The Lounge | Hong Kong - Afternoon Tea at Four Seasons

Rating: ❤❤❤❤

The afternoon tea at Four Seasons was pretty much next on my list to try so when we were looking for a place to farewell a coworker, I suggested to have it at The Lounge. Located next to the hotel lobby, The Lounge is welcoming and classy with its large floor-to-ceiling windows and a grand piano right at the entrance so the restaurant is filled with bright natural light and pleasant music throughout. The Set Afternoon Tea costs $260 for one and $495 for two, which is on the reasonable side compared to what Sevva and MO Bar are charging. 

Since it was a celebration, we decided to go all out and got the Sparkling Afternoon Tea with a glass of Deutz Brut Classic Champagne at $160 per glass.  The champagne was bubbly and fine to drink with a dry and brisk finish. 

The afternoon tea set also came with a choice of tea or coffee and as usual I opted for tea. The tea selection was vast and unique with choices like chocolat and ginger peach black tea. I chose the Organic Lychee Green Tea and while it was smooth and soothing to drink, I couldn't taste any lychee flavors in it. 

Our tea set came in a rather boring three-tier metal stand with desserts on top, scones in the middle, and savories on the bottom.

I always like to start with the scones first as they are usually still warm to eat. The scones here were huge - almost as big as my fist! Each person gets a plain and a raisin scone which is quite a lot considering the size compared to other places. The scone was very soft and buttery while not overly crumbly. It did feel a bit dry and dense given the size as I only managed to finish half of a scone before I started to feel full and I haven't even started on the other tiers yet! I think the size of the scone is great if that is all you are eating for breakfast for example but as part of an 3-tier tea set, it was probably too big for girls to finish eating comfortably. 

The clotted cream, strawberry jam and apricot jam were all very scrumptious to eat with the scones though!

Moving on to the savories, there were 5 bite-sized delights to try. The caviar and egg in pastry puff stood out the most as it was delectable to eat with a drizzle of truffle oil on top. The smoked salmon pastry sandwich was also a delight to eat with its rich flavors and textures. The rest were just average though - especially the ham sandwich in the middle which was downright plain and uninteresting.

The desserts were a lot more interesting and impressive! We were all intrigued with the lime green jello shot with a tiny white chocolate umbrella sticking out. It was tart and refreshing with green apple and lime flavors. I thought the yellowish dessert on the left was mango at first but it turned out to be filled with orange cream over a crunchy chocolate base which was heavenly to eat! The flavors of the dessert in the middle popped out with its acidic and tangy flavors. The chocolate dessert on the right was perfect for chocolate lovers but can come across as too sweet and heavy in comparison with its companions. 

It was a surprise when the staff came by with a tray to let each of us pick a macaron with 3 colors to choose from - yellow, pink and lavender. I chose the yellow one which was a passion fruit flavor. I didn't have high hopes for the macaron at first as most places tend to make them overly sweet, but it was actually pretty decent here with a nice chewy shell and tasty filling. 

Verdict - the food was solid but not particularly spectacular compared to the one at Grand Hyatt for example. However, given the reasonable price, prompt service and pleasant environment, The Lounge can still be a great choice for afternoon tea and to spend a lazy afternoon catching up with girlfriends!

The Lounge
8 Finance St, Hong Kong
3196 8888
http://www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/the_lounge/

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