If you’ve ever been to Mandarin Oriental, Macau for their weekend high tea at Vida Rica Bar, you know they do things to a high standard here. You’re probably also aware they have some amazing views of Macao Tower and the sea beyond, offering a pleasant escape from the overwhelming casino circuit.
What you probably didn’t know though is that while Vida Rica Bar serves high tea on the weekends only, at the Lobby Lounge you can enjoy afternoon tea on weekdays to the same high standard. We headed there on a weekday to try it out and were torn between ordering the savory three-course set menu or the traditional tea set perched on a floating metal cylinder − so we ordered both! For this special afternoon tea, they’ve decided to change things up a bit recently and they now have some healthy and fancy alternative high tea offerings at the Lobby Lounge.
Healthy and Fancy
They serve several healthy items on the Lobby Lounge’s menu, including nourishing drinks. In terms of smoothies (priced at MOP $78), we thoroughly enjoyed the Garden Delight – a delicious green detoxing beverage featuring banana, avocado, coconut milk, lemon juice, and elderflower syrup. We also enjoyed the “Ho Honey, Honey!” with fresh watermelon, lemon juice, honey, and coriander.
They also have lighter freshly squeezed juices (MOP $60) like blended orange and carrot, as well as a blended fresh apple juice. They matched the savory menu items we picked perfectly. We loved the Wasabi-Aioli Prawns (MOP $148) – it’s unmissable, with chopped mango, chia seeds, and ebiko (shrimp roe, similar to tobiko, flying fish roe, but smaller in size). Another specialty we liked was the Asian favorite, Hainanese Chicken Rice (MOP $188) with aromatic chicken oil rice, poached free-range chicken, cucumber, choy sum, chili sauce, soy and ginger sauce. Yum!
Perfect for Sharing
We also shared an Afternoon Tea Set for one (usually MOP $398 for two persons) which came with four savory items up top and six sweet delectables down the tiers (click here to see the full menu). Our favorites? It was a tie between the strawberry cream cheese mousse and Valrhona chocolate tart. However, while we enjoyed all the healthy afternoon alternatives nothing beat the afternoon tea staple of homemade raisin and scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam. When it comes to scones, it’s so difficult to get the texture right, but since they are known for their dining excellence, Mandarin Oriental gets them perfect every time.
Of the actual teas, there is only one that you should really try here − the Mandarin Oriental Macau Exclusive Blend (MOP $65), a green tea blended with red fruits, fresh water blossoms, and lotus. So refreshing and nice − you won’t find anything like it anywhere else!
Lobby Lounge Mandarin Oriental, Macau, 945 Avenida Dr Sun Yat Sen, NAPE, Macau, +853 8805 8938
Afternoon Tea served daily from 2:00pm−6:00pm.
