Favorites: Scones with Rose Petal Jam
4/10 plates emptied!

[Written by Carly]

Carly and Lorling have a strong liking for desserts, sweets and any food that makes them happy (well, sugar is always one big component). Carly do have a few favorites in mind when it comes to classy afternoon tea, Mandarin Oriental’s Clipper Lounge has been on our to-try list for so long and the anticipation grows…

Clipper Lounge’s afternoon tea set turns out to be very mediocre that the Gang was somehow disappointed. The so-called festive menu included some very traditional Christmas theme desserts such as the English Christmas cake and the Chocolate Christmas log. I understood the reason why the scones here were famous but for other sweet pastries, even cheesecakes or sandwiches, Clipper Lounge will have to do way better to live up to the 5 star hotel standard.

期待已久，Carly和Lorling與友人都是愛好甜食之人，但今次Clipper Lounge快船廊的下午茶卻讓我們有點跌眼鏡。稍微對甜品有要求的人，也不會對這裡的下午茶感到滿意。雖然網上的評語說Clipper Lounge的Scones無得輸，但層架上甜點水準失色，亦是不能挽回這一趟下午茶之旅的失望。環境不見到特別舒適，名乎其實的快船廊，餐桌都是沿著走廊坐的，卻沒有觀景可言。

Top Tier: Mandarin Cheesecake/Millionaire Shortbread/Strawberry Layer Cake/Red Velvet Cupcake/Mince Pie/Christmas Log

Cheesecake was alright as it was moist and dense to sustain the cheese flavor yet it was not smooth enough to be considered good. The strawberry layer cake had a really artificial strawberry flavor and was so overly sugar, I gave up after a few nibbles. I was a bit threw off the chair when I saw my Christmas log disfigured sitting on the top tier of the afternoon tea set :S I wanted to ask if I can get a replacement of my “Log” but figured that it would be too much of a hassle since I already had to ask thrice for our cup of hot water.

要提的是，這個顏色看上去已經很假的Strawberry Layer cake，放入口中的確有點嚇人。很甜，甜得來還吃得出不是天然的士多啤梨味，吃過一兩口，我已經放棄了。不好吃的甜點，真的兩口也嫌多。最好笑的是，我的聖誕木型蛋糕在上桌時，已經「不似木型」，整個蛋糕就是東歪西倒，酒店級數的下午茶應該不是這樣的吧。本身是想叫他們幫我們換一件，但想要杯熱水前前後後都已經叫了三次，換蛋糕的念頭當然是打消了。

圓型的芝士蛋糕算是不錯，夠滑身與厚身，芝士味不是太濃，個人還是最喜歡Tony Wong的輕型版芝士蛋糕。Red Velvet mini cupcake味道可以，cupcake來說，亦不太乾身，算是不俗。

Second Tier: Herb Sausage Roll/Bacon and Onion Quiche

I am not able to recall any memory of these savory snacks and hence, I am assuming that I did not find them daunting or thrilling to enjoy for an afternoon tea.

味道中規中矩的quiche和咸點，沒有太多驚喜，不值一提。

Third Tier: Sandwiches/Smoked Salmon, Rye Bread Mille Feuille/Roast Beef, Horseradish and Watercress/Turkey, Cranberry and Honey Mustard/Mature Cheddar with Homemade Pickle

The smoked salmon and rye bread mille feuille had a weird strong tone of fish and wine smell that it took us a few bites before we could recognize it was a smoked salmon sandwich due to the weird flavor. The shredded cheese and pickle sandwich was not so good either as the combination was strange. The only relatively edible savory sandwhich was the turkey one as flavor wise, it was considered average.

三文治方面，煙燻三文魚那一款味道異常的怪，吃到尾，我還是搞不清自己到底在吃甚麼，有著不知道從何來很重的酒味。最正常的是火雞那一款，不可說是很好味但已經算是層架上比較可口的了。

Dry Cakes: Ginger Orange Chocolate Cake/English Christmas Cake

Both cakes were dry, very dry that I could not even finish the whole Christmas Cake despite of the Christmas festive mood, the dried fruit was too overpowering but I am sure some people might like the strong mixed fruit taste of apricots, cranberries, and raisins which is considered normal for Christmas cakes.

天啊，這兩款蛋糕開始讓我卻步了。薑橙味朱古力蛋糕本身已不太吸引，味道還算是過得去，但我吃就知道蛋糕弄到太乾，一個叉子叉下去的時候，蛋糕還會乾到散開。英式的聖誕蛋糕乾果味非常重，有些人可能會喜歡，但我吃一口後，還是放棄了。

Scones: Raisin Scone/Classic Scone Complimented by Clotted Cream and Rose Petal Jam

Finally, we couldn’t hold onto ourselves any longer as we saw the scones warmly served to our table, being acclaimed for its scones, Lorling and I were not disappointed and we actually wanted to order another set of scones on the side (abandoning the cake tea set on the side). Scones were not doughy or floury, as soon as you take one bite into it, the edges slightly crumble to the side, leaving the inner scone slightly moist with a butter aroma and savory hint. Highlight was definitely their homemade rose petal jam, the jam was more of a blend of raspberry fruit-based sweetness and rose flowery aroma. Not too over sugary and it complements the buttery scones so well like a harmonic symphony.

終於嘗到了Mandarin Oriental的scones! 有提子乾的和原味的味道分別不太大，但整體的味道絕對值得一讚。暖烘烘的鬆餅送到桌子，吃上口有微微的牛油香卻不會覺得很油膩。重點是翻焗的鬆餅很容易乾身，但快船廊的鬆餅吃到中間還是夠濕潤的，不會吃到得重的麵粉味，牛油與麵粉的比例要剛剛好才能做到鬆軟綿密的口感和效果。

Will I come back again? Sorry but no. All the sandwiches and cakes were mostly below average, the only edible ones were cheesecake and the red velvet cupcake. Scones were unbeatable and the best so far amongst the luxurious hotels like InterContinental and Four Seasons yet let alone there were not mind-blowing that I HAVE to come back again. Mandarin Oriental’s own cake shop might be worth a try but my dessert to-try list is getting too long which is giving me a slight headache. Ahh, time for my sweet kicks.

口味和質量上，這裡的鬆餅確實是無得輸，但足夠我們回來再吃嗎？可能未必吧，下午茶甜點好吃且坐得舒適的地方很多，單是Seasons的甜點和環境都已經把Clipper Lounge比下去。性價比二人份量$508，與一般酒店級下午茶價錢差不多，但要我選的話，會以同等價錢去InterContinental, Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton都無恁嬲，景觀還會開明和舒服得多。

Clipper Lounge – Festive Afternoon Tea Christmas 2014
One person – HK$328+10%, Two persons – HK$508+10%
M/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central
中環干諾道中5號香港文華東方酒店閣樓
2825 4007