I will be the first to admit that I am no expert when it comes to pastries and desserts. Some knowledge about cupcakes and how it differs from muffins would be the furthest my gastronomical knowledge in this area would go.
So please excuse me for the lack of names for the stuff you’ll see in this post, but then again you probably won’t need to know anyway.
Despite my best intention, I am still unsure about the differences between high tea and afternoon tea. I would stick to describing this as afternoon tea set to keep true to its menu. We were told that the Lobby Lounge at Hotel InterContinental was strictly walk in only, usually with a 30-min waiting time if you arrive anytime after the 2 p.m. when the afternoon tea started to be served.
A word about the lounge. Despite the slightly warmer temperature, the lounge has a lovely ambiance. The waiters bustled around us without being overly intrusive, and the sweeping view of Hong Kong (Janice sums it up well with a footnote to her post) was the perfect backdrop for an afternoon of leisurely tea. I was particularly charmed by the live band, consisting of a cello, a violin, a piano and a flue, playing not classical but easy listening pop.
It was sublime.