Le Salon De Thé de Joël Robuchon, Elements (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I went out to Elements Shopping Mall to get a number of things done this afternoon. Right before taking off, I walked past Le Salon De Thé de Joël Robuchon and mom's favorite Mont Blanc cake suddenly flashed through my mind.



I decided to come in for a quick look and ended up getting two pieces of pastries to share with mom. Yeah, it was Typhoon Signal #1 but that wasn't going to stop me from going to see mom on this rainy afternoon.

Of course, she was thrilled to see her favorite son (and Mont Blanc cake).



These plates she uses, they never gets out of style! 

I had this one with silky smooth raspberry mousse and a bit of lychee compote in the middle. Not surprisingly, the balance of sweetness and acidity was impressive.

Mom didn't want to see me leave but I had to go and pick little nugget up. So, I promised her I'd come back to visit her again soon (though I'm already seeing her twice a week but at my place not hers).

P.S. I have to admit there's always something about me going back to the apartment I grew up in. Images of me growing up as a child popping up everywhere (living room, bedroom...). Just standing by the window like I used to do overlooking the stadium and road nearby made me feel a little old sometimes.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 1020B, First Floor, Elements, 1 Austin Road west, West Kowloon, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kowloon Station

Tel: +852 2351-6678

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 9:00pm (Mon - Fri), 9:00am - 9:00pm (Sat - Sun)

The Peninsula Boutique & Café (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★★

After a quick "snack" at the nearby Hong Kong Cafe (香港餐室), I quickly walked back to the newly opened The Peninsula Boutique & Café for the second part of my double header. 

I swing by about an hour ago to put my name down and was expected to be called any minute but my phone has yet to ring...

A friend of mine said she waited 4 hours for a table at this prestigious new cafe at Peninsula Hotel but I was hoping for better luck this afternoon since it's the last round of the daily afternoon tea session (5:45pm). In fact, this felt more like an early-bird dinner than afternoon tea.

Just 6 tables at this new crowd favorite and finally, we were offered one of the tables much to my delight!



My team has yet to arrive but I knew exactly what to order already - their "afternoon indulgence" (what else?). 

This looked absolutely amazing! 

There were two types of scones being served, a plain one and one with raisins. As usual, they were served with strawberry jam and clotted cream.

Very very flaky outside, fluffy and pillowy inside. Buttery too!

The savory bites actually looked more appealing to me than the sweet bites to be honest. The kimchi tuna sandwich, smoked salmon and pickled relish sandwich, Parma ham and asparagus tarlet, and egg and celery sandwich roll, which one to start first?

This Parma ham and asparagus tarlet was the least tasty one but even that I thought it was worth an encore.

The sweet bites included mille-feuille, blueberry cheesecake, strawberry roll and mango pudding but before I could take a photo of all four, this was what I was left with!

Two complimentary macarons in random flavors (raspberry and salted caramel).

Another small "gift" was the hotel's iconic Page Hats, 3D-printed chocolate shells filled with smooth ganache.

One last freebie, Hokkaido milk soft serve. That sent little nugget home a very happy camper.

It's little nugget's first-ever afternoon tea (formal one) and his smile said it all. No doubt he's really enjoying it.

That was a lot of food in an hour and 15 minutes. It's safe to say that we won't need supper tonight.

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: $$$

Address: The Peninsula Arcade, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2696-6969

Website: Link

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm daily (Afternoon Indulgence tea set: 2:00pm - 6:00pm)

Hong Kong Cafe 香港餐室 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I had my Sunday morning and early afternoon off with little nugget hanging out with his friends. House chores kept me busy and by the time I finally sat down to rest, it was already 3pm! So, without hesitation, I got dressed and headed straight towards Tsim Sha Tsui to meet up with the gang.

I got there a little early and since I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast, I started looking for a place for a quick afternoon tea on Ashley Road. There has been a lot of changes going on in that area of TST. It was then that I spotted Hong Kong Cafe (香港餐室), a cafe that doubles at a hotpot restaurant at night.

The ground level was their bar area so I had to climb the stairs to reach their restaurant.

This place looks spacious and clean. I'm loving it already. Like I said, they're a cafe during breakfast, lunch and afternoon hours but switch into a hotpot restaurant at night.

Is this the longest afternoon tea menu I've seen? No, but there's a second page...

It keeps going from A to Z....

The hot milk tea I thought was pretty good (especially for a hot pot restaurant). It was silky smooth although could have been a little more creamy.

I wanted a big afternoon tea since it's literally my lunch so this was perfect! Fujian fried rice (福建炒飯) with all the nice toppings of chicken breast, shrimp, ham, mushrooms and vegetables. The oyster sauce was spot on. I bet they have a more proper kitchen than most cha chaan teng (茶餐廳) so no surprise about them producing such quality of food there.

Before I stopped for fuel here, I have actually dropped by Peninsula Hotel to check out their new cafe and boutique which has just recently opened a week ago. I have heard about people waiting there for 4 hours for a table. Out of curiosity, I have left my name there to see if I could get a table in an hour. So, I am heading back to find out about my fate. Wish me luck! 

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: 1/F & Shop D, G/F, Ashley Building, 14 Ashley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2892-2822

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 6:00pm daily