Peninsula Hotel Afternoon Tea, Hong Kong

Peninsula Hotel afternoon tea in Hong Kong is one of those things that we have avoided doing as it seems like such a clichéd thing to do. But we could not resist it any more on the recent trip to Hong Kong. The reason – afternoon tea at The Lobby of the Peninsula was bundled as part of a package accomodation-plus-dining stay at the iconic hotel in Kowloon, HK.

The Peninsula Classic Afternoon Tea Menu

On its website, The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong is described as “… a global beacon of hospitality, the legendary “Grande Dame of the Far East” … offering a blend of the best Eastern and Western hospitality in an atmosphere of unmatched classical grandeur and timeless elegance. It is certainly a grand location. Being there reminds me of being in Raffles Hotel in Singapore. But it is a much more lively and bustling place. One major contribution to that is the popularity of the Lobby lounge and restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner everyday.

The afternoon tea (served between 2 to 6 pm) seems like the most popular time to visit. Adding to the vibrant atmosphere is the live band that plays jazz music throughout the tea service. Here is a picture of the Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel afternoon tea menu. The price is HK$ 528 for one person and HK$ 918 for two.

Afternoon Tea at The Peninsula Hotel Lobby, HK

Our Peninsula afternoon tea set for two pax was served on the usual three-tier tower. With muffins, finger sandwiches and pastries occupying the lowest to highest level. Every item was served in duplicates so that each diner gets to eat the same things.

Coffee or Tea?

There was a choice of coffee or tea to accompany the food. We decided to order one of each. It was clear that tea could be topped up by adding hot water into the pot but it was unclear about the coffee. We were happy when our request for a second round of coffee was acceded to without any extra charge.

As for the tea, we opted for the Peninsula blend. It was very enjoyable. We particularly liked the tea pots which felt very solid and made the table setting look so good.

How To Eat Afternoon Tea

It seems that the ‘correct’ approach to eating afternoon tea is to have the savoury items followed by the sweet. In our case with the top tier sweet pastries serving the role of dessert. Prior to the arrival of the 3-tier tray, a small cone was served first. That probably served as an amuse bouche.

The egg, cucumber, ham and chicken sandwiches should be the next but we mixed up the sandwiches with the scones as too much of the same type in one go gets a bit boring.

All the scones came with raisins, but no-raisin substitutes can be requested for.

Overall, our Peninsula Hotel afternoon tea in Hong Kong experience will certainly be memorable as we had resisted it for so long. The food was good but quite predictable. The afternoon tea at Betty’s in York, England still ranks as the best we have had. But this tea was more than just about eating. The atmosphere. jazzy music and great service all add up to explain why people keep coming back to the Peninsula HK.

Peninsula Hotel
Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR

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