Kitty L.
Yelp
(Prices mentioned in this review are in HKD, divided by 7.75 would convert to USD)
We wanted to have an afternoon tea at the Lobby of the Peninsula Hong Kong, which is believed to have set the standard of all afternoon tea in Hong Kong. Being an Art Basel VIP, Daughter warned us that there were Art Basel activities at the Peninsula that day. Thinking that the activities would not have affected the afternoon tea, the 3 of us went anyway. Upon arrival, we were politely told by a lady staff member that for that particular day, afternoon tea would be at their Felix Restaurant on the 28th floor, as the Lobby was occupied with Basel activities. (Daughter did go back in that evening for a complimentary lush Basel VIP opening buffet that spanned several rooms)! The same lady kindly led us to the elevator and pressed the button for us, sending the 3 perplexed people up to Felix.
As we were settling down at Felix, disappointment soon turned into happiness again! We had a table with a nice view of the magnificent Victoria Harbor! The restaurant was modern and chic with high ceiling. That probably was a more ideal venue for an afternoon tea in our opinions! Staff were friendly and attentive, as expected. I asked about the portraits of people that were featuring on each of their chair back covers, a server named Maya enthusiastically answered me that they were the valuable employees of the Peninsula. She pointed to the chair that I was facing, and said that the man had worked at the bar for more than 50 years! How interesting!
On to the afternoon tea itself. I had the Flowery combination tea, Daughter had the Spiced combo, Hubby had the Oolong Chinese tea, and we were all happy with our choices. Daughter's and my tea had a very nice aroma, and the servers kept all the teapots filled continuously. There was a complimentary tuna in sesame cone for each of us, that was savory and good. The food tower was filled with all 3 orders. The lowest tray had 6 warm raisin scones, which were delicious with strawberry jam and clotted cream. The middle tray with a variety of finger sandwiches actually lacked luster to us. We felt that there was nothing special about those sandwiches, especially the cucumber ones. The savory treats could have been more innovative, at least more different varieties would have been nicer. The top tray desserts were the stars of the meal! Each dessert was crafted with care that looked and tasted good. We had leftovers of 2 scones and 2 pear cheesecakes to take home, and the server gladly packaged those for us in a nice box and bag.
Overall, it was a delightful experience and we enjoyed the afternoon tea. Interestingly, it costs a lot less than that in the Peninsula Chicago. Just for your information, there is a minimum charge of HK$350 per person for afternoon tea at the Peninsula. However, afternoon tea for 2 is HK$918, for 1 is HK$528. So, if you don't share, you can exceed the minimum charge without any problems. Also, 10% service charge is standard for restaurants in Hong Kong.