High Tea at the Peninsula, Hong Kong
Why high tea at The Peninsula? What is high tea? What is The Peninsula? Well, high tea was for the working class who could not accommodate afternoon teatime into their schedules and was taken later on in the day. However, worldwide, the term "high tea" is now used in place of the traditional English afternoon tea. As for The Peninsula, it is the oldest hotel in Hong Kong and offers its grand colonial styled lobby for tourists, hotel guests, and high tea affectionados daily.
So what's on the menu? In addition to a pot of tea (choices at The Peninsula range from Indian, British, to Chinese), the set menu comes with a three tiered selection. You start from the bottom level and work your way up to the sweeter and more delicate treats. At The Peninsula, the bottom layer was raisin and plain scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Then after some crumbly scones, which I just learned was pronounced "scons," the middle tier offered delightful finger sandwiches and several savory goods. In my experience, there is always some cucumber variation. The Peninsula also had a prosciutto with fig, smoked salmon on toast, a mushroom pastry, and a mini quiche. And finally, the top layer was a combination of rich chocolate desserts, fruity macarons, and others.
At around $400HK per person, this can be quite a steep tea, but with Christmas carolers from Chinese University and live musicians, how can you not get into the holiday spirit? And for that price, though you are paying for the delicious snacks, you also get to soak in the grandness of the iconic lobby.
Happy holidays!
Lobby, Salisbury Road
Kowloon, Hong Kong
