Flair Rooftop Restaurant & Bar
Add: Ritz-Carlton Pudong, 58/F, 8 Shiji Da Dao / 世纪大道8号上海浦东丽思卡尔顿酒店58楼
Hours: [afternoon tea] Sat & Sun 2-5pm
Website: www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/ShanghaiPudong/Default.htm
Price: 228 RMB + 15%/set
Visited: Sep 2011
Please note that this is an arranged tasting.
Every five-star hotel has its own version of the traditional English High Tea, and Flair Rooftop Restaurant & Bar at the Ritz-Carlton Pudong is doing something quite uniquely Asian. Prawn dumplings and California roll? Yes ma’am, they’ve got them. Let’s take a look at what else is on the plate.
There are two types of tea sets at Flair, a “Flair Hi Tea Set” and a “Roof-top Hi Tea Set”, both priced at 228 RMB + 15%. Depending on which set you order, you can either get….
Spring rolls with tamarind sauce (Roof-Top Tea Set) or vegetable samosas (Flair Tea Set).
Teriyaki chicken roll (Roof-Top Tea Set) or smoked salmon Californian roll (Flair Tea set).
A quartet of mango soup with pomelo, ginger creme brulee, coconut meringue tartlet, and green tea cheese cake for the Rooftop Tea Set.
Or a set of lemon grass panna cotta, green tea and red bean pudding, sticky rice with mango and coconut cream, and chocolate mousse for the Flair Tea Set.
Both sets come with a cinnamon raisin scone with marmalade and clotted cream.
As well as baked BBQ pastry, prawn dumplings, and pork siew mai.
Both the sweet and the savory are of satisfying quality. Nothing extraordinary, but satisfying. I especially liked the prawn dumpling and pork siew mai, which are made by the Kitchen of Jin Xuan, an excellent Cantonese restaurant on the 53rd floor of the Ritz.
And of course, both sets come with the spectacular view of the Pearl Tower and the bund that Flair is most known for. On a clear day, the view would be quite breathtaking. Especially now that the weather in Shanghai has cooled down to a comfortable temperature, the patio would be an ideal spot to spend the afternoon away.
A few last words on service. When we complained that the AC was too strong, the waitress was unable to adjust the setting (apparently it’s centrally controlled) but was quick to bring us some scarves. A nice gesture.
For more high tea options in Shanghai, take a look at the Shanghai Afternoon Tea Guide.
The Flair hi-tea will be made available during 1,2 & 3 of October (National Holidays), isn’t it lovely? Thanks.