Diptyque afternoon tea at Cafe Gray Deluxe

Forget the hottest must-have handbag or the newest it haircut… the latest ‘in’ thing has to be afternoon tea. Thanks to recent collaborations like Jimmy Choo at The Landmark MO, Aesop at FEAST, Cle de Peau at Café Gray Deluxe and Qeelin at The Ritz-Carlton, afternoon tea is having a moment in Hong Kong – and the latest to hit the scene is Café Gray’s diptyque Moheli Afternoon Tea.

Comprising three tiers of miniature sweets and savouries inspired by the Parisian brand’s newest floral fragrance, this is a total no-brainer for a girlie day out – especially since the set also includes a voucher for a complimentary diptyque fragrance kit from their ifc store!

My pick of the savouries were the delicate curry chicken tartlet with ginger peach chutney and the smoked salmon with salmon caviar and lime cream cheese. Both were just the right size for popping into your mouth in one go, classic flavours done well, and a pleasant change from the usual afternoon tea staples of finger sandwiches. That said, the roast beef sandwich with goat’s cheese and red onion packed a hefty punch of flavour – way stronger than you’d imagine from its diminutive size!

Meanwhile, the sweets totally looked the part and didn’t taste too shabby either! I absolutely adored the white chocolate brownie – sweet gooey gorgeousness topped with a tart tang of fresh raspberry. The salted caramel dark chocolate with a pink peppercorn kick was sinfully rich, contrasting nicely with the jasmine and rose bavarois (reminiscent of panna cotta), a creamy palate-cleanser on top of a crunchy moreish graham cracker. The only real misfires throughout were the unimaginative egg and cucumber sandwich, and a citrus rice pudding that was sadly unappealing in both texture and taste.

As ever, Café Gray’s scones were scrumptious (I love the nuggets of crystallised sugar scattered on top!), served alongside lashings of Devonshire clotted creams and homemade jams, of course.

Meanwhile, Café Gray is just a lovely place to enjoy a long leisurely afternoon tea gossip sesh. The sofas are comfy, the views sensational, the service attentive but unobtrusive – you’ll soon discover the day disappearing from right under you! On the day I visited, a giant baby shower party was in attendance, meaning it was a little noisier than I’d have liked… but if you are planning a girlie get-together (large or small), this would be a great choice.

Just like the rest of these special afternoon tea collaborations, bookings are already filling up fast – so if you fancy getting in on the diptyque action, get your reservations in now!

The Café Gray Deluxe diptyque Moehli Afternoon Tea runs from 3.30-5.30pm daily, from 6 May until 30 June 2013. It costs $240 for one person or $420 for two, including a voucher for a complimentary Moehli fragrance kit from the ifc diptyque store.

Cafe Gray Deluxe 49/F, Upper House, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty
3968 1106 www.cafegrayhk.com/