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  • 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!

  • 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.

  • 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 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Well good afternoon.

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