Mandarin Oriental KL High Tea Review

Going back to the things you like is normal, even while traveling. Fortunately for us, we return to the place sooner or later to tick off some of our desires. One of our wishes was to check the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur (KL) again since our Mosaic Buffet adventure. This time our victim was Mandarin Oriental KL high tea.

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Inside the Lounge on the Park is weak lighting for alluring feel with a classy Chinese touch.

Extraordinary desserts at the buffet kept an open question if the afternoon tea can relate to that. Here around KLCC, the high tea competition is intense. Especially with afternoon tea catered at nearby Four Seasons KL and High on Sugar afternoon tea buffet at neighboring Hyatt. Ou, and not to mention the unforgettable Japanese Nobu afternoon tea… So let’s check if Mandarin Oriental KL high tea can keep the pace with them in our extended review.

It is very pleasant to be at the Lounge on the Park, which is furnished in the classy Chinese style.

Mandarin Oriental KL Lounge on the Park Ambiance

Inside the Lounge on the Park is weak lighting for alluring feel, with classy Chinese furnishing. At the end of the lounge, you can see the jungle view which combines the best from the natural and urban worlds. In general, this makes it a perfect place for one of the best high tea in KL. Of course, one can stop just for a cuppa, and relax on the outside terrace where sadly food is not served.

The lounge ends with a jungle view which is a rare sight in the KL city center.

TWG Loose Tea Selection

The tea enthusiasts will be delighted to know that at Mandarin Oriental KL high tea, there are 60 premium TWG teas on the tea menu. Apart from a comprehensive selection of invigorating teas I was happy to see Rooibos and a few other caffeine-free tea blends. I put my finger down for the Jasmine Pearls tea. It seems like I can’t get enough of this fragrant pair of Chinese green tea and jasmine blossoms. Especially I love its floral tenderness with green tea tartness and nice grassy finish.

The tea enthusiasts will be delighted to know that there are 60 premium TWG teas to choose from for Mandarin Oriental KL high tea.

High Tea Set

High tea treats are exhibited on a three-tier red-brown massive stand. By aside, I got a delicious scones condiments and here they are generous with them.

This Lounge on the Park afternoon tea is executive pastry chef Anthony Hoyle's creation.

Scones

Both plain and raisin scones came to the table pleasantly heated with plenty of colorful spreads. First, I tried the lemon curd and loved its richness in texture and flavor as well. Then, another citrusy delicacy tempted me, this time in mandarin orange. The mandarin marmalade proved to be a right zesty switch and went well with the clotted cream.

Both plain and raisin scones came to the table pleasantly heated with plenty of colorful spreads; mandarin marmalade, strawberry jam, lemon curd and clotted cream.

Yet, I enjoyed the combination of strawberry jam and clotted cream even more. Just like jams were top notch so were the tasty scones with a firm crust.

I put my finger down the for Jasmine Pearls tea from the TWG loose leaf tea selection.

High Tea Savories

The Mandarin Oriental KL high tea menu looked promising including all four sandwiches with a splash of extravagance. Even with delightful filling, I can’t go past the bland bread slices. In a word, the gravlax salmon suddenly loses the grandeur and sour lemon cream can’t fulfill the lifeless bread.

Finger sandwiches: Gravlax salmon with lemon sour cream; chicken with cheddar cheese; oregano cream cheese with radish pickles; tuna with Antiboise mayonnaise

In general, the savory English tea time snacks at Mandarin Oriental KL high tea would be way better with fresh bread. Among all four I liked the grilled chicken with Cheddar cheese the most. Its dense filling connected the meaty flavors with mild cheese, allowing me to forget about the bread.

I love the floral tenderness of jasmine blossoms blended with green tea tartness.

Sweets at Mandarin Oriental KL High Tea

Just as expected after our feast at the Mandarin Oriental Mosaic buffet, the desserts are the real star of this afternoon tea menu. To my excitement, the tea time cakes looked not only splendid but also tasted delicious. Leaning towards the traditional English tea cakes all the pieces were juicy with a sophisticated twist.

In my eyes, the sweets are the winners of this English afternoon tea in Kuala Lumpur.

For English afternoon tea I got sandwiches and sweets all inspired by the West.

My Favorite

I started with a cherry cheesecake with delicious Amarena cherry on top. The decoration itself is a flavorful and tasty trend that continues with the moist cheesecake. The next treat I loved was the light carrot sponge cake with cheese frosting on top. I liked the firm texture of the cake and how well it worked with the topping.

My favorite pastries: cherry cheesecake, chocolate-orange delice, carrot cake.

Among the top grade sweets was also the delightful chocolate orange delice. To point out, this combination of light chocolate and orange juiciness truly got the better side of both ingredients.

The combination of light chocolate and orange juiciness truly got the better side of both ingredients.

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With a Magic Touch

Also, the remaining three pieces were more than adequate. The first one was a tart with strawberries from Cameron Highlands. Here, I must say something about the Cameron Highlands, the location itself is not to brag and strawberries from there are far cry from good ones. Even so, the chef brought the strawberries back to life with his experiences and infused it with absent essence.

To my excitement, the tea time cakes looked not only splendid but also tasted delicious.

As a result, the fresh strawberries tasted better than the ones from my grandmother's garden. Speaking about childhood memories, the apple crumble cake also belongs to the revived zone. The only thing I would change is the sugar amount, that is; reduce it noticeably.

Leaning towards the traditional English tea cakes all the pieces were juicy with a sophisticated twist.

Conclusion

Ups and downs of the Mandarin Oriental KL high tea set left me with mixed feelings in the end. It started with an impressive visual image of the Lounge on the Park, including the sandwich stand. I also shouldn't overlook the kind service and talented pianist making afternoon tea even more special. Regarding the afternoon tea sandwiches, I believe there is some room for improvement. Evidently, it starts with the bread, but also some amuse bouche wouldn't hurt.

Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur greeted us with a different set of flowers than when we were there for buffet lunch at Mosaic restaurant.

Mandarin Oriental KL High Tea Review Card

• 9.1/10
  ATMOSPHERE – 9.1/10
• 9.5/10
  SERVICE – 9.5/10
• 10/10
  TEA SELECTION – 10/10
• 9.5/10
  PRESENTATION – 9.5/10
• 8.7/10
  BITES – 8.7/10
• 7/10
  VALUE – 7/10

Price and Location

Afternoon tea set for one person is settled at 36 USD, which makes it one of the priciest here in Kuala Lumpur. Anyway, if you add 12 USD to that you will get also a glass of champagne and indulge these treats with style. Here is a link to the location in a case you don't know, where Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur is.

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