Sawasdeeka: The Thai Afternoon Tea

We almost canceled the idea of having Traditional Thai Afternoon Tea at Erawan Tearoom to give way for more shopping but last minute, we decided to go with the initial plan. It was already past 5 when we scurried from Platinum Mall to Erawan Bangkok.

Erawan Tearoom is located at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, it's easy to find. If you know where the famous Erawan shrine is, the mall is right behind it. Accessible from the Skywalk linking all the major malls in Siam area.

The Erawan Tearoom is at the 2nd floor of the building, if you come through the Skywalk, go straight in and you shall see it.

We did not make any reservation, luckily we arrived at an "in between" time (too late for tea, too early for dinner) so we managed to get a place. I heard that the booking can be quite full at times, so reservation is highly recommended.

And of course we ordered their specialty "Traditional Thai Afternoon Tea Set" (THB260 nett per person).

While waiting to be served, YM took some photos of the restaurant. It has a very posh interior, with teak wood floor and heavy furniture. The room has just the right amount of lighting to feel bright yet comfortable.

The interior adapted a minimalist approach, keeping things simple, clean yet classy. The choice of antique-feel furniture gave the place a touch of Thai culture *thumbs up*.

There are also some comfortable sofas in the restaurant, in bright cheerful colors (orange and red) that spice up the mood, injecting a surge of young spirits into the overall feel.

Other than their afternoon tea, the restaurant also serves main meals and ala carte desserts.

And of course, they sell their tea leaves.

A sample of different types of tea displayed near the entrance.

The environment is very soothing and comfortable, it felt really good to finally sit down and rest our tired feet, while enjoying a nice afternoon tea. Good place to doze off too zzz.

The service was prompt and proper, their waiters and waitresses were all courteous but somehow felt a little distant. They don't have the usual Thai friendliness in them.

I love their plates in the shape and shade of a leaf, so pretty!

The afternoon tea set comes with a drink each (picked from menu). I chose the lychee ice tea and YM went for the traditional Thai tea. Our teas came in huge glasses and syrups were served separately so you can control your own drink's sweetness.

Here comes the food! A plate of savory delicacies and a plate of sweet desserts... Yay!

The savory delicacies: Grilled marinated pig skewers, steamed flower-shaped dumplings with crab meat fillings, Thai salad in crispy baskets, chicken curry puffs, deep fried chicken with chili and mint leaves and crispy rice biscuits.

I remembered the satay (grilled marinated pig skewers) was extremely good.

The sweet desserts: Fresh fruit skewers, sweet bean paste in mini fruit shapes, crispy sesame roll, sweet potato kuih, young coconut puff, crispy rice pudding with corn and spring onions and scones.

Served separately was my favorite Thai dessert, Mango with sticky rice. But hell, the portion was pathetic!

There were clotted cream and ChiangMai strawberry jam for the scones and Thai chili sauce and peanut sauce for the savories.

The food presentation was excellent! Everything looked so beautiful on the plates!

I couldn't help but appear very excited when I see the colorful desserts spread out in front of me. Couldn't wipe away the greedy expression *epic fail*.

Verdict for this meal? Overall everything was ok, with a few pleasant surprises in between that made us go "wow, not bad!". The portion was adequate for afternoon tea, not too much but enough to satisfy the appetite.

Oh oh, and I must show you this "fake" cherry! Omg, looks so real that YM kept arguing that it's a cherry. No it's not! It's a sweet bean paste kuih, like our "ang ku" (red tortoise? hehe), but much cuter. Kekeke.