Afternoon Tea at the Kowloon Shangri-La

Rumors have it the food at the Kowloon Shangri-La is not worth the visit. People say there is no comparing between the Hong Kong and the Kowloon Shangri-La, and I can see their point. You may recall my post on the Hong Kong Shangri-La high tea, which is not even remotely similar to the one served at the Kowloon Shangri-La. I didn't like much of this tea set, the sweet treats were very simple and didn't really taste good. The scones were just so-so, and the savories were also simple and disappointing. But most of all, I didn't like the fact that the tea wasn't served in the three-tier stand, but rather on trays laid on the table. I don't know if they were bragging of big table {our table is so big you don't need a stand to fit all the stuff} or what, but I just didn't like it.

J's mom joined us for afternoon tea, and even the three of us couldn't finish a tea set for two. It's true that all of us weren't that hungry, but it's also worth mentioning that would the food have been better, I would have eaten more for sure. J and his mom had lattes, and I went for the rose tea, which was nothing special either.

On the plus side, the atmosphere at the Lobby Lounge, where tea is served, is definitely nice and calm. There's some live music, during our stay it was a girl playing the harp, which is always welcome and relaxing.

Note that this tea set is only available Monday to Friday, on the weekends only the tea buffet is available, at around HK$270 + 10% service charge per person.

Visited on: November 11th, 2013

Overall rating: 3*

Price: HK$368 + 10% service charge for two

Value for Money: 2*

Would I recommend it? Not really, not my cup of tea!

Kowloon Shangri-La

The Lobby Lounge

(852) 2733 8740

64, Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Lobster Afternoon Tea - Hong Kong Shangri-la

There is probably nothing I'd rather do on a chilly Sunday afternoon than going for tea with one of my best friends. Chloris and I were roommates at City University of Hong Kong for a year, and I believe sharing a 9 square meters room for that long has bonded us forever. I had other rommates during my 3 years degree at CityU, Sissi from Singapore got deep into my heart too. I'm sure Sissi and I would still hang out a lot if we were to live in the same city, because we really hit it up. Unfortunately this is not the case, but I'm sure we will still have many chances to see each other. As for Chloris, well, she has become my best friend in Hong Kong. We have known each other for more than four years now and I think we both enjoy each other's company a lot. We now like to meet once a month for tea and chit-chat, and simply some girls quality time.

This time Chloris was the one to choose the venue. She showed me an article in a magazine featuring the Hong Kong Shangri-la's Lobster Afternoon Tea, and told me she would like to give it a try. We made a reservation and... off we went!

I originally thought afternoon tea was served at the lobby, but this particular one turned out to be served at the Lobster Bar, right next to the lobby. The waiter then told us that both the Lobster bar and the lobby served afternoon tea at the same price, except that the one we were about to enjoy came with plenty of lobster. Besides, the Lobster Bar has the option of accompanying the tea set with a bottle of Veuve Cliquot rosé, which we didn't go for. This lobster afternoon tea was good, yet there was SO much food, at last I had to just eat half of each petit four in order to get to try them all. The best thing of this tea set were the scones. They were warm and delicious, served with perfect Devonshire cream and jam, just like scones are supposed to be :) The worst thing: its poor tea selection. Don't aim for fancy tea blends here, all they have is the common English Breakfast, Vanilla, Peppermint and the like, which was a bit disappointing for a 5 star hotel.

I would rate this set 4* because besides the savory items with lobster being yummy, the sweets were not that good. The tea selection was below average too as mentioned above.

Visited on: November 11, 2012

Overall Quality: 4*

Price: HK$428 + 10% service charge for a tea set for two or HK$788 + 10% including a bottle of Veuve Clicquot rosé

Value for Money: 4*

Would I recommend it? It'd say there are better high tea sets out there. The atmosphere is nonetheless unique and extremely relaxing, with big tables, not that many people and live piano performance.

Engagement celebration lunch at Petrus

Last Sunday J and I went for a special lunch with my parents to celebrate our engagement. We chose the Michelin starred French restaurant Petrus, located in the Hong Kong Shangri-la Hotel. The restaurant was suggested to me by my French colleague Marie, who introduced this to me as one of the best French restaurants in town. After our experience at Petrus, I’m glad to confirm that she was right.

We went for the Lunch Set Menu, reasonably priced at HK$428 for two dishes or HK$488 for three dishes, including a glass of wine and tea or coffee. We had the three dishes set consisting of an appetizer, a soup and a main course. The lunch started off with a selection of bread and butter. As with most top-notch restaurants, Petrus uses Christofle's silver plated flatware. 

Below are the pictures of some of the food we ordered: 1. Slow-cooked organic egg, Jabugo ham and wild mushrooms; 2. Warm lobster salad, pig head with radish and pickles; 3. Seared duck liver with fresh dates and pomegranate molasses; 4&5. Bouchot mussel and Quercy saffron bouillon (before and after pouring the soup); 6. Light wild herbs and salad bouillon, vegetables glazed in ham juice; 7. Salt-baked celery root, macaroni gratin with black truffle and wild herbs; 8. Roast lamb rack, Aligot mashed potatoes and crunchy salad shoots. I had the foie gras, the mussel soup and the lamb, and all  of them were mouth-watering. 

 

Cheese trolley

I loved the baroque interior decor at Petrus, similar to that in a French castle, with all the chandeliers, black marble, columns and Impressionist paintings. The views of Hong Kong from this 56th floor restaurant are also worth mentioning!

Outside Petrus after lunch

Visited on: 28 October, 2012

Overall Quality: 5*

Spending per head: HK$488 + 10% service charge

Value for Money: 5*

Would I recommend it? Yes, Petrus is not to be missed!

PS. Thank you all for your blessings and best wishes on my engagement announcement post... I really appreciate it!