A Disappointing Afternoon Tea at Golden Sands

There was this suggested Facebook post that showed up in my wall one day – an afternoon tea package for 2 at only RM43nett! How could we resist? Thus we drove all the way to Batu Ferringhi to give it a try on a lazy weekend.

The Facebook Post!

The set was served at Lobby Lounge – an open air area without air condition but thankfully was airy enough. There were hardly anyone there and we were 1^st served with our tea with some biscuits. We were actually quite disappointed when the main tray was served. It just didn’t meet our expectation of an afternoon tea in a 5 star hotel – but then it only cost RM43, I guess you got what you paid for. =P

Tea please?

There were 3 layers with salmon sandwich & cheese croissant on the bottom layer, scones & pastries on 2^nd layer and fruits on the top layer.

Our Afternoon Tea Set

The salmon sandwich was okay but the cheese croissant was just like something I’d get in a common bakery with just normal cheese slice & vegetables inside.

Sandwiches

The scones were equally pathetic from outlook and also its texture whereas other pastries were meagre and as I mentioned before – could be from some low end bakery.

As for the fruit platter on top? Hmm… I’d let you be the judge – does it look appetizing? LOL!!!

Scones & Pastries

Fruit Platter

This would be our 1^st & last time for this afternoon tea at Lobby Lounge in Golden Sands. I’d rather they provided a better quality afternoon tea with higher price than this mess. It totally did not match their 5 stars hotel standard. The only upside from this visit was the good service from the staffs.

Golden Sands Resort is located in Batu Ferringhi Penang, Malaysia.

An Idle Afternoon at Macalister Mansion

It has been a long time since I’ve gone for an afternoon tea. The last one I had was in Winter Warmers which feel like a gazillion years ago (link). In fact, I’m not entirely sure what possess me to suddenly Google for “Afternoon tea in Penang” and end up making a swift decision to go for the Afternoon Tea in Macalister Mansion. I think price does play a factor here though as RM78nett for 2 pax is definitely a steal!

The Afternoon Tea

Thus there I was, taking an afternoon off from work (Yay!!!) and managed to get to the “Living Room” (left side of the building) at around 4pm. There was a heavy downpour at 3pm+ but thankfully the rain stopped as hasty as it had started. We were quite surprised at the crowd for afternoon tea – the place is full and we were lucky to get a table as the patrons just left. We did not make any reservation as we were not sure of our timing. Everyone was chatting away loudly and it somehow diminished its high class image. The waiters there were all busy simply threw us the menu before serving us after quite a long time. *sweat*

Coffee Lovers should try this! Add on RM5 for mini cakes!

Nice deco!

Can only take picture of it sideway since people are sitting right in front of it!

TWG Tea!

We ordered the “MM Signature HighTea Set” and chose “Sakura! Sakura!” as our tea of the day. I was comtemplating whether to go with Royal Darjeeling (I ADORE Darjeeling) but ended up with “Sakura! Sakura!” as many bloggers seemed to recommend this. The verdict? The scent kind of reminded me of cough syrup! *facepalm* Thankfully the taste was quite refreshing though – acceptable but not mind boggling. Give me Darjeeling anytime over this! Haha… Anyway this was actually our 1^st time drinking TWG brand tea! =P

The MM Signature HighTea Set - comprises of the platter & a pot of TWG tea

Sakura! Sakura!

Our set was served finally and I was pleasantly surprised. It looked even better than the pictures that I saw in other blog! The spread seems to have more choices and it seemed to be more similar to the afternoon tea set at Farquhar Mansion but with lower price tag. We’ve never been to Farquhar Mansion Afternoon Tea (Yet) but from pictures it does seem like Macalister Mansion has upgraded their afternoon tea spread to compete with Farquhar Mansion.

Look at this!!! What a Feast to the eyes! My Dinosaur Camera Phone doesn't even do it justice!

The spread was such a state of art that we loathed to destroy it. Anyway we ended up dismember it piece by piece to great pleasure. Now this definitely sounds like a murder scene! Too many gory movies for me! *facepalm*

Another Angle! Look at the Quiche!!! 

Look at the Camera!!! What Camera?! With Food like THIS, my eyes are too busy!

We started with the alluring tomato Basil & Parmesan Quiche and it was as great as it looked! Crispy at the outer layer and savoury cheesy filling at the inside – I want to eat this everyday (diet plan to be darned)! The mini sandwich bagel was a bit too dry though and I wish the smoked salmon & cream cheese could be more to contra the dryness. But bagel always gave me a dry impression so I was not sure about this one. Not one of my favourites. We went forward with the Grilled Chicken Ceaser Salad Wraps and it was good – juicy and chewy.

Quiche, Mini Bagel, Wrap, Mini Apricot tart & Mango Cheese Cake foam

Smoked Salmon in Mini Bagel

Grilled Chicken Ceaser Salad Wrap - Blurry picture! My phone just won't let me focus on it!

The scones provided were also fluffy and it tasted so scrumptious when eat with clotted cream & jam. *sigh with contentment* Then there was the Mini Apricot Almond tart! The zesty lemon cheese cake! Crispy Chocolate Fondue Dough! Tiramitsu Lollipop! They were all great in their own way and definitely an indulgence! The only thing out of the sweet stuff that I was not too fond of was the Verrine of Mango Cheese Cake Foam – I just didn’t like the texture as I generally didn’t like foam/mousse type dessert. =P

Fluffy Scones with Clotted Cream & Jam

Lemon Cheesecake, Crispy Chocolate Fondue Dough & Tiramitsu Lollipop!

This MM Signature HighTea set is a definite MUST-TRY!!! SPLURGE it for at least once in your life! At Rm39nett per pax – it is worth every penny! It is also a very nice place for friends gathering so head for this indulgence when you have the chance. The only down side was the slow service but the place was packed during our visit so perhaps you might get a more attentive service during your visit. =) This definitely triumped Suffolk House that we visited few years ago (link)!

More Pastries at the Counter

We were the 2nd last customers to leave...

The Living Room!

Beautiful Environment

Relaxing in the Outdoor can be a good idea!

I'm not even sure who this is! *facepalm*

The Living Room of Macalister Mansion is located at Macalister Road beside Loh Guan Lye Hospital (same row as Ghee Hiang) in Penang.

Voucher Food Hunt: Winter Warmers Afternoon Tea

Winter Warmers is always my favourite place for a pot of fruit tea ever since they opened their 1^st branch in Prangin mall many years ago. That branch has now ceased operation but there are still other branches in Gurney Plaza, Queensbay Mall & Precinct 10. Apparently their menu is now more diversify with new afternoon tea set. Thus this brings us to the tempting voucher below:-

1 Pax Romancing Afternoon Tea (RM21) / 2 Pax Traditional Afternoon Tea (RM33): Includes Winter Warmers Famous Scones, Slice of Cake, Sandwiches, Cookies, Tea and more (Precinct 10)

https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/609558-1-2-pax-english-afternoon-tea-from-rm16-50?show_missed=true

It’s our 1^st time to step into Precinct 10 Winter Warmers on a Sunday afternoon. The place is quite deserted but so does most restaurants in Precinct 10. Guess the place is just not that popular for shoppers.

We were told that we can have either 4 pots of normal tea or 2 sets of specialty tea for our voucher. Without hesitation, we ordered the ever refreshing Iced Mixed Fruit Tea and also decided to try out the Cherry Fruit Cocktail since it was such a hot weather.

The Iced Mixed Fruit Tea is excellent as always but the Cherry Fruit Cocktail can taste a bit like ‘cough syrup’ for some. :p

Iced Mixed Fruit Tea

Cherry Fruit Cocktail

Our eyes popped out when the set arrived.  

The bottom plate consisted of fruit salad, chicken pies & finger sandwiches. The fruit salad and finger sandwiches were quite normal but the chicken pies were nice – so much nicer than the ghastly chicken pie in Suffolk House Afternoon Set (link).

The middle plate consisted of scones, mini-muffins & a slice of cake. The scones were served with butter, jam & cream and it was hot and crispy when served. Definitely love this! The mini-muffins and cake were ordinary.

The top plate consisted of variety of cookies and tuna crackers. I particularly liked the tuna crackers but I was too full to enjoy the cookies though. =p

Butter, Cream & Jam for Scones

The TOWER!!!

Overall, it was on par with Delicious Afternoon Tea Set (link) and so much better than Suffolk House Afternoon Tea Set (link). Did I mention that it was cheaper than both as well even in its original price?

Winter Warmers are located in various locations such as Gurney Plaza, Queensbay Mall & Precinct 10 in Penang.

Afternoon Tea at Suffolk House

I’ve always read and heard rave reviews for the exquisite afternoon tea set at Suffolk House. In fact, a lot of people mentioned it was a must-try. Thus on a Thursday afternoon, we’d decided to give it a try.

Suffolk House from Outside

We were ushered to our table outdoor and were given the afternoon tea menu which consisted of ONE choice – the afternoon tea set for 2 at RM68++. 

The One and Only Set

Our tea (Darjeeling) was served 1^st with sugar and milk. It was very ordinary to say the least.

Our Tea

Then there came our food – scones, chicken pie, cucumber sandwich, salmon sandwich, biscuits, cakes and various jams for the scones.

The Suffolk House Afternoon Tea Set

There was only one word to describe my feeling for the set – OVERRATED! Gosh, after all the gushing from blogs and friends, I would think the set would be like a set from heaven. The cruel reality was – it was mediocre, so mediocre that I didn’t think it was worth the price. I think we can get the similar or even better set elsewhere with cheaper price. You might say that the extra money is for environment but unfortunately I didn’t see any that day since they are arranging tables and building canopies for some events in the garden.

Scones, Chicken Pie and Sandwiches

The scones were fluffy but normal - nothing special at all, I guess the only good thing about it was the variety of jams given and that it was served hot. The salmon sandwich was prepared with Gardenia wheat bread – you might be thinking how the heck do I know this? Well, I LOATHE the new version of Gardenia Wheat bread with sunflower seed (green colour packing) and I can immediately identify it’s that same bread! Totally ruin my beloved salmon sandwich.

Strawberry Jam, Pineapple Jam, Apple Jam, Tomato Jam, Butter & Cream

Don’t even let me start on the chicken pie. It was tasteless and full of chicken gristles!!! How DISGUSTING!!!! I’d never eaten a chicken pie with gristle before and luck would have it my first would actually be in Suffolk House! EEEEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!! This never ever happened even from the cheapest chicken pie I bought from sunshine market (RM1.90)! The worst was it was not just ONE single gristle - when I bit the 1st one, I thought:"Oh, it's just an accident they left it there!" but One become Two then become Three and so on... GOSH!!!! The thought alone made me chickenpie-phobia!!!

The Most Disgusting Chicken Pie EVER! I think you can see some gristles here...

I guess out of the mess, my favourite part of the set would be the cucumber sandwich.. *facepalm* The cake and cookies were again very very mediocre. It totally puzzled me on why people gushed about the set so much. Perhaps I went there at their absolute worst or I had too high expectation but I must say this would be the last time I’d ever tried their afternoon tea set.

Cakes & Cookies

Suffolk House is located opposite Han Chiang School, Ayer Itam Penang.

Voucher Food Hunt: Delicious

Delicious is a lifestyle café famous for their dessert and the place was crowded all the time. It’s a pleasant surprise that they were selling their Afternoon tea set voucher on livingsocial.

Traditional Afternoon Tea Set for 2 Pax @ Delicious (Straits Quay)
http://www.everyday.com.my/coupons/pg/delicious_afternoontea_pg.htm

A total of 2600 vouchers were sold and the weekend slot was almost fully booked for more than a month – we were told that they only prepare 40 sets a day for this voucher. So if you’ve bought this voucher, please do make your reservation quickly else you risk the chance of only getting an appointment on weekday! We were pretty lucky to take the last slot on Sunday 5pm with 4 days advance appointment.

The Menu

The Afternoon Tea Set!

When we first stepped into the café, we were told to choose the dessert first – there was no tiramisu on display and the last strawberry cheesecake was taken like 30 seconds ago literally. So we settled for “Chilled Pineapple Cheesecake with Raspberry Mousse” since we heard that their cheesecake is one of the best.

We were served with our Earl Grey with some biscuit and Ta da! Our giant afternoon tea set has arrived. I guess the picture below is pretty self-explanatory.

Earl Grey

The decks... 

From Another Angle

We started out feast with the lowest deck of Duck Confit in Filo Pastry and Finger Sandwiches. The Duck Confit in Filo Pastry is heavenly! The pastry was so crispy and it complimented the duck confit well.

The Sandwiches & the Duck Confit in Filo Pastry

This is really Yummy!

The finger sandwiches consisted of:-
Cucumber sandwich with cream cheese – taste blah, nothing special
Egg sandwich – the only thing special is the little caviar on top, other than that the sandwich is basic egg sandwich with scrambled hardboiled egg
Smoke salmon sandwich – my favourite of all the sandwiches but I wish the salmon slice was thicker

See the Lil Black stuffs on the Sandwich? Caviar Perhaps? 

The Different Sandwiches...

Smoked Salmon! What a Pleasant Surprise! Wish it was thicker!

Then we continued to the middle deck:-
Scones – it’s hot and fluffy and served with cream and jam – nice!
Rosemary & Cheese Cookies – the cheese flavour is rather strong – too strong till the verge of being too salty
Strawberry Chocolate Dip – big strawberries with generous amount of chocolate dip
Handrolled Chocolate Truffles – bitter on the outside and not too sweet on the inside – thumbs up!

The Middle Deck...

Strawberry anyone?

Last but not least, there was our Chilled Pineapple Cheesecake with Raspberry Mousse! We expect this would be the best out of our afternoon tea set but we quickly discovered that it was not the case. The pinepple seems out of place with the cheese cake - the taste just did not compliment well. The so-called cheesecake had a jelly-like texture. Jenny Cakehouse has much better cheesecake than this! Even Full House (I actually loathed their food) had better cheesecake than this! The worst part of the cheesecake? The base itself! It tasted like stale cornflakes – yucks!!! Definitely THE worst cheesecake base I’d ever eaten.

Look Nice? It was really not that nice... 

Worst Cheesecake Base EVER!

The So-Called Mousse...

The verdict? The environment is wonderful for gathering and the afternoon tea set was overall okay – just don’t go for the cheesecake! Perhaps you might find better dessert on other choices.

Delicious is located at Straits Quay, Penang.