High Tea Experience Vegas Style - Mandarin Oriental Tea Lounge

Vegas here I come again!

Usually I would pick a restaurant or two to try out while visiting Vegas. However, this time I was there for a wedding, and most of the dinner plans have already been set by the wedding party. Knowing that I'll be stuffed with tons of food and perhaps busy socializing with friends and families most of the nights, an elegant and relaxing English afternoon tea became my top choice instantly.

Tea Lounge is only available from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. daily. Usually it's not crowded at all but a reservation is still recommended. I requested window seat and was very pleased that they saved a big sofa section for just a party of two.

Tea Lounge is located on the 23rd floor next to the lobby, where hotel guests check in and all that miscellaneous stuff. Take a look at the first picture. There's an array of clear windows in the mid section, that's where the Tea Lounge is.

Clear view of Veer Towers from our sofa area -

Too bad it's just for "afternoon" tea because the view will be even more amazing at night -

Other seating sections -

Beautiful carpet -

Only few tables here, which is great. That means I can finally get away with all the hassles and just enjoying my cup of tea here - in peace.

Classic English afternoon tea $36/person -

You get to choose one of Tea Lounge's freshly brewed loose leaf teas for this basic set. On top of that are the classic three tier small bite items, scones, and assorted pastries. If you want to kick it up a notch, there's also Veuve Clicquot afternoon tea that comes with a glass of champagne for $56/person. Well, if one glass is not enough, Tea lounge do offer a tea set for two people, plus one whole bottle of champagne for $185.

One of the many tea selections -

Osmanthus oolong (iced) -

No extra charge for refills.

Organic lychee green -

Tea Lounge also has offer some interesting tea cocktails such as royal tea (Absolut Mandarin, chilled osmanthus oolong tea, etc) and kiwi-green tea fizz (ginger simple syrup, Veev acai liqueur, etc).

Here it comes! I was like a little girl very excited to see my desserts showed up in three tiers. That means after finishing one plate, I've got two more to go. That illusion of endless sweet treats made me very content.

Some people follow the rules while having English high tea, which is savory items - scones - sweets. Well, I was exhausted from all the driving and you know...family affairs..So just put away the rules and dig in! Hurry and grab whichever one you crave the most before it's gone!

First/very bottom layer for savory items -

"Smoked salmon and cucumber with watercress spread,
Egg salad and chives on brioche,
Curried chicken salad sandwich,
Black forest ham sandwich."

Second/middle layer for Tea Lounge signature scones. Served with imported Devonshire clotted cream and Chef Gianni's house made marmalades and jams.

The scones are amazingly good. Buttery and flaky. Add a little bit of clotted cream and some raspberry jam, it's like heaven! I can eat this super high calories thing every day without feeling a tiny bit sense of guilt. It's just too good to pass.

Third /top layer for sweet items -

Spicy cheese cake,
Nougat,
Purple macaron with bubble gum filling,
Pistachio cake,
Chocolate truffle.

Very cinnamony cheesecake -

Every single item was made with such great attention to details. However, after having my first bite of the scones, I can be careless for those pretty looking things. I even wished that they can fill all my tiers with scones. Oh, and that clotted cream.

If you don't hae time to breath in the amazing views nor munching on delicious treats at Tea Lounge while visiting Vegas, see if you can to go some of the scones. I'm not sure if the hotel lets you do that, otherwise people might start pouring in just for the scones.

Cindy's rating: 8
(mostly for the attentive service and ambience. However, if solely for the scones, I would definitely put up a 9 or even 10 for the score)

Mandarin Oriental Tea Lounge (City Center)
3752 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89158
(702) 590-8888
(888) 881-9367
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/lasvegas/fine-dining/tea-lounge/

Hours:
10 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sunday extends to 11 p.m.
*However afternoon tea only available from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Similar post:
Mandarin Oriental's Amore Patisserie

Mandarin Oriental - Amore Patisserie (Yum!) - Currently Closed

Spring break!!! Weeeeeeeeeee!!

After weeks of draining school projects and my Canon G9 incident,
Oh did I even mention that my laptop got infected by rogue malware the night before my birthday???
. . . . . . . Truely a series of unfortunate events. . . . . . . . . . .
Luckily, my spring break just started!
As a little reward for me............Vegas baby! Here I come!

I did some research before the trip and found out about this dessert place called Amore Patisserie located in Mandarin Oriental hotel inside City Center,
City Center?
Well, that's the newest addition to our all time glamorous Las Vegas Boulevard,
You can find out more information here.
I also took some pictures with my new Canon T1i, take a look~

City Ceter during day time-

At night-

Inside out-

Very beautiful and modern place,
Vegas has once again transformed itself in front of our eyes.

So back to the patisserie place,
I've heard good things and saw 5 star reviews about it,
No way I'll let this one go during my visit in Vegas!

Amore's main entrance facing Las Vegas Boulevard-

Inside the patisserie (front view)-

Inside the patisserie (side view)-

I wanted to go to the front and start shooting close up pictures of the cakes,
But as usual, I got intimidated...
Kinda scary to just get up there, holding a pretty good size camera and start shooting,
Especially while people behind you still trying to order their sweet treats...

So I ended up taking pictures of what I ordered instead,
Hazelnut gelato-

This is DA BOMB that kept  me craving for it even till now!
So chocolaty and so nutty,
If you ever had Godiva's hazelnut truffles,
This dessert tastes similar to that, but in a gelato form.
I didn't even ask to try it before I order this flavor and happily, it didn't let me down!
Highly recommended.

Strawberry shortbread cake-

Frankly speaking I'm not a strawberry fan,
But I figured since I ordered hazelnut gelato,
Better to have something that is not as strong in flavor, like this strawberry shortbread cake instead of other chocolate cakes.
Surprisingly, I am still thinking about the crumbles in between these milky creams,
It was so good that I couldn't believe I'm actually craving for a strawberry dessert!

Ice tea and complimentary pistachio biscotti-

They used passion fruit flavored ice cubes, which adds a natural lemon-like taste to the tea,
It gradually got more sourish as the ice cubes melt though,
The biscotti was good with my hazelnut gelato, yum!

Footnote,
The lady was very polite and helpful while I was ordering my sweet treats,
Plus one-point for the service!
I heard that the hotel also has a tea lounge, it'll be on my have-to-try list next time I visit Vegas!

Cindy's Rating: 8

Amore Patisserie
(Inside City Center - Mandarin Oriental)
3752 Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 590-8888
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/lasvegas/dining/amore_patisserie/

Vosges Haute Chocolat - My Sweet Treat from Las Vegas

I'm back from Vegas!
Haven't been to Las Vegas for more than 2.5 years,
Now I have discovered even more yummy joints in this dessert city,
I'll post up some local restaurants in the future, but let's start with something sweet first!

Vosges, the chocolate boutique located on the first floor of Caesars Palace's Forum Shop.
My friend told me about this place before the trip,
However, after shopping for hours, I completely forgot about it..
I was like a busy bee, flying here and there to search for the best bargain,
My hands got sore carrying the bags..my legs got tired...then all the sudden, I saw this purple cute space,
Vosges!

Without a second thoughts,
I used up my last energy, hasted to the store, and shopped even more.

Exotic truffle collection 16pc-



Close up for the Viola truffle-


I think this is the cutest one among all other truffles in the box,
Haven't tasted it yet, figured I'd better take a nice picture before I devour it.

Here is the description from the website for Viola:
Made with "milk chocolate + candied violet flower. A classic combination of milk chocolate and fresh cream, topped with a touch of Provence, France. In Victorian times, candied violets adorned cakes, pastries and puddings."

So far I only tried the bacon one (yes, you heard me, I said BACON!) and the yam one.

One night I was in a hurry rushing to leave my place and meet up with my friend,
Didn't even have time to read the description, I just picked one truffle from the box and ate it on the way.

I am so glad that I didn't read the description.
I was guessing what in the world were the ingredients inside that little black sphere.
In my mind, there were caramel and pepper,
Because the first thing that hit my palate was the creamy and silky texture inside the truffle,
Quickly after that,
I tasted a few small bits of spicy "objects,"
It's like biting into tiny peppercorns.

When I got home, I couldn't wait to open the box again to read the description,
The name of the truffle is "Field Songs," made with roasted yams, maple syrup, and African grains of paradise.
Wow! I was wayyyyyyy off!

And here is the close up picture for the bacon truffle I had-


After taking one bite-


I'm in love with those exotic truffles,
They look good, taste good, and fun to play with!

The name for the bacon truffle I had is "Blues."
The bacon was "slow-roasted on steaming applewood embers, imparting a rich, sultry smoke flavor that gently emerges beneath the milk chocolate."
The description from the box tells it all!

When I was in the boutique, they also have honey flavored truffle as one of the seasonal items.
Too bad I'm the only one who really enjoy chocolate in the household,
Otherwise there won't be one box of truffles, but tons of them sitting in my bags right now!

Hm?
That is a good thing or a bad thing?
Cindy's Rating: 7

Vosges Haute Chocolat - Las Vegas
Located in Caesars Palace

3500 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Forum Shops, Suite R04
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 836-9866
http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/