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Chocolate Afternoon Tea at The Langham – Pasadena

Published

on July 26, 2010

in Afternoon Tea, Pasadena and Restaurant Review

. 17 Comments

Many moons ago, The Astronomer and I won a Blogger Prom raffle prize for chocolate afternoon tea for two at The Langham. We were thrilled to take home such fine swag, but for reasons inconceivable at the moment, the voucher sat unused for almost a year. A week before our prized prize was set to expire, The Astronomer and I finally made a proper reservation and cleared our calendars. When Sunday rolled around, we drove down the street, handed off our wheels to valet, sauntered over to the Lobby Lounge, and readied ourselves for a parade of dainty delights.

The Langham offers a special chocolate afternoon tea service every Sunday from noon to 4 PM. The price is $59 for adults and $29.50 for children. Our midday indulgence began with chilled glasses of Krug champagne. I love how bubbly has the power to transform any old occasion into a celebratory one. Cheers to that!

For my tea, I selected the pear caramel, which was made with Washington State pears blended with black teas from Ceylon and China. It was a touch sweet with hints of vanilla and caramel. The Astronomer’s chocolate mint truffle tea made with rooibos was legitimately chocolatey, while the mint gave it a soothing quality.

As we sipped and chatted, a three-tiered tower arrived at the table. There are many reasons to adore afternoon tea, but my personal favorite are these imposing presentation pieces.

Continue reading ‘Chocolate Afternoon Tea at The Langham – Pasadena’

The Crumpet Shop – Seattle

Published

Gastronomer

on April 10, 2010

in Afternoon Tea, British, Restaurant Review and Seattle

. 11 Comments

If there was one British practice that we should have retained before ousting them from our shores centuries ago, it surely is afternoon tea. I can’t think of a better way to spend the hazy hours between lunch and dinner than indulging in warm tea with clotted cream-slathered scones. As much as I adore the practice, I’ve only been to tea exactly two times in my life. On both occasions I was in a fancy hotel in Saigon [See: Caravelle and Park Hyatt] and on both occasions I missed out on crumpets. Sure, there were dainty finger sandwiches and adorable petit fours, but sadly, not a single crumpet graced my three-tiered towers.

I finally had the pleasure of tasting a coveted crumpet while in Seattle. Opened in 1976 by Gary Lasater and Nancy McFaul, The Crumpet Shop has become a city institution. While crumpets aren’t traditionally eaten for breakfast, The Astronomer, Rosalind, and I thought they’d be perfectly pleasant in the morning. We snagged a table near the kitchen, granting us the opportunity to spy on the unknowing chap performing his crumpet making duties.

Crumpets are the result of a simple yeast batter meeting a hot griddle and circular molds. The spilled-over batter is scraped off to create a neat disc. The surface is spongy and porous, which allows butter and jam to seep into every little hole. The texture is similar to an English muffin, but a bit doughier and more substantial.

On our first visit to The Crumpet Shop, we shared two crumpets with butter and fresh preserves ($1.95). Each one was toasted to order and buttered up nicely. The marmalade was full of zesty bits and bitter enough to remind us that we were eating a whole orange with a bit of sugar rather than the opposite.

The gooseberry jam offered two firsts in one bite—my first crumpet and my first gooseberry! Taste-wise, the jam was better balanced than the marmalade.

The Astronomer and I returned to The Crumpet Shop a few days later for an afternoon snack. This time around, we sampled a savory one. The warm crumpet came topped with a thick spread of ricotta cheese, house-made pesto, and shredded ham ($4). The highlight was the subtle and creamy ricotta. I don’t think I’ve ever been so taken by ricotta cheese.

I loved my crumpet experience so much that I purchased crumpet molds from Amazon as soon as I arrived home. I cannot wait to have afternoon tea in my apartment with fresh crumpets and jam served on the brand-new China from the wedding registry. Good times ahead.

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The Crumpet Shop
1503 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: 206-682-1598

Afternoon Tea at the Park Hyatt Saigon

Published

Gastronomer

on April 21, 2008

in Afternoon Tea, Cha Gio, Goi Cuon, Saigon and Vietnamese

. 15 Comments

April 5, 2008
Cuisine: English, Vietnamese, Dessert

Park Hyatt Saigon
2 Lam Son Square, District 1, HCMC

Website: www.saigon.park.hyatt.com
Phone: 84 8 824 1234

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Lemongrass and Peppermint Tea

Vietnamese Savories

Classic Tea Sandwiches

French Pastries

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Afternoon tea has recently joined running, The Astronomer and the Travel and Living channel as one of my favorite pastimes. After a wonderful tea experience at the Caravelle Hotel when Lush was in town, I was extremely excited to tea once again.

The Park Hyatt’s afternoon tea ($8 per person) is held on the first floor of the hotel in the lobby lounge area. The space is dimly lit and richly decorated with dark wood and leather furniture. The overall vibe is classy, but perhaps a little too sophisticated and “old money” for my taste.

According to the lounge menu, afternoon tea consists of Vietnamese savories and French pastries. Although I prefer traditional offerings at tea time (i.e. little crust-less sandwiches), I arrived open-minded since this is the nicest hotel in town.

Our lemongrass and peppermint teas were presented in elaborately etched silver pots. My lemongrass tea tasted like a bowl of Tom Yum Goong soup, minus the spicy factor, while The Astronomer’s peppermint tea tasted like a candy cane, minus the high fructose corn syrup. The little shortbread cookie placed alongside our cups was buttery, crunchy and left us wanting a few more.

Our tea-time spread soon arrived on a wood-framed, three-tiered display rack. Is it just Saigon, or is afternoon tea always served on a multi-tiered display rack? Please explain.

Feeling a bit uncreative, The Astronomer and I decided to start at the top and work our way down. The top tier consisted of Vietnamese savories, i.e. cha gio with nuoc mam and goi cuon with tuong. One of the cha gio was overcooked and bursting at the seams, while the other was in tip top shape. The Astronomer was quite the gentleman and offered me the pristine one, while he ate the ugly one. We both agreed that the cha gio was quite good, but it was strange just eating one. Cha gio are like Pringles, once you pop, you just can’t stop.

We were impressed that each of the tiny goi cuon contained two good-sized shrimps. Other than that notable aspect, they were fairly run of the mill.

The middle tier contained a selection of classic tea time sandwiches—ham, tomato and cheese, smoked salmon and cucumber, and egg salad. These weren’t advertised on the bill of fare and were a pleasant surprise. The sandwiches were fine, but unspectacular. Even the smoked salmon, my usual favorite, was a letdown.

The bottom dessert tier offered a mini lemon meringue tart, chocolate éclair, lemon and raspberry cake, chocolate financier cake and a vanilla napoleon. Our favorites were the lemon meringue tart and lemon and raspberry cake. The vanilla napoleon was so rich and buttery that I found it sadly inedible.

If you’re in Saigon and want to experience afternoon tea in a hoity-toity space with so-so selections, the Park Hyatt lounge is the place to be. If you’re in Saigon and want to play pretend British, go to the Caravelle.