Afternoon tea: Peninsula, Beverly Hills

[rjwong]

I've been invited to afternoon tea (pronounced "teh") next week at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. I'm looking forward to this...

I checked their website, and I found their tea menu.

Any suggestions/advice in preparation for the event? I'm partial to Earl Grey or English Breakfast, no sugar, no cream, maybe a little lemon. Why add to perfection, ehh?

Hopefully, I'll post my experience ... with photos.

Thank you in advance.

[jpr54_]

you might also want to go to tea at le palais des thes in berly hills-not sure where they are located-

their teas are delightful

[rjwong]

Belvedere restaurant, which is also located in the Peninsula Hotel, was given a rather scathing one-star review in the Los Angeles Times this week. Here's the link to the LA Times Food Section Digest (26 October 2005).

Hopefully, my afternoon tea experience won't be as ... uhh ... adventurous as Leslie Brenner's (the critic who did the review).

[rjwong]

My first afternoon tea experience was quite enjoyable. Here are a few photos:

The Living Room at the Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills. At the top right corner of the photo is:

Our table. I sat at the chair closest in the photo.

The tea setting, with the tea strainer and of course, the Devonshire cream ...

We began with an order of strawberries. I ordered the Royal Tea menu which came with a glass of cranberry cider (a substitution on my part).

Tea, Earl Grey, hot.

A three-tier tray of sweets and savories, and they're mine, all mine ...

Another tray, this one for my tea companions

The teapot with its tea cozy. My Earl Grey, being poured through the tea strainer

A company of teapots at a table about 7 feet to my right. During tea time, my tea was always served to me.

Yes, I'll have that one last cup of tea, please.

The Earl Grey tasted fine, not bitter at all. During the course of time, the tea became stronger. A small pot of hot water was later served to help dilute the tea a bit.

I wouldn't mind another afternoon tea. Not at all.

[jpr54_]

The afternoon tea table looks beautiful-

We have a few places here in NYC area as well-