The higher you are, the better the view, right? That’s exactly why we enjoyed high tea on the 62nd floor inside the tallest hotel in Southeast Asia, the InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72. In other words, Landmark72 high tea is the highest high tea we’ve ever had. Is it also the best high tea here in Hanoi? Check our Landmark72 review for more.
The Hive Lounge at InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72
The spacious Hive Lounge gets plenty of sunlight from the floor to ceiling windows, which amplifies its grand design. We especially liked the skylight in the heart of the lounge, in combination with the view. Being there felt like we were in a castle, high up in the clouds. To us, the middle part of the lounge resembled a castle’s courtyard, because of the really high ceiling.
There were two large round sofas, surrounded by an artistic wall. It was very cozy being at a table right next to the window, which was a perfect spot for afternoon tea. It was pleasant to sit on the comfortable chair and look around, as not everything is about the city view.
Tea Selection
One of the best high tea in Hanoi started with the selection of 28 loose teas by DAMMANN Frères. Both of us were in the mood for something citrusy so we went for 7 Parfums and Soleil Vert. The 7 Parfums is a blend of black tea and lemon scented orange peels with the bergamot, fresh fig, lotus flower and pitanga.
The floral and fruity flavors were a balanced match for the subtly scented tea. Ian prefers green tea and the Soleil Vert is based on exactly that. In fact, it is green tea, scented with blood orange essential oil, which is responsible for the fresh infusion of tangy fruity notes. The tea menu provides enough diversity that allowed us to quickly find a satisfying blend for each of our personal taste.
Savories
First on the high tea menu were the hot savories. Because I couldn’t resist the blue cheese quiche, it was the first one to go. It was a classic bite, and it really pleased the cheese lover in me. I liked the strong taste that had well developed blue cheese presence despite the fresh herbs. The crunchy pastry was not crumbling and allowed me to have an easy bite.
Next was the tasty Scotch quail egg with sour gravy. I liked the sourish gravy, which brought refreshing notes to the fried dough and egg. The last of the hot savories was the friend, with ground pork and herbs: this puff pastry roll had a fair amount of savory filling. Cut with precision into the rectangle shape were the crust-free sandwiches.
I was very pleased that the afternoon tea sandwiches were larger than the one-bite finger food. Especially after tasting the first one, the juicy egg salad sandwich with chives, which was very flavorful for an egg sandwich. The next sandwich had two layers of smoked salmon and lemon cream in the middle. The dill bread added color contrast and taste to the full-flavored piece.
The most intense one we tried might have been the raisin bread chicken curry sandwich: the spices diversified the buttery sauce and with the raisins came the lovely sweetness. This one was similar to the coronation chicken, which was created for the coronation of Elizabeth II. It can also be inspired by the national dish of England, chicken tikka masala.
Either way, it heated us up and we cooled down with mint bread morsel. A truly refreshing bite was filled with cucumber, mint and cream cheese.
Scones
Rustic beauties shined through the glass bowl with a wooden lid. On top of the ginger bedding, were the lemon and ginger candy scones. Above them were the plain scones, which were delicious with their double cream and Da-Lat strawberry jam. Zesty orange marmalade was the excellent sweet delight on top of the lemon and ginger candy scone. Of course, we mixed the flavors a little and liked all the alternatives, not surprisingly as they were great on their own with a fine crust.
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Sweets
The credit for the Landmark72 afternoon tea delights goes to pastry chef Serhat Mizrakli. His handmade French pastries look admirable on the elegant three-level stand. We started with a succulent homemade marshmallow surprise with a chocolate dough base. The surprise was in the chocolate ganache and orange peel with lime filling. I can say that it was a marvelous go-between the crunchy dough and spongy white bump.
The berry almond financier was the second dessert with surprise in the middle. It was marinated strawberry, coated in diplomat cream. The whipped cream with the addition of custard is splendid on its own, but altogether it becomes an enjoyment. The beautiful rose crown can be described as the sweet creamy delicacy.
Flavoring the raspberry curd, lychee jelly and rose ganache along with the white chocolate pearls. In fact, it was a little too sweet to my taste, but I liked the individual ingredients and its creamy texture. My favorite was the Rocher’s, which was made of banana coulis, hazelnut crunch, mango and passion crème with vanilla ganache and covered with hazelnut. Yum!
Extra Dessert
After we finished all the treats of the afternoon tea menu, we still weren’t ready to leave. The lady that came by with the travel cake trolley was to blame for that. The Intercontinental high tea had some extra cakes in order: there was a pistachio cake, a strawberry chocolate marble cake, a lemon cake, a passionfruit marzipan cake and a banana cake.
They all looked so perfect, and just by looking at them, we somehow managed to find some extra room so we could try them! Not much extra room, but enough to share a slice of a lemon cake. We liked the firm dough and lemon punch. Before we finished the piece, we almost ended up regretting our decision to skip the strawberry chocolate marble cake.
Conclusion
Yes, there is a limit to how much we can eat – but why would we feel bad about how much we’ve eaten, instead of appreciating all the deliciousness that’ we’ve just enjoyed? There is always something that slips by and that keeps things interesting, which is why the afternoon tea menu at the Hive Lounge at InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72 changes every three months. This way they can feature the best local produce according to the seasons.
Landmark72 high tea is one of the best afternoon tea in Hanoi. You won’t get just a view and professional service, but great bites as well. With the afternoon tea, they convinced us to try out their themed brunch, but we just couldn’t think of eating any more after that delicious meal! Next time, brunch and now back to the best hotel here in Hanoi – Sofitel Metropole Hanoi Hotel!
Landmark72 High Tea Review Card
- ATMOSPHERE – 8.6/108.6/10
- SERVICE – 9.5/109.5/10
- TEA SELECTION – 9.8/109.8/10
- PRESENTATION – 9.4/109.4/10
- BITES – 9/109/10
- VALUE – 9.6/109.6/10
Price and Location
The afternoon tea set for two people that we had comes at a price of USD$28 USD. If you decide to try this amazing high tea, here is a location to the new Intercontinental Hotel here in Hanoi.
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