Afternoon tea in Tea Lounge in St Regis Abu Dhabi is as grand as it should be. Plush chairs nestle underneath chandeliers between the curved staircases of the lobby, and a tapestry as big as a cinema screen, showing a scene of local fishermen, hangs on the wall. A pianist on the balcony completes the picture.
The service is superb – polite, friendly and knowledgeable. The waiters strike the right balance between being attentive without hovering, and we never once feel rushed; unlike in some hotels, there are no time slots.
High tea is served on three-tier cake stands etched with gold. We start with a few hot items. The spring roll is packed with soft slivers of duck which we dip into a tart plum mayonnaise. The fried salmon croquette roll is served piping hot – it is a mistake to pop the whole thing in our mouth at once – while the hot avocado and tomato sandwich is a pleasant surprise as it’s fried in extra virgin olive oil, and full of flavour.
The sandwich selection is generous – we’re given 10 each. The slices are an inch wide and as long as our hand, so we can’t finish them all. The smoked salmon and chicken with citrus mayonnaise are the best as they’re moist and the filling is thick. The other fillings – cucumber and cream cheese, and crumbly cheese on onion bread – are spread so finely we can barely taste the contents, but are saved somewhat by spreading them generously with the accompanying lemon mayonnaise.
Next we try the scones, which would be better served warm. We’re given two each, neither of which contain sultanas, which they would have benefitted from. They come with clotted cream and strawberry jam, and when we ask for butter the staff are happy to provide us with quality salted butter.
After a rest, we sample the cakes. We’ve given a wide selection, most of which are dusted with icing sugar, which is a nice touch.
The chocolate sponge and Victoria sponge are both moist, and a real treat. The orange and blueberry sponge is overly sweet, leaving us with a tangy tartness on our tongue. We balance this with Eton mess, which is served in a small glass. It has the right amount of each ingredient – strawberry chunks, cream and a tart raspberry sauce, topped with a mini meringue. We also enjoy a dense pecan pie with a whole pecan on top and a Dundee cake packed with cherries, almonds and desiccated coconut – it’s sweet, but not too heavy.
The tea menu deserves a special mention. Even though the tea is bagged, which won’t suit traditionalists, the selection is impressive, and the menu includes some rare varieties. The menu describes the aroma, colour and taste to help you choose.
We choose rose pu’erh tea, which has an earthy, smoky flavour with hints of rose – you can see the buds in the tea bag. We also have white needle tea, which is light in colour and taste. It’s picked only a few times a month, so it’s expensive and usually only served in speciality tea shops. The waiters frequently top up our pots.
If the sandwiches had more filling, the afternoon tea here would be perfect.
The bill (for two)
Afternoon tea for two Dhs320 (excluding service)
