I don’t like coffee. *wait’s for the throwing tomatoes to stop*
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Okay, I’m not a massive fan of the brew. I never drank java much growing up. It’s super hot and humid in Trinidad and Tobago, so hot beverages just weren’t ever a go-to for me. Portugal juice, – sure! Never heard of it? It’s a delightful citrus somewhat reminiscent of a tangerine. Lime juice – yum! Coconut water – hmmm I prefer the jelly. Anyway, my point is that coffee…. not so much. So that means tea is a much more instinctive choice for me. Cute little sandwiches and desserts on a tiered stand to go with the tea? Yes please!
This led to my first Shangri-la high tea experience. The Shangri-la Hotel in downtown Vancouver has a cosy lounge where they serve afternoon tea, complete with live piano for your listening pleasure. I even saw the pianist take requests, so you might be able to get your Für Elise on if you so desire.
I sipped on the lychee tea with rose and almond, which they describe as a ‘ceylon pekoe with asian lychee and light almond’. I haven’t quite learned to speak the language of ‘tea’ fluently yet to know pekoe from my baby toe, but I can tell you this was delightful. Definitely got a hint of the rose and who knew it was a good match for the sweetness of lychee.
Then came the beautiful tiered stand with savory goodies like pork puffs, buttery scones and crab salad sandwiches seasoned with lime and cilantro mayo. And the sweet treats – blood orange mousse, coconut cream buns and lime meringue. I had a very full but food-drunk happy tummy after this. The foodie photos below pretty much speak for themselves.
All of this went down in the Xi Shi Lounge, which boasts a neon pink backlit bar. I know, wouldn’t you cringe at the thought of that? But I swear, they pull it off with the grace of Chinese acrobat dancers (I saw a performance years back and grace is an understatement). Go on, check out the photo and see for yourself if you don’t believe me. It somehow works against the dark wood finish.
To feel thematic, I tied a bit of floral into my outfit as you can see in the image below. The crop top had the perfect level of looseness to accommodate post-pastry indulgence. I paired that with a leather pleated high-waisted skirt which has easily become one of my go-to skirts as it helps to make anything I pair with it look fancier than it really is (close your eyes and picture the crop top paired with denim shorts instead – that’s what I mean). The blue statement necklace adds a bit more colour to an otherwise dominantly black ensemble, and turns out it matches the Shangri-la’s Blue Willow China beautifully. We can pretend I planned that – ha!
All in all, a beau-TEA- ful experience.
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