Archive for the 'Afternoon Tea' Category

Chocolate Afternoon Tea at The Langham – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer 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.

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The Crumpet Shop – Seattle

Published by Gastronomer on April 10, 2010 in Afternoon Tea, British, Restaurant Review and Seattle. 12 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 by 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.

Afternoon Tea at the Caravelle Hotel

Published by Gastronomer on March 3, 2008 in Afternoon Tea, Cha Gio, Goi, Goi Cuon, Saigon and Vietnamese. 5 Comments

February 16, 2008
Cuisine: English, Vietnamese, Dessert

Caravelle Hotel
19 Lam Son Square, District 1, HCMC

Website: www.caravellehotel.com
Phone: 84.8.8234 999

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Sure, I love street food. But I also love luxurious indulgences. After all, variety is the spice of life.

I’ve been aching to attend tea at one of the posh hotels in town for quite some time. Lush’s visit provided a fine occasion to sip and nibble the afternoon away. We checked out the menus at the Park Hyatt and the Sheraton, but settled on the Caravelle because they offered both a traditional English bill of fare and a Vietnamese one.

I started the afternoon off with a hefty glass of Vietnamese coffee, while The Astronomer ordered peppermint tea and Lush had a lotus brew. Even though the coffee was insanely good and strong, I later regretted my decision to veer from tea due to the onslaught of sweets to come. The peppermint tea was a crowd pleaser, while the lotus was too bitter for all of us.

Our savories and sweets were served on three-tiered, stainless steel presentation pieces that were imposing upon our modest coffee table, yet awe inspiring. In fact, onlookers from inside and outside the hotel gawked at the structures.

The Astronomer couldn’t stand a day without Vietnamese food and went for the “Lotus” offerings. The top tier included an open-faced sandwich with cheddar cheese, apricots, walnuts and smoked ham, and spring rolls with hoisin sauce. The spring rolls did not stray far from traditional goi coun, while the sandwich was simple and dainty. After months without whole grain breads and cheeses other than Laughing Cow, the open-faced sandwich made The Astronomer and I a little giddy.

The second tier included two crab meat and pork eggrolls with a chili dipping sauce, chicken satay with peanut sauce and a pomelo salad served with shrimp chips. I was definitely in the mood for English fare and found the Vietnamese offerings fairly run of the mill. The eggrolls were the usual, as was the pomelo salad. The chicken satay with peanut sauce was a nice departure from the traditional Vietnamese food on hand. The Astronomer enjoyed each of the items because his heart bleeds fish sauce.

The desserts on the Lotus menu were not nearly as extensive as the traditional one, but offered good variety. A shortbread cookie, raisin scone, fresh fruit skewer, chocolate filled with lemon curd and “Vietnamese traditional pudding in banana leaf” rounded out the selections. The curious “pudding” turned out to be a gelatinous coconut cake infused with jasmine. The Astronomer and I did not care too much for it, but Lush was a fan. With the exception of the pudding, everything on the Lotus dessert plate was offered on the English menu and will be assessed below.

The top tier of my English offerings included a smoked salmon bagel sandwich accented with dill and salmon roe, a cucumber and tomato sandwich, and the same open-faced sandwich as above. The cucumber and tomato sandwich was dusted in parsley and perfect for the occasion. Tea just isn’t quite tea without a crust-less triangular sandwich made from white bread. The salmon number was my favorite. I took my sweet time eating it, savoring each smoky bite. Oh, how I love the salty pop of salmon roe!

The second tier contained a raisin scone, shortbread cookie, fruit muffin, and a dish of raspberry jam and clotted cream. The scone and muffin were tasty and fluffy. Their moist surfaces provided excellent vehicles for consuming jam and clotted cream. The clotted cream tasted like a cross between butter and unsweetened whipped cream and was almost too decadent. The shortbread was given to The Astronomer because he likes mild cookies.

The richest dessert was the bittersweet chocolate tart. The velvety interior was contained by a crumbly and buttery crust. I maxed out at three bites, and had to share the rest with The Astronomer. Lush, a chocoholic if you will, couldn’t finish hers either. I guess some desserts are just too intense.

My favorite dessert of the afternoon was the fruit tartlet. Bite-sized orbs of mango, dragon fruit kiwi and raspberry rested atop a thin, golden crust painted with chocolate and filled with vanilla cream. The entire tartlet was glazed in a simple syrup until the fruits gleaned. Sweet, tart, creamy, chocolaty goodness! I could have eaten a couple more of these.

The British vanilla and cherry trifle was another highlight of the dessert offerings. The creamy custard and whipped cream coupled with the tart cherries and liquor-laced cake left Lush and I yearning for more. The bottom layer of rum-soaked pound cake was my favorite because I am a pirate.

The chocolate box filled with lemon curd was one of The Astronomer’s favorite desserts. As the chocolate box entered our mouths, it effortlessly collapsed, combining smoothly with the lemon curd. While we’ve all had chocolate and fruit paired together numerous times, we had never experienced it with lemons. Lemons and chocolate are indeed a good team.

The selection of fruits balanced out the overwhelming sweetness of some of the desserts. In addition to the fresh fruit skewer, the English menu also included white and milk chocolate-dipped strawberries!

My first experience with afternoon tea was truly stupendous! Speaking with a faux-British accent and pretending to be lady-like, all while munching on obscenely cute food was a dream. Must do it again soon!