I had the pleasure to be at Ritz Carlton Hong Kong for a taste of their chocolate high tea. There was a spectacular view of both the harbour and restaurant below which dazzled my little heart. The place was filled with very elegant decor and gave us a break from all the shopping. Their chocolate high tea I believe is only a holiday special, but they also had a Godiva version which I was unaware of up until the point I made a reservation.
There were a few levels that went from savoury to sweet (although I think I have to say that most of it was just sweet). On the bottom tier, it features vegetable quiche, smoked salmon sandwich, and ham honey mustard bun. The items came in a cute display that resembled window panes.
Out of the three "sandwiches" my favourite had to be the salmon sandwich. The ham and honey mustard bun was a bit strange. It reminded me of a Ferrero Rocher shape, but it definitely didn't taste like one. It didn't have much flavour, and I wasn't sure what it was supposed to taste like. The vegetable quiche would have to be my second favourite. It had a too much of a buttery exterior that it crumbled and made it difficult to eat. The smoked salmon on top wasn't the best or anything special, but the taste and softness of the bread was very good.
The second tier consisted of a fois gras macaron, mango chocolate verrine and I believe the last one is pain d'espices with ivory cream. By this tier I was already starting to get full. The decorations were really cute on this one! To be honest I wasn't sure what most of the items were since it was either in French or it seemed like it lacked the ingredient listed. Regardless, the macaron I had was such a disappointment. I had such high expectations, but first of all I did not like the savoury flavour to it. The mango chocolate verrine resembled a mousse. The mango puree was great, but not so much the chocolate.
During high tea, of course we had to order tea as well. My friend ordered their special drink...which was a hot chocolate (more chocolate on top of a chocolate high tea!). If you're a chocolate lover, this would be perfect for you. I ordered an apple oolong tea, though they do have a different name for it. It was an awesome combination because it helped balance out everything that's sweet. It had a hint of apple to it but nicely blended with the oolong.
The brown place mat, napkin and plate really complimented the chocolate theme. It was very cute going against the centre piece. It made the ambiance very settling and comforting.
By the third tier, we barely were able to have any more chocolate. Nonetheless we decided to at least take a bite of each to experience what the rest of it tasted like. It has the ritz festive sphere, chocolate anise delice, caramel nut chocolate tart, and apple chestnut pave. The ritz festive sphere was basically a Ferrero Rocher on top of a chocolate cookie of some sort. It was way too sweet for me so I only had the exterior of the chocolate sphere. The chocolate anise delice in simpler terms was basically a chocolate cupcake with some cream (I absolutely loved this one!). The texture of the cream was fluffy but was way too sweet for my liking. It seemed like the trend for this tier was hard and dense. The apple chestnut prave, however, was very light and fluffy.
Usually I do get full from high tea but still manage to finish. This one was unexpectedly very filling. It could be the combination of the sweetness of the chocolate and the carb-filled treats. The total was about $35 per person which to be honest can not be found anywhere in Toronto. The beautiful hotel, along with the very helpful staff made my experience very enjoyable. I would rate this to be 3.7/5 stars. Had we not had gone there for a chocolate high tea, it probably would have received a higher rating.
so jealous
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