Afternoon tea @ Lounge on the Park, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur

For an indulgent and leisurely afternoon, one of my favorite things to do is to have afternoon tea. I've had a fair share of lousy versions this year (which I did not bother blogging about because it would be a waste of my time) but the afternoon tea which I had recently at Lounge on the Park, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur was quite the contrary. In fact, I would rate this as one of the best afternoon teas I've had the pleasure of having in KL.

The afternoon tea here is available from 2.30pm to 6pm daily. There is two afternoon teas to choose from, The Royal English Afternoon Tea and Holger Deh Chocolate Afternoon Tea (RM78 per person).The sandwiches would be the same for both sets but different pastries will be served.

Both are very nice, but I think my preference would lie with the chocolate afternoon tea simply because the pastries are much more unique. If you like something more classic, then the English afternoon tea is for you.

The tea selection was quite extensive, hence I gave Hubby the task of selecting a tea for me -- green leaves, oolong leaves, black leaves, herbal infusion, white tea and wellness are just the categories of premium tea available! I had the Jing white peony (refreshing, sweet) and Hubby had the hand-smoked T Company lapsang souchong (full mouths with tarry finish).

The Royal English Afternoon Tea is served in a modern three tier

Two types of scones, four types of sandwiches and eight types of pastries.. real indulgence!

Overall, I enjoyed the selection in the Royal English afternoon tea very much. I started off with the fruit tartlet (somehow I was drawn to that first!) and found the pastry to be crumbly with a layer of custard and fresh fruits. The sandwiches were all competently prepared, our favorite being the smoked salmon with horseradish cream. Noteworthy is the bread, which is pillowy soft.

Fruit tartlet

Looks like a heart shape

For the Royal English set, the scones will be plain and raisin. Both are light and buttery, served with clotted cream, and homemade strawberry jam, orange jam and lemon curd. I found the clotted cream to be quite unusual since it was golden yellow instead of the pale yellow versions (Devonshire) I've eaten in the past. Turns out they use clotted cream from Australia which can be a different shade depending on the season it is produced.

I have to say Hubby's selection of Jing white peony tea for me was spot on. Loved it, perfect accompaniment for the sweets in the afternoon tea. We joked that Hubby's lapsang souchong tasted like a non-alcoholic version of whisky (tasted quite smoky!) -- he could drink and drink and not get drunk. :)

Orange madeleine

Dundee cake, a traditional Scottish fruit cake decorated with almonds. Excellent!

Lemon macaron -- my first time having macarons from MO, the texture is perfect and the filling is not too sweet and creamy.

Raspberry mille feuille is Hubby's favorite pastry from this set. Beautiful visually and tastes fab.

Cambridge burnt cream -- rich custard with a silky smooth texture. I like!

We also managed to try some of the pastry selections from the Chocolate Afternoon Tea, thanks to Chef Holger who brought some out for us. I love the chocolate puff pastry, so dainty yet sooooooooo delicious. And the hazelnut macaron is one of the best I've had in a while -- it reminded me of Ferrero Rocher when I ate it. Swoon-worthy :)

Chocolate puff pastry

Milk chocolate cremeux. Did I mention that chocolate is Chef Holger's specialty..... so rich and decadent.

Hazelnut macaron

Perfect texture

Mango compote with dark chocolate shooter

Soft music from the pianist sets the mood for a wonderful afternoon tea experience.Do make a reservation beforehand, as we almost couldn't get a table because the lounge was so busy that afternoon.

Lounge on the Park Interior

Full set of photos available to view here.

Price: RM78 per person. 1 set is sufficient for 2 persons to share.

Location: Lounge on the Park,Lobby Level, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2179 8883

GPS Coordinates: 3.15568, 101.7120

Website: http://www.mandarinoriental.com/kualalumpur