Sunday afternoon tea has become the norm at Casa Chew. Every Sunday, the whole family gets together from 4pm, to have a cup of tea (or coffee) with whatever sweet and savoury treats we’ve put together.

As a tribute to the Chew afternoon teas,  J and I thought it would be fun to experience the famous Peninsula Hotel afternoon tea for ourselves on Sunday while we were in Hong Kong.

First opened in 1928, The Peninsula Hotel was known as the “grand dame of the far east“. The building is really magnificent, and still retains it’s original charm – from the neo-classical architecture, to the string band playing (discreetly ensconced upstairs and out of the way) while you enjoy your tea.

My trusty Lonely Planet guide warned anyone wishing to take tea at the Peninsula should be ready to wait.

And wait we did, that Sunday, as the place was packed out. We arrived around 4pm, and were finally seated after an hour.

Though we were clearly tourists (just like most of the others waiting in line with us), we were careful not to look like them (see the sign on the right!)

We chose the traditional afternoon tea for two – a selection of savouries, sweets and scones, served with the Peninsula’s afternoon tea blend.

Our selection of afternoon tea treats was served, and a waiter in a white coat poured our tea.

The top tier is pictured above – clockwise from front left: raspberry macaron, banana cake with chocolate icing, passionfruit chocolate tart, chocolate macaron, neapolitan slice (I don’t actually know what it was called, but it reminded me of neapolitan ice cream!) Portugese custard tart (there were two of these, one is obscured in the back of the photo).

The middle tier held a selection of savoury goodies, including cucumber sandwiches, a smoked salmon sandwich, savoury mince sandwiches on brown bread, a savoury mince ‘danish’, and a dainty mushroom quiche.

The final tier held our scones (studded generously with raisins) and some sweet wafers. To go with the scones, we were given two little dishes which held the Peninsula’s strawberry jam and clotted cream.

The dainty sandwiches and cakes were beautifully crafted, and looked delightful – they were also delicious to eat. The scones were light and airy – among the best I have eaten (and I’ve had my fair share of scones).

What a great way to spend an afternoon – we didn’t need dinner that night!

Afternoon tea at The Peninsula Hotel is served in The Lobby, between 2 and 7pm daily.

Dress code is smart casual (no thongs/flip flops!)

The Peninsula Hotel
Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong