When it comes to a genteel afternoon tea affair, there's no place in Bangkok that is truer to the original than the Authors' Lounge in the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.
The colonial-style tea room, set on the ground floor foyer of the hotel's historical two-story wing (newly-restored to its original early-19th-century design), offers an illustrious backdrop to complement the English culinary tradition.
Here, homestyle wicker furniture and hand-painted fabrics provide a sophisticated simplicity and vintage charm to the sun-lit hall, graced with framed photographs of famous writers who have stayed at the hotel, including Joseph Conrad, Somerset Maugham, Noël Coward and James Michener.
Gastronomy-wise, the Authors' Lounge serves up one of the city's most-treasured selections of delicacies paired with fine tea. Its afternoon tea is now in the hands of the hotel's newly-appointed executive pastry chef Pablo Gicquel, whose stellar profile includes a head pastry chef position at Paris' Hotel de Crillon.
The French chef joined the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok two months ago. In time for the vegetarian festival, which kicks off tomorrow, Gicquel presents the hotel's first-ever vegan and gluten-free afternoon tea set.
Prepared using the finest ingredients, local and imported, and according to classic French patisserie techniques, Gicquel's handcrafted repertoire of vegetarian victuals promises to live up to his home country's haute cuisine glory.
Vegan, gluten-free afternoon tea.
Traditionally served in a multi-tiered platter, the set features a 13-item selection of savoury and sweet bite-sized treats plus a welcoming sorbet and free-flow tea of your choice.
Start off with a house-made sorbet: a blend of New York breakfast tea and pear. After that, indulge yourself with guilt-free finger sandwiches such as green asparagus with hummus tomato jelly on toast; double-decker vegan bratwurst sausage with Dijon mustard; and tofu egg and avocado sandwich.
Other savoury delights include vegan cheddar cheese puff; baba ganoush wrapped in roasted bell pepper; and charcoal tart with pumpkin and black truffle.
On the sweet side are the likes of tartlet with red berries and pistachio spiral; "Calissons" almond cake with Mandarin marmalade; Mandarin orange flavoured chocolate; coconut snowball with sesame praline; and mango-linseed cookies.
The set also showcases the hotel's much-loved freshly-baked scones. For the vegan rendition, the warm scones -- plain or seethed with golden sultana and Granny Smith apple -- are accompanied by home-made tofu "clotted cream" spread and seasonal selection of house-made jams.
To pair with the top-notch food is a choice of freshly brewed coffee or fine teas, served hot, cold or martini-style.
The special vegan and gluten-free afternoon tea set, priced at 1,500 baht per person, is available from Sept 28 onward. It is served daily, noon to 6pm, at the Authors' Lounge, Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok. Call 02-659-9000.
The Authors' Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.
