The Shangri-La Hotel in Jakarta offers a slightly different take on the usual afternoon tea service with an extensive buffet filled with tea time favorites.
Afternoon tea is generally thought of as a light meal, a time for a little indulgence when people need a pick-me-up during the long hours between lunch and dinner. But some people like to indulge more than others. For those who simply can’t get enough of tea time treats like finger sandwiches and bite-sized sweets, the Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta has just the thing: a buffet filled with all the afternoon tea snacks your heart could desire.
The hotel’s high tea buffet is served up in its well-appointed Lobby Lounge, which combines a cozy atmosphere with beautiful views of the hotel’s gardens, framed by floor-to-ceiling windows. The venue offers up its classy high-tea buffet every day, from 3pm to 6pm, giving you the chance to enjoy a wide selection of delicacies while sipping from one of their ample assortment of high-quality teas.
The teas of choice at the Shangri-La wide come from Dilmah, which is most famous for offering the highest quality single origin teas from their tea gardens in Ceylon, which is the old British name for Sri Lanka. Ceylon is known for producing some of the best tea in the world, and at the Shangri-La you’ll find single-sourced classics such as bright and bold English Breakfast, legendary Earl Grey, subtle Darjeeling, calming chamomile, and Asian favorites green tea and oolong tea. They also offer a variety of flavoured teas, such as rose with French vanilla, lychee with almond and rose, Italian almond tea, Ceylon ginger tea, refreshing peppermint tea and rosemary tea as well as a gentle yet minty Sencha tea with peppermint and cinnamon.
To complement their exquisite range of teas, the Lobby Lounge offers an extensive choice of delectable flavours on its buffet spread. You can enjoy freshly prepared hot dishes like samosas, chicken satay, breaded prawn and assorted dim sum. There is also a generous selection of sandwiches with fillings like smoked turkey, roast beef, smoked salmon and tomato cheese, as well as an assortment of fine cheeses, peanuts and dried fruits.
For those who are more interested in sweet than savoury, the buffet also features some sugar-laden selections like jajanan pasar (Indonesian market snacks), desserts in shooter glasses, brownies and and hard-to-resist cakes like opera green tea and cheesecake. Chocolate lovers can indulge in an assortment of pralines or a chocolate fondue.
Aside from the High Tea Buffet, the Lobby Lounge also offers a variety of a la carte dishes and beverages. Those interested in something sweet in liquid form can choose from an array of smoothies such as Chunky Banana Milk, Strawberry Peach, Cashew Milkshake or White Snow. A choices of homemade ice creams and sherbets, like Affogato Cup, Chocolate Passion and Marinated Fresh Berries, are also available.
You can also enjoy a number of savory a la carte items at the Lobby Lounge, from international favourites such as Caesar salad, crispy chicken wings, miniature wagyu burgers or BLT to Indonesian favourites like satay, gado-gado, sop buntut and soto ayam. There are also vegetarian selections like Greek salad, Thai spring rolls or vegetable panninis. A selection of desserts like pear with chocolate and caramel sauce or banana fritters are also available.
With so many tempting choices, a rarefied setting and a lovely view of lush gardens, taking your afternoon tea at the Shangri-La’s Lobby Lounge is certainly a civilized way to escape the hustle and bustle of Jakarta.
(www.shangri-la.com/jakarta/shangrila/dining)
Chocolate Marquise
By Executive Pastry Chef, Alexandar Hekimov
Ingredients:
for the sponge:
• 270 gr egg yolks
• 150 gr sugar
• 540 gr egg whites
• 300 gr sugar
• 150 gr cocoa powderfor the chocolate mousse:
• 300 gr butter
• 150 gr dark chocolate
• 150 gr cocoa powder
• 120 gr egg yolks
• 150 gr sugar
• 240 gr egg whites
• 100 gr sugar
• 1 lt whipping cream
Method:
FOR the sponge:
1. Whisk the egg yolks and 150 gr sugar until it’s tripled in volume.
2. Whisk the egg whites and 300 gr sugar until it turns into soft peak meringue.
3. Mix the two mixtures together and fold in the sieved cocoa powder.
4. Spread on a silicon paper and bake at 180 C for 20 minutes.for the chocolate mousse:
1. Melt the butter, chocolate and cocoa powder together on a bain marie.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and the 150 gr sugar until it is tripled in volume.
3. Whisk the egg whites and the 100 gr sugar until it turns into soft peak meringue.
4. Make a semi-whipped cream with a mixer (to get a semi-whipped cream, stop once the cream has formed soft peaks).
5. Fold in the egg yolk mixture into the melted chocolate mixture, and stir.
6. Add in the meringue mixture and finally fold in the semi-whipped cream.
7. Layer alternate mousse and sponge into rectangular frame. Freeze then cut into squares.
