Food and Beverage
The stylish lobby lounge of a 5 star hotel in Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui district launches afternoon tea served on fine China. Travel writers and food critics are invited to give it a try. So what’s the verdict?
Following a US$30 facelift, The Langham, Hong Kong, in Kowloon’s bustling Tsim Sha Tsui district has launched The Palm Court, an elegant lobby lounge, which is serving afternoon tea on Wedgwood tea ware that was specially commissioned for the hotel.
The teas are from Wedgwood, as well.
Ranging from yummy finger sandwiches to decadent cakes, pastries, desserts, and scones, the mouth-watering set menu was developed by Reinhard Lackner, an award-winning Executive Pastry Chef from Austria, who has just arrived in Hong Kong.
Decadent Desserts
So what’s my verdict?
The pastries and desserts were rich, creamy, and very, very sweet! They were especially strong on presentation, something that Reinhard obviously takes great pride in.
“I love developing creative designs for my pastries, it is important to ensure the taste and presentation of each dessert complement each other and are pleasing on the eye and palate,” Reinhard says.
“The pastries are presented harmoniously to complement the design of the Langham rose Wedgwood tea ware.”
Overall, I liked those yummy sandwiches the best, and my favourites were the crab, cucumber, and avocado sandwiches and the in-house smoked salmon with creme friache and dill sandwiches.
I also liked the signature caramel eclairs with that crunchy gold stuff on top and those yummy raisin scones served with served with Devenoshire clotted cream with strawberry and rose reserves.
Elegant Surroundings
The 498 room hotel recently underwent an extensive US$30 million facelift, which took 3 months to complete.
The hotel is home to a 2 Michelin star Chinese restaurant called T’ang Court and The Artesian, which is modelled after the eponymous bar at the eponymous hotel in London.
Other food and beverage outlets include The Bostonian, The Food Gallery, and Main Street Deli.
Where
The Palm Court, the Langham, Hong Kong, 8 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Telephone” (852) 2132-7898.
The hotel is a short walk from Nathan Road and Canton Road as well as the Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui East MTR stations, the Star Ferry, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and Ocean Terminal.
The hotel is a short taxi ride from the Hung Hom Railway Station, the Hong Kong Coliseum, Mongkok, and other points on the Kowloon Peninsula.
I love high tea!
Good luck, Sarah!
Having tea with a friend is always a special moment, as it means sharing and caring about each other, in a world perhaps gone awry. The current ‘Scholarism’ led protests and Occupy Central movement are seemingly not the times to indulge in such a pastime (unless one is simply unaware of the momentous events sweeping into our lives and as such live in a void of disconnect, and in which high tea is a regular daily affair under ‘normal’ circumstances), yet sitting down politely over a ‘cuppa’ to discuss local affairs, sounds like what the students, activists, citizens and government officials need to do respectfully with each other. Calm, serene, elegant surroundings tastefully redecorated with offerings of sweetness, niceties, and gracious manners, is precisely what all of us need at this precise moment of social unrest to help soothe and nurture distressed souls, and to achieve harmony and balance in life, while appreciating the beauty and art of The Langham (Palm Court), Wedgwood ware and Reinhard Lackner delectable creations contribute to making a HONG KONG & STRONG!
Note: “&” is a yellow ribbon graphic, a symbol of democracy 🙂
Must agree with you, Yell Lo Brella, these ARE exciting times in Hong Kong!
Tea for me please! It looks divine!
Good luck, Danny!
Tea for me please! It looks divine!
High Tea is always one of my favorite treats when traveling! So nice to see this tradition is alive and thriving!!!!
I’m with you, Erik! You should give it a try if you ever make it to Hong Kong!
For a relaxing afternoon tea, it’s certainly much more enjoyable served from Wedgwood teacup and saucer with beauty, craftsmanship and innovation for more than 250 years, Wedgwood China tableware and giftware patterns are amongst the finest of its kind. Wedgwood led the trend in porcelain homeware. Its signature achievements are world known.
On Sept 13 I attended Miranda Kerr for Royal Albert tea party @Shelter Italian Bar & Restaurant in Hysan Place. My friend, Winnie won the prize for making the most lovely cupcake and we did enjoy the tea set well presented with Wedgwood China tableware and the sweet moments are really memorable.
Tea definitely tastes better in a beautiful teacup – and also in beautiful surroundings with beautiful music playing in the background! And congrats to your firend, Winnie, for making the loveliest cupcake!
Champagne and scrumptious sweet & savoury bites in an elegant environment like The Langham… what’s not to love about afternoon tea?
You are right, Leslie! What a GREAT combination!
I simply love afternoon tea @Langham, the scones, the sweets, the tea selection, the service and most importantly, the overall experience makes you feel like coming back all the time!
Well said, Catherine! It really is like a walk down Memory Lane!
I always want to enjoy afternoon Tea with Wedgwood China in elegant place. Now I’ll have a chance.
Good luck,Kam-moon!
Nice to have an occasional touch of refinement and some good old style English tea!
Let’s hear it for refinement and good old style, Nigel!
I have not been to the hotel for long time. Look very forward to revisit the facelifted hotel!
You will be amazed, Dakki! It’s really gorgeous!
Being a lady .. hehe! I love to have tea time with my lady friends, for chatting and gathering, traditional tea time is very important for me since I live in London for few years, my grand ma is a Welsh, she live in London for almost most of her life, she taught me how to enjoy afternoon tea with friends and relatives, any hotel which has quality afternoon tea, I would love to try, is not just about food, is about the atmosphere and who participate, is a time to cherish, a time for fun and nice bakery.
Wow! I didn’t know that your grandmother was Welsh and that you used to live in London! That makes you an expert! But I agree, it is more about the whole package – the ambience and everything. LOL! Otherwise, you can just make a pot of tea and enjoy it at home!
I LOVE afternoon tea be it the delicate and delectable delights or a serene and comfortable place to relax with a friend over a cup of tea. And in HK it is a constant struggle to find a place that hits all three – atmosphere, presentation and taste. I may have drooled a teeny bit when reading the caramel elcair bit…! Looking forward to trying this new place and hopefully I am lucky enough to snag that Tea for Two prize 😉
The caramel éclair was absolutely my favourite! Good luck, Vivian!