At half past two, we went up to the seventeenth floor for afternoon tea.
The counter had already been reset. The morning's breakfast had been cleared away, replaced by cakes, fruit and bread, with flowers standing in the very centre as always — orange, yellow and purple — and tall reeds rising behind them. Afternoon light came in through the windows, and the whole counter glowed.
One thing should be said first. The pastries on the counter are there every day during afternoon tea hours; the three-tier tea stand is different — it is served only once during a stay. So that afternoon, we kept the tower for ourselves, and took our time over it.
On the Counter, Beginning with the Earl Grey Mille Crêpes
In the cake section, the Earl Grey mille crêpes came first. Sliced piece by piece and arranged in a circle on a glass plate, its layers clearly defined, each slice dotted with a small green leaf. The card read clearly: Earl Grey mille crêpes cake, with the allergens noted beside it.
Beside it were small tarts in two colours — one a pinkish orange, one yellow — lined up in perfect rows. Further along, on a black stand, sat profiteroles and petit cakes, with a row of brownies in front, each speared with a little pick, and small cups made of chocolate alongside.
There was fruit on the counter, too. Grapes and melon, cut and arranged on plates; passion fruit halved; guava sliced — take as much as you like.
At the bread end there were croissants, lemon-glazed croissants and several kinds of small breads. A glass jar held cookies, its base lined with coffee beans, and beside it a bowl of apples, left whole.
We took a little back to our seats first: savoury tarts and a lemon-glazed croissant. The coffee arrived too — one hot, one an iced latte.
The Tower Arrives
The tea stand is a silver frame with three tiers. When it was brought to the table, an iced latte had been set beside it first — milk and coffee in separate layers, foam crowning the top.
The bottom tier is savoury. Smoked salmon, rolled and set on small pieces of toast; ham too, stacked slice by slice, each piece dotted with a tiny edible flower. Begin at the bottom — finish the savouries, then work your way up.
The middle tier held brownies, each piped with a small dollop of chocolate, and beside them a cake sprinkled with crumble. The top tier was yellow petit cakes, each crowned with a red petal, with a small chocolate-coloured confection alongside.
On the table there were also the savoury tarts we had taken from the counter, topped with caviar and petals, and a slice of the mille crêpes set together with two chocolate tarts. One table, slowly filling up.
A Pharmacist's Order for Afternoon Tea
To enjoy afternoon tea at ease, the order matters a little. I habitually start with the savouries: the bottom tier of the tower is salmon and ham, so protein first, then bread and sweets. Studies have observed that, within the same meal, eating protein first and leaving starches and sweets for last makes the rise and fall of blood sugar after the meal gentler. Eating the tower from the bottom up happens to be exactly that order.
I love lattes, and at afternoon tea I always want to order one. A latte contains milk, and lactose is a sugar too — it tastes mild, but the amount still has to be counted in. So once I have ordered a latte, I add no extra sugar to any other drink: the desserts already carry sugar of their own, and one afternoon's sugar should not pile up in layers. The speed at which caffeine is metabolised differs from person to person; if coffee in the afternoon keeps you from sleeping well at night, drink half a cup, or switch to tea instead.
Portions matter, too. Everything on the counter is small — take one of each first and savour it slowly; if you truly like something, go back for more. For friends who take blood-sugar medication and need to keep their glucose under control, please check the right portion for afternoon tea with your own doctor or pharmacist before eating. Let this section simply be me sharing how I usually eat.
Coffee — and a Pot of Tea
The foam on the hot latte formed a round circle; I picked the cup up and looked at it for a moment before drinking.
Besides the coffee, there was also a pot of tea on the table, pouring out a deep colour. One afternoon, both to drink — with the savouries, with the sweets — just right.
The tower was nearly finished, and the sky outside the window was still bright. An afternoon on the seventeenth floor passes very slowly, with nothing that needs hurrying. We sat and finished the tea, and only then went down.
