrot cake – standard carrot cake
- Exotica and strawberry finger food – The best one so far, in
terms of look and taste. The layers of
variety were fascinating. I liked the
complexity of textures and flavors.
Awesome sweet.
- Sesame puff pastry roll with porcini sausage – It was
delicious. My friend loved it.
Scones
Raisin scones with home-made clotted cream and strawberry
jam - clot cream – I have never had too many scones in my life but I must say
that this is the best I ever had.
Especially with the wildgoose berry jam and clot cream. Remarks the clot cream, it was the real
thing, surely fattening but absolutely to die for.
Savory
- Egg and mayonnaise "wrapped" – wrapped with
cucumber into egg shape, cut in half.
The stuffing is mostly boiled egg.
It looked so good but tasted bland.
- Ham and cheese multigrain bread – This one was just
delicious. Good bread.
- Smoked salmon and chive cream cheese – It was slightly
salty. Salmon was average, standard
good.
- Puff pork porchini - We all loved this one the most.
This other set was for the Chinese New Year festival, supposedly
a popular High Tea for the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.
Peninsula Chinese Afternoon Tea Set (Available 1 Feb - 28
Feb 2013)
Pastries
- Mango pudding – basic pudding, nice and soft texture.
- Lotus and sesame dumpling – had a good sesame scent. Only if had it while it was hot, it would be
much better. We waited too long.
- Traditional egg tart – the filling was nicely done. The size could be bigger, too much tart crust
than the filling.
- Red bean "8" macarone – was similar to the
macaroni in the traditional set. Skin
and inside were not together, almost hollow inside, and again too sweet.
- Chinese pear and brown sugar soft cake – wasn’t my favorite
but I guess the soft texture could be enjoyable for many.
Scones
- Chinese mandarin scones with home-made clotted cream and
wolfberry-strawberry, lychee honey –
The scones are just as great as the ones in the traditional
set. I spread some clotted cream and jam
on there and it was perfect.
Savory
- BBQ pork pastries – was a tasty one. The pork was rich and flavorful. The pastry made it even better.
- Sesame seed bread roll with black pepper beef – this was an
enjoyable one as well.
- Wok-fried boneless chicken "Peking style" Szechuan
pepper bread – The bread was a bit chewy.
The overall taste was the combination of East and West. Szechuan style chicken was a little bit
spicy.
- Seared Chinese turnip pudding with XO sauce – Its jelly
texture wasn’t awkward. Usually the
turnip at Chinese restaurants has better texture with the beans and veggies
filling.
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