I’ve always wanted to try afternoon tea. I’ve always wondered about those scones which I’ve always read about, the nice tea set, the three-tiered tray of pastries, the conversations during tea time with the ladies, the whole concept of it.
One day, I finally had my chance to try it in Raffles Makati. Though, it was not with friends, I had a better companion, my son. I’m happy to note that he was able to sit still most of the time while we were having tea. At first, he was a little fidgety but when I ordered his fries and iced cream he was able to enjoy tea time with me. He even got his own cold tea.
Yes, you can ask to have your tea cold. I ordered their Harney & Sons Sweet Paris and their Fruit tea. The Sweet Paris had a black tea base while the Fruit tea was I guess fruit based? haha.. Okay, I forgot what the attendant told me 🙂
I loved both tea, the Sweet Paris was a gold-colored liquid that was mild and refreshing while the Fruit tea reminded me of strawberry juice which my son liked.
Then there were the petite sandwiches like the cucumber sandwiches which I only read about in books. At Raffles, there were tuna, cucumber and I think salmon sandwiches. It was cut in different shapes which was quite creative and at the same time a little filling and they all went well with the tea.
Then finally it arrived. The three-tiered tray, the queen of the show where the tiny sandwiches were just the front act and this grand mama was the star. Yey, I was finally having afternoon tea like the British 🙂 I remember imitating their accent dismally in a restaurant once to my husband’s horror.
Anyway, the queen arrived with her assorted pastries. Of course, I tried the scones first. Scones, yes like the one I’ve always read about, yahoo! And the first thing I noticed was how soft it was because I always thought that it was hardened bread but this one was not. I spread a sort of liquefied strawberry jam on it and I guess, their version of clotted cream to the soft bread and it was tasty.
There were also various sweet breads. Noteworthy was this bread they called stolen bread on the second tier which tasted a little like fruitcake, though a little milder. I also liked the chocolate-coated pastry on the top tier. It wasn’t too sweet and had this mild coffee flavored taste to it. Nice touch too were the assorted chocolates with the pastries.
I’m quite glad to have tried my first afternoon tea with my son. I’m also glad it was in an elegant ambiance during the holidays with piano music playing holiday tunes in the background. It was a great way to spend the merry month of December and end the year.
