Well good afternoon.
It is a Monday in Hong Kong (香港) and we thought why not go for afternoon tea.
Weekends are usually crazy in this city and you can't get a booking at a restaurant unless
you've made it way in advance.
So yeah, it should be fun.
I'm excited for afternoon tea.
I want macaron and cake.
Macarons.
Those are my special requests.
Okay.
So for today's outing we're having tea at the Royal Plaza Hotel.
And we've had afternoon tea in Hong Kong (香港) once before.
It was a pretty traumatic experience for Sam.
It was especially traumatic for me.
We went to the Peninsula Hotel and yes it is a fantastic place to have afternoon tea.
The prices are a bit expensive but that is not what got to me.
I had to wait in line for almost three hours.
Yeah.
So I almost lost my sanity just before we got seated.
So yeah, we're trying something different this time.
It is going to be cheaper, we've made a reservation so hopefully we'll just walk in and be able
to sit down and start.
Eating!
Drinking tea right away!
Okay Sam.
So this time you waltzed right in.
You didn't have to wait three hours to get your tea.
So how does that feel?
My morale is very high at the moment.
I basically skipped lunch for this so I'm hungry.
I can't wait to have the different canapes.
We're having like a combination of cold, hot and some desserts.
Yeah.
And then on top of that we got two different drinks.
Each!
Each.
So it is like four drinks.
So I'm getting a ginger one and I'm also getting a cafe mocha and what about you?
I'm having cafe latte and I think it is like a truffle mint chocolate tea.
Yeah, so only good things are coming at this point.
No waiting.
I'm so happy about that.
Alright, so I'm so excited the tea is here.
And which each get our own pot.
And seriously there is probably like three cups.
Three cups in here.
And they've already poured one.
Yours is what the chocolate truffle?
It is the chocolate mint truffle.
I don't even know.
Oh my gosh.
I don't even know the order but it smells amazing.
That seems like a bit of a fancy pants tea.
Yeah, it smells like melted chocolate with mint.
Does it?
I can't say I smell the truffle but I'm not that familiar with truffle so.
Mmmm.
That is nice.
The flavor itself isn't very strong but it is more the aroma that you get before you
drink it.
And like you don't need any sugar or milk with this.
It is just so good.
I love the way it smells.
It smells like the holidays.
So Sam changed his tea order like three times.
He couldn't make up his mind.
Yeah, it is really embarrassing.
I want this.
No, no I want this one.
I want that one.
So I finally settled on ginger twist.
Let's take a look at that one down here.
Oh la lah.
Mine is a might lighter color than yours.
Yeah.
Yours is more orange-y and mine is a little bit more clear and yellow.
So let's try that.
Oh la lah.
Mmmm.
Yeah, I can see how you say it is the aromas that you really smell more so than the strong
taste.
I feel like that is the experience.
Yeah, smelling the tea.
It is almost better just to have it up to your nose and just sniffing in the ginger.
Haha.
But no it is a nice tea.
It goes down very smoothly and you're right you don't need to add sugar to it.
So yeah, I'm enjoying it and now it is time for the food.
Waiting for the food to come.
We are both so giddy right now.
The tower of heavenly delights has arrived.
Low and behold.
So let's see what can we choose.
So we're going to start from the top and work our way down.
So we have some scones, some chips with crab meat I think.
This looks like a mini quiche and then we have mini burgers.
Mini sliders.
Well, we'll get to that later.
First let's eat from the top alright.
And I have a major sweet tooth so I'm starting with the scones.
I'm just going for it.
Why waste any time.
So there we have it.
There is a little scone.
I'm going to cut it in half and I've got some jam here.
And I'm really hoping this is clotted cream and not butter.
Ah but it might be butter.
I think it may be butter.
Would that be the saddest thing ever?
With butter.
It is a little sad but I will survive.
Hahaha.
It is not England so that is okay.
And then some jam.
Oh yeah baby.
This is what I came for.
The scones.
That is my favorite part of the whole afternoon tea experience.
So if you don't want your scones Sam I will gladly relieve you.
No worry about that.
This is like one bite.
Mmmm.
Oh man.
That is how it is done.
That is how it is done guys.
So what are you eyeing over there?
So I think I'm going to go for the little mini burgers.
I'll just grab one of those.
Wow.
And it is still hot.
You can tell it has been cooked immediately.
It comes on a sesame seed bun and I believe there is a pickle at the bottom.
Oh la lah.
Fancy!
I'm just going to eat it.
That is scrumptious.
Scrumptious he says.
Really the meat is really juicy, flavorful.
And then just the quality of this bread is fantastic.
You can really taste the sesame.
It is really it is like I wouldn't describe it as moist bread but it is kind of fluffy.
It has a nice fluffy texture and then the pickle at the bottom gives it a little bit
of extra juice.
A little bit of extra flavor.
Really nice.
Oh man we're going to have fun with this meal.
We've just begun.
Alright, we've still got some goodies left on the first plate.
Going for one of these.
Ooh.
So this is a rice cracker with lobster meat.
Mmmm.
That is like a honey citrus glaze on top.
That is really nice.
It is almost like a jam.
What else is left over there?
So I think I have something that might be a mushroom tart.
It has a very flaky exterior and it looks like mushrooms on top so there we go.
I don't know if I should do it one bit or two.
All in one bite.
Oh my gosh that is a huge bite.
You can handle it Sam.
Oh keeping things classy.
Mmmm.
We'll give you a second to chew it and search for your words.
Hahaha.
So food doesn't go flying everywhere.
That would be a civilized way of doing things.
So if you've ever had like a thick mushroom creamy soup before.
Woah.
It tastes like that and then it just ooh that pastry is so buttery and flaky and you just
bite in to it and it just like disintegrates in your mouth.
Oh la lah.
And you're rolling that mushroom around.
You're rolling it around.
Rolling it around on your palette.
Mmmm.
We're now moving to the second story.
Low and behold.
Nothing left on the first.
Here we've got some scallops.
So I'm just going to help myself.
I'm using my hands.
I'm not sure if that is the way but that is how I roll.
Alright and let's cut this in half.
Because I really want to savor this.
Oh wow.
So it is a nice big scallop.
It is a scallop on a cucumber with dill.
Mmmm.
It is so soft and tender and it is so refreshing.
Like cucumber just makes everything refreshing.
Wow.
Man so you're going in for bite number two.
Yeah, if you don't want your scallop.
Happy to help you Sam.
Happy to help you.
I will do just fine having mine.
Haha.
Don't you worry.
And this right here is Sam's favorite.
Sam has a slight obsession with Salmon.
I have a slight obsession with salmon and when you pair it with cream cheese it is just
like the best thing ever.
Cream cheese and that is truffle on top.
So we're getting fancy.
We're getting awfully fancy here.
One bite.
Savor.
Remember to savor your food Sam.
The eyes are starting to roll back.
That is amazing.
It is not just salmon but it is smoked salmon.
Mmmm.
And then it is real creamy thick cream cheese.
Like I feel like it is homemade and then a little bit of truffle and then you have the
crunch of the cracker.
Oh that is awesome.
That is my favorite thing I've had so far.
So this is going to be the last of the savory dishes and I'm already feeling kind of sad.
The savory ones were so good.
So this is the last one and it is a little tart.
With mushrooms and lobster meat on top.
Mmmm.
Good lobster?
Yeah.
You know I was expecting this one to be a little bit dry but the mushrooms like they
just add a lot of juiciness to it.
That is really good.
Finely chopped.
And a bit of sweetness in the tart.
It is kind of a nice balance.
Sam is now going in for the black truffle chocolate ball.
I can say with certainty I've never had this before so it is going to be quite the experience.
I'm just going to pick one up here.
It comes in a little chocolate.
It is a chocolate.
So try the bomb first.
The eyes are rolling back again.
Oh.
What is happening over there?
It is so good.
What are you experiencing Sam?
So it is crunchy on the outside but it is like a chocolate a rich chocolate mousse on
the inside.
Oh.
It is so creamy and sweet.
It is sugary but not overpowering.
Now time to try the chocolate mousse.
And that pretty much just melts in your mouth.
You're going to like that one.
What do you have?
I am going for the chocolate brownie with a bit of icing sugar dusted on top.
How is my accent?
Am I improving?
No.
No you're not.
Your afternoon tea accent has not improved.
You won't be British anytime soon but.
That is like thick.
Is that good?
That is like a dense brownie.
Show that.
Show that off.
Show it off.
Wow.
I'm going in for the chocolate.
Mmmm.
Look at that.
It is like crumbly and like super thick and dense and chocolate-y.
And there is nothing light or fluffy about this.
It is like chocolate bomb.
Here is your brownie.
Here is your brownie bomb.
What is next on the menu?
Well first I've got to point out I'm getting a little bit sad we've finished two out of
the three layers.
Two out of the three are empty.
So we are down to the very last one.
But it is probably a good thing because it has been a lot of food.
Yeah.
So I'm going to start off here I think this is a mango cheesecake.
And wow it feels a lot more dense than I would have imagined.
So it feels thick.
Ah, again do I take a half bite or do I just go all in.
I think for this one probably a half bite.
Okay a half bite might make sense.
We should probably be using cutlery and all since it is fancy afternoon tea but here we
are.
Oh wow.
Look at that.
Eating with our hands.
So really light and fluffy on the outside.
And then you kind of have a jammy mango interior.
And then the it looks like a cracker but this tastes more like it has more of like a graham
cracker texture.
Like a cookie.
Yes, it tastes like that.
So it is really good.
You don't taste a lot of the it doesn't have a strong cheesecake or dense cheesecake flavor.
It is more like a light mousse flavor.
But it is good.
I do like it.
Alright, I think this next one is the Banoffee pie.
We're like trying to match things to the menu but I've never had Banoffee pie and I've never
seen this dessert before.
So I could be totally off but this is what I'm having.
It looks good.
Mmmm.
This has black truffle in it.
Oh yeah?
Oh yeah.
Let's see.
I don't know if you can see it but I can sure taste it.
Haha.
Mmm.
It also tastes like banana.
It is like banana and black truffles with whipped cream.
Is it good?
Yeah.
Everything has been good.
Mmm.
Next up this afternoon Samuel will be sampling the blueberry fancier.
That is fancy kind of like for muffin I think.
A blueberry muffin.
A muffin with a glaze.
Okay let's try that.
Fancier.
Oh wow.
Okay so the glaze has definitely made the muffin a little heavier.
You can see that it is covered nice.
It has like a flower on top.
See that?
Look at it.
I think that is a one biter.
A one biter.
Let me try it.
Alright.
Mmmm.
He's like grunting over there.
Yep, so it does have like a blueberry muffin taste.
But obviously.
That is to be expected.
As to be expected obviously.
But then the glaze on top tastes a bit like a marmelade.
It tastes like an orange marmalade.
It is really good.
It is sticky.
And because you have the glaze it means that the muffin isn't too dry in your mouth so
it kind of gives it a little bit extra not juiciness.
Moisture.
Exactly.
Moisture that helps alleviate the dryness.
Afternoon tea is almost over.
We are going for the last one now.
It is a strawberry rose yoghurt mousse.
That is a mouthful.
It comes in a little cup.
Um, all I have is this giant fork so maybe just maybe I am supposed to use this as a
spoon.
Oh wow.
Also the strawberry has gold leaf.
I just don't feel right eating gold.
Hahaha.
But um come on.
Do you want me to eat it?
Why not?
Oh, dip it in to it.
This gold could have been used for something else instead it is going in my stomach.
I don't approve.
Mmmm.
Well?
I can tell you that gold doesn't taste like anything.
Haha.
Oh that is not meant to be used as a spoon.
Okay you just broke it in half.
I'm just going to take my fork I guess.
Oh forgot about the fork.
There you go.
Keeping it classy like that.
Mmmm.
Woah.
Is it good?
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah she says.
Oh yeah.
That is mousse-y.
Haha.
Mmmm.
That is good stuff.
Ending on a high note over here.
Very very happy.
Well well what did you think of high tea at Lion Rock?
I loved it.
Like we did not leave so much as one morsel.
We ate everything.
We drank everything.
Sam almost licked the plate.
Haha.
We had to stop him.
Yeah.
And in terms of price point.
So yeah, in terms of price point that came to 410 Hong Kong dollars which is 52.
Fifty two US dollars.
Yeah, 52 US dollars and then with the service charge it came to 470 which is 60 US dollars.
So thirty per person.
This is definitely a splurge meal for us.
This is about seven or eight dim sum meals that we'd normally have but uh yeah it was
well worth it.
The quality was fantastic.
We loved the views we got from here.
Yes, you come here for the views.
You come here for the views.
We kind of forgot to mention those.
Two key points compared to the Peninsula is that we didn't have to wait.
We got to come here and have service right away.
Yeah.
That to me is really important and the second thing is it is considerably cheaper than the
Peninsula.
If you're going to eat at the Peninsula a tea set for two is going to cost you at least
probably one or two hundred Hong Kong dollars more.
Minimum.
So this is cheaper and in some ways I think it is better.