For a low-key Lunar New Year celebration, our girl Hannah Tan-Gillies visited The polo Bar at The Westbury Mayfair for an afternoon of pastries and scones, with an Asian-inspired twist.

We skipped the hustle and bustle of crowded China town and headed over to lush Mayfair for a new kind of Lunar New Year Celebration. Because this year, The Westbury Mayfair ushered in the ‘Year of the Rat’ in true style with an afternoon tea experience with an Asian-inspired twist.

While The Polo Bar retained its quintessentially British elegance, The Westbury Mayfair didn’t skimp on the Asian treats throughout the Afternoon Tea experience. We began with some champagne and two mandarin oranges (which are a symbol of wealth and prosperity in Chinese cultures). This was followed by a series of sweet and savoury treats with all the culinary savoir-faire that The Polo Bar has become known for.

We highly recommend the Tea Quail eggs, which combine umami mayonnaise with green tea, red shiso, and croustade. These savoury bites come in crunchy edible egg cups which makes for the perfect mouthful. The Polo Bao ‘char siu pork’ steamed buns are another highlight and will satisfy even the most discerning Chinese Food lover. The finger sandwiches, of which our favourite was the smoked duck breast with hoisin sauce – are also equally delectable.

On the sweeter side of things, we also recommend the Pineapple Tart, which is made with freeze dried pineapples, delicately wrapped in 20-carat edible gold leaf. The Mandarin & Chocolate Cake is equally delicious and is made with black tea mousse and mandarin gel.

The pièce de résistance, however, has to be the Matcha Mousse; which is made with Melaka Mousse, Matcha almond sponge and Matcha Meringue. To top it all off, this sensational dessert also has Matcha ‘moss’ and hazelnut ‘soil’ which is home to an edible chocolate bonsai tree.

The Asian-Inspired Afternoon Tea is accompanied with a selection of loose leaf teas from Whittards. These include a coconut tea, an oriental English breakfast tea, and our personal favourite a lychee tea. ‘Bobba’ fans can also enjoy an authentic cup of ‘Bubble Tea’ with a generous serving of pearls too. The Asian-inspired The Westbury Mayfair is available every weekend from 12 noon to 6pm.

THE WESTBURY MAYFAIR

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