The Authors' Lounge is the most picture-perfect place we have ever had afternoon tea. This lounge is inside one of the best hotels in the world - Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The word impressive doesn’t even seem enough to describe the surroundings of our afternoon tea. This historical place is one of the best-known lounges and despite its age, it is still in an enviable shape with service still at the highest level.
In the dark, the original building really starts to shine. Mandarin Oriental Bangkok hotel or La Grande Dame.
Ambiance
When we entered the bright Authors' Lounge, it took our breath away. You could say that it took our hearing away as well, because the receptionist had to ask us twice if we had a reservation. We were busy looking at the airy place with colonial feel where every detail has its purpose.
Bangkok's most photographed location is not only pretty, but it has a very pleasant vibe as well.
Isn't it spectacular? We were lucky to stay long enough, here at the Oriental Hotel, so we saw another glamorous flower arrangement as well. Any difference?
For example, the striking staircase serves as a stage for the guitarist, who performed beautifully in this acoustic lounge. The bamboo pattern matches more than just the teapot and the teacups, as there was a large bamboo plant growing in the corners. Actually, all the tableware matched, except for the centerpiece, which was the oriental afternoon set. In 2015, they restored the wing in which the lounge is located – read more about it here.
Vivi didn't want to leave the flowers behind.
Tea Selection
At the Authors' Lounge Bangkok, they serve prestigious TWG teas. Ian’s choice was the TWG Royal Darjeeling, a black tea that is also known as the king of India teas. The fragrance of the dried fruit worked as an invitation to keep on sipping, to taste the overtones of ripe apricots with a just a hint of bitterness.
'La Grande Dame' tea celebrates the 140th anniversary of the Bangkok Mandarin Oriental. A special blend is made of green tea, citrus and oriental rose.
My tea choice
My choice was the TWG 1837 Black tea. The pleasant cherry aroma evolved in the complex flavors of berries and vanilla. There was even a taste of cinnamon and rum with the lingering caramel and berry aftertaste.
For afternoon tea we got to choose from the wide selection of TWG teas.
At the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, the service is impeccable and the awareness of the guest’s individual preferences is always on the staff's mind. We say this because for the first time in South East Asia, we were asked if we preferred milk or lemon slice with our tea.
The middle part of the Authors Lounge with flawlessly preserved original mirror.
Tea Sorbet
In the tropics, hot and cold always work well together and there’s no way we would ever say no to the 'La Grande Dame' tea sorbet with mandarin and bergamot. The Mariage brothers made a special blend of green tea, citrus and oriental rose named 'La Grande Dame' for the 140th anniversary of the Bangkok Mandarin Oriental. Each ingredient added its share to the sorbet. Clementine and mandarin contributed sweetness, while yuzu added some citrusy bitterness and bergamot the floral tones. We loved the complex taste of the sorbet and the creamy texture that could always make us mistake this for ice cream.
Our afternoon tea started with a delicious scoop of the 'La Grande Dame' tea sorbet with mandarin and bergamot.
Afternoon Tea Sets
Here at the Authors' Lounge, you can choose among three versions of afternoon tea sets. The afternoon tea menu ranges from Western, vegetarian and Oriental; we opted for the last one. This afternoon tea set came in the three identical bowls with a golden pattern and shiny handles. It is certainly one of the most beautiful sets we’ve seen so far. A nice place, sophisticated tableware and a promising menu - everything complimented one another.
The oriental afternoon set came in beautiful bowls with golden ornaments and moon cake next to the scones.
Authors' Lounge Afternoon Tea
Scones
After the exquisite sorbet, we focused our attention on the traditional scones and Thai mango mooncake. We liked the texture of the scones, which didn't fall apart and made it easy for us to apply homemade jam on top - the very tasty jam with proper clotted cream, to be exact.
Next to the traditional scones were the Thai mango mooncakes - a nice tribute to Thailand. A tasty one as well, especially when combined with aromatic rose petal jam and warming mango jam with ginger.
The luscious clotted cream is a far cry from whipped cream. Sadly, the easily accessible whipped cream is much more commonly used for the afternoon tea, but clotted cream is well worth the struggle. The scones were delicious and so were the house-made jams. Amazingly aromatic rose petal jam and warming mango jam with ginger. Naturally, we ate everything before the mooncake came into play, which tasted similar to custard with compact texture.
Is it as tasty as it looks? Here they pay attention to the details, we even got the clotted cream.
Savories
The savories were presented in nine different bites and neatly put on top of a banana leaf. We started with the tasty flower shaped steamed Thai dumpling, which had the crunchy peanut inside. This delicate dumpling was tasty, nicely steamed with a great texture. However, we loved the crisp fresh Vietnamese spring roll even more.
The savories in the top bowl are: Thai dumpling, fresh Vietnamese spring roll, Thai curry puff and fried vermicelli in a pastry cup.
It was seasoned with mint and coriander and paired with a sweet dip. The spring roll was the complete opposite from the mild Thai curry puff. The sweet and juicy filling of the puff soaked the dough a little, but it was still an enjoyable bite.
Thai trio
A crunchy balance was established in the next snack: the fried vermicelli in a pastry cup with sweet-sour-spicy seasoning. This classic Thai trio went extremely well with this vermicelli crispy bite. The renowned Thai seasoning was also present in the wing bean salad. The main components of this salad were the chicken and prawns. All the protein was perfectly seasoned and placed on top of the betel leaves. A nice refreshing salad for the tropical climate!
Minced chicken canapé with black olive seasoned with kaffir lime.
Our next meaty bite was roasted chicken wrapped in a pandan leaf, which kept the chicken moist and served as a seasoning. The minced chicken with black olive got a refreshing note thanks to the kaffir lime. It went well with a slice of fresh bread, which to our surprise was not too spicy, despite the red chili.
Oriental afternoon tea set includes a pot of TWG tea of your choice.
Amazingly well prepared
The last chicken bite was settled in the crispy pastry shell with corn on top. It looked simple, but it was very well performed. For an easier transition to the sweets, we had the crabmeat sandwich with lemongrass and chili. Definitely, the lavish filling made us happy with refreshing flavors that shined through the tender wrap. In addition, the lemongrass was there to support the crabmeat and allowed it to be the king of this sandwich.
Savories in the second bowl: wing bean salad, roasted chicken wrapped in a pandan leaf, minced chicken canapé, chicken in the crispy pastry shell with corn on top and crab meat sandwich.
Sweets
After the appealing savories, we dug straight into the sweets, starting with the steamed pumpkin custard. We are more used to the French style desserts and the steamed pumpkin custard felt more like paté than the dessert. Surely, we can't say the same for the mango tartlet with vanilla cream.
A very talented man performed really well in an acoustic Authors' Lounge.
It was a very gratifying bite with crunchy dough underneath the vanilla cream and scoops of juicy mango on top. The same goes for the sweet coconut pudding wrapped in banana leaf, despite being a little salty. The pudding with coconut stripes really let the coconut shine in its delicate glory.
Dumpling in a flower shape is always a good start, especially if it is right next to the real flower and fresh spring roll.
Traditional Thai desserts
Another traditional Thai dessert, the Foi Foi Thong, was elegantly wrapped in leaf basket. The egg yolk was very sweet and strongly infused with jasmine aroma. Usually, I am not fond of eggy desserts, but this really didn’t taste like an egg. The assorted Thai marzipan - or Luk Chup - looked so lovely. However, it's not surprising to guess the meaning of this word. It means exactly what it is: lovely.
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Sweets were the traditional Thai desserts: Thai mango tartlet with vanilla cream, coconut pudding wrapped in banana leaf, steamed pumpkin custard, assorted Thai marzipan, orchid tea praline, traditional Thai dessert, the Foi Foi Thong
It was coated in vibrantly colored jelly that looked like a polished inedible decoration. The look was deceiving and underneath the coating, we got the sweet mung bean paste with coconut milk. It had a mushy texture with a hint of jasmine and slightly smoky aroma. Definitely, a perfect fit for a king, so no wonder that it used to be the exclusive treat after a royal meal. Once, it was enjoyed only inside the walls of the Siam Palace and to this day, the Luk Chup is a delicacy eaten mostly on special occasions.
A very talented man performed really well in an acoustic Authors' Lounge.
We finished one of the best afternoon tea in Bangkok with Royal Thai orchid tea praline. The brilliant mousse melted away easily and left the mouth full of floral chocolate. Normally, the splendid chocolate was the queen, but in this bite, there was a sophisticated addition, the orchid.
Stylish afternoon tea setting with the garden view has a calming effect.
Conclusion
The Authors' Lounge high tea is on the top of our favorite high tea list. However, this is one of the famous high tea in Bangkok and we can see why. The photogenic place truly is the most beautiful ambient in Bangkok and it’s no wonder this lounge is one of the most photographed sites in Bangkok.
A garden view reaches all the way inside with the rattan chairs.
The service is impeccable, which is reflected throughout the entire Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. Authors' Lounge afternoon tea in general was a nice experience and it will be forever in our hearts. To be honest, not only lounge but also this Luxury hotel with its Bamboo Bar and outstanding Le Normandie.
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok has offered hospitality to a vast range of guests, among them are also many celebrities.
Room for improvements
There is always a room for improvement and even Authors' Lounge high tea can make some. The savory food was extremely nice, but the sweets could be a bit better. We know very well that Thai pastries are not the same – and shouldn’t be – as French ones (which are our personal favorites). But for exactly that reason, we think they should introduce more exotic local ingredients, like Thai chocolate, other fruits and nuts. These ingredients are more known to us Farangs.
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Vivi simply didn't want to go home. Ever!
Price and location of Authors' Lounge
The afternoon tea offering here at Authors' Lounge will cost you about 45 USD per person. Here is a link of location, to this legendary luxury heritage Hotel.
Authors' Lounge review card
[wp-review id= "5390"]
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