Not long since my last visit to review their showstopper Cloud Forest Afternoon Tea, I was thrilled to return to TĪNG at Shangri-La London, this time to experience their special Pink Afternoon Tea which coincides with Pink October. In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this year, four brave women from Guy’s Cancer have teamed up with Head Pastry Chef, Emma Watts, to inspire the new creations for this fabulous offering.
In celebration of this momentous occasion, the hotel’s lobby and public spaces have also been given a pink makeover which I was certainly a fan of. We were seated at my usual table by the window with a bird’s-eye view of the city and Tower Bridge in the distance, once again blessed with sunshine and blue skies after a day of torrential rain.
Our experience began with a Pink Welcome Tea infused with berries, honey, lemon, and mint, dramatically presented in their signature style, in elegant Chinese teacups served on a tray filled with dry ice for that spectacular theatrical fog effect at the table. We also decided to try the Fenhong Cocktail, one of their new delicious concoctions made with Hayman’s Sloe Gin, Hong Kong Baijiu, fresh pineapple, Aspall cider & orange blossom. For the teetotals, there is also a non-alcoholic option available, the Pink Passion, made with cranberry, Grenadine, lemon juice, and coconut cream which sounded really refreshing. From their tea selection, I went for one of their Signature Teas, Gong Mei, a light infusion with honey nuances.
The savoury selection included a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, with a touch of spice from the sriracha mayonnaise, a chicken, cranberry & sage “sausage” roll, a “Pink” roast beef sandwich with horseradish, a miniature beetroot, stilton & walnut quiche, and my favourite of them all, the smoked salmon on rye. They were all really appetizing that we graciously obliged to have seconds.
The freshly baked plain and raisin scones were light and buttery as always, specially coloured a pale shade of pink in line with the colour theme, served with Cornish clotted cream, strawberry jam, and a zesty pink grapefruit curd.
Finally, the pièce de résistance, which consisted of four intricate pink hand-crafted pastries designed by the four courageous breast cancer patients from Guy’s Cancer: Fortune’s Lychee & Rose Sandwich, Clare’s Raspberry Crémeux topped with a lemon jelly with pink peppercorn, Fig Délice au Bertha, which was a fig and hazelnut tart, and Claire’s Courageous Cherry Macaron, finished with a delicate chocolate disc printed with the pink ribbon symbol.
The Pink Afternoon Tea is exclusively available from 29th September – 7th November 2021, and is served daily from 12:00pm – 4:00pm. Prices start from £62.00 per person, with the option to upgrade to include a Fenhong Cocktail or a choice of Champagne. A percentage of proceeds from each afternoon tea will be donated to the breast cancer ward at Guy’s Cancer. More information on the afternoon tea menu and reservations can be found on their website.
- My Pink Afternoon Tea experience at TĪNG was complimentary – views and photos are my own.