I have been having a bit (ok more than a bit) of a scone craving recently, so when a catch-up session with Miss K was called for, I suggested to meet at Island Shangri-La for a girly afternoon tea.
At Island Shangri-La you can choose to have your tea at their cake shop/cafe Island Gourmet or up at the Lobby Lounge. Island Gourmet is a neat little space, dining there gives you the feeling of being inside a proper tea saloon, but for me I prefer the Lobby Lounge as the spaciousness just makes for a more comfortable environment and nothing is more pleasant than sipping Earl Grey while listening to the lilting notes of cello or tinkling of the piano in the background.
They have changed their tea set menu and are now offering two new types of afternoon tea sets, the seasonal Spring set and the Wimbeldon set. The Wimbeldon set seemed to offer a lot of items that were quite similar to their previous tea sets so wanting something a little more different we chose the Spring set for two with Earl Grey as our choice of tea.
When our tea set arrived, seeing how everything was so neatly and prettily arranged just made me anticipate tasting it even more~
The sandwiches previously were just boring rectangles with their crusts cut off, but this time they were presented in a more delicate fashion, miniature rolls and buns, definitely more appealing to the ladies :p There was a lobster bagel, thin sandwich layered with Camembert cheese and pistachio, mini hot dog bun with parma ham and cheese as well as a salmon and cream cheese sandwich roll. Normally, I never expect much from tea set sandwiches as they are always quite stingy with the filling and the bread has been left out for a while so it is dry and a little stale, however this time, everything was quite spot on, the sandwich fillings were fresh while the bread was still nice and soft. Unexpectedly good~
Our scones arrived while we were still sampling the sandwiches, and the buttery fragrance that drifts towards you is utterly irresistible. Raisin and plain scones, fresh from the oven still toasty and warm, the crust is slightly crunchy with a soft spongy inside. Slather this with the clotted cream and selection of jams provided… (worry about the calories later) just heavenly~ Strawberry jam is typically my choice accompaniment, but they do provide an apricot jam and for the spring set they also introduced a violet and berry jam, sweet with flowery notes. Honestly, I think Island Shangri-La has the best scones I have had in Hong Kong, and yes I have tried out their competitors which people rave about. If you have not, then I suggest you do so as you are really missing out!
For sweets they had quite a wide selection.
The middle tier consisted of: dulche de leche cheesecake, lemon meringue tart, peach and apricot macaron, pistachio marshmallow. While the top tier had: butter cupcakes, miniature fruit tarts, flaky butter pastry and a coconut chocolate mousse tart. They also gave us a small cup of strawberries and cream on the side which was a nice refreshment from all the heaviness of the pastries. I admit I did not try everything as I was quite sated from my beloved scones, but the cheesecake was light and creamy with a subtle caramel flavour and the chocolate mousse tart taste exactly like a bounty candy bar which is perfect for coconut lovers. One thing I noticed was that all the shortcrust pastry used was lovely and buttery while still retaining a crisp and crumbly texture which is a far cry from some of the soggy bases I have had the displeasure of eating elsewhere.
Service was polite and unobtrusive which is ideal in an afternoon tea setting and it is just one of those places where you can sit for hours without noticing time passing by 🙂
Just Something About Me 