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2012-09-15
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Having read about the Jo Malone x Cafe Gray collaboration earlier this year, I was really excited to hear that Cafe Gray had once again teamed up to create an afternoon tea, this time inspired by Cle de Peau.To celebrate Cle de Peau's 30th anniversary, Cafe Gray is offering their exclusive tea set from 1 to 30 September 2012. Available between 3:30-5:30PM, the tea is priced at HK$240 per person or $420 for two (~US$31 or $52 / £19 or £34 / €24 or €43).Upon arrival, I was presented with the menu
To celebrate Cle de Peau's 30th anniversary, Cafe Gray is offering their exclusive tea set from 1 to 30 September 2012. Available between 3:30-5:30PM, the tea is priced at HK$240 per person or $420 for two (~US$31 or $52 / £19 or £34 / €24 or €43).
Upon arrival, I was presented with the menu for today's afternoon tea. After reading the right-hand side and feeling impressed that I learned something about Cle de Peau, I was promptly disappointed when I noticed that actual menu on the left was not properly organised! Perhaps I am just OCD, but bizarrely, the menu was not organised in terms of starters, mains and desserts. Instead, the names of the different "items" were jumbled around, making it somewhat difficult to follow...
Deciding to overlook that error, I ordered anyway and the tea arrived in its standard 3-tiered stand.For starters, I began with the black currant scone and short rib curry puff. To go with the scone, I was provided with a side of clotted cream, homemade jam and some honey.
Personally, I love scones with clotted cream. As much as I appreciate creativity when it comes to food, I wasn't that impressed with the scones as I felt that the black currants made it too sweet, detracting away from its buttery flavour. Not to mention, the scones were sprinkled with sugar on the surface - making them even sweeter! The curry puff was also just standard, possibly because neither the scone or puff was particularly warm, making them slightly forgettable - in my opinion.
Moving onto the mains, I started off with the mini pastrami reuben (the little sandwich). This, I quite liked, as the saltiness of the pastrami and cheese was well balanced with the sour cream/mayonnaise (?) of the "salad" that was sandwiched between. The egg salad sandwich with chili and avocado was also nice, but its flavours were not as "sharp" as I hoped (I'm talking about the chili!).
Visually, and because I love salmon, I had high hopes for the smoked salmon on pumpernickel with salmon caviar and creme fraiche. But something about the combination of flavours (maybe too many things going on at once) made the overall taste really odd and strange! The poached shrimp cucumber and mango roll I also was looking forward to - which was quite nice (in comparison to the salmon) - but lacked the 'wow' factor that I was looking for.
Finally, as for desserts, this was probably the star of the show. I really really liked the lemon quark cheesecake with almond biscuit, the black cherry milk chocolate tart and blueberry macaron with elderflower ganache.Typically, cheesecake is not really my thing but something about the lemon made the flavour really sharp and memorable. Very zingy and fresh! The mousse of the chocolate tart was also extremely rich. Although I didn't think that the cherry or milk chocolate made that much of a difference (because the tart was so good already!), it made the chocolate less bland - a nice touch.
And, in most cases, the macaroon is always the real star of the show. Inspired by Cle de Peau's famous La Creme, the blue colouring and gold ganache is supposedly reminiscent of the ultra luxurious jar.While I've tried many macaroons, but by no means claim to be an expert, I thought this was really different because I've never seen any with a "soft interior". I personally thought this was very smart; you really do get to taste the blueberry because of the jam (?) tucked inside.
Regarding atmosphere and setting, Cafe Gray nails this in every aspect. The setting is comfortable, but not unapproachable (like some high-end cafes) and the view is, frankly, unbeatable. I guess when you're sitting on the 49th floor of a luxury boutique hotel, that's expected - but a good view should always be noted, right?Overall, I had a pleasant experience, with the staff being attentive and friendly. Certainly if it hadn't been for the desserts and setting, I would have probably concluded on a different note. While I'd say, if you're in Hong Kong, you should go try it yourselves, you're not really missing out if you don't either. Put it more simply, I'd recommend but not highly recommend. Does anyone get my gist?
Thanks for reading.
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