Café 103 of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong will be in bloom with Sakura Afternoon Tea spotlighting nature’s gorgeous pinks from April 1 to May 14, 2017. The beauty of cherry blossoms peaks for a couple of weeks every year, making flower viewing an annual spring event, especially in Japan where cherry blossoms are recognized as a national flower. Guest Pastry Chef Hideaki Tanaka from The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo will incorporate the excitement of the cherry blossom season into his very own creations of sakura-themed Japanese confectionaries, making flower viewing not just a feast for the eyes, but all five senses.
Having learned French cuisine and pastry making at Tokyo Culinary School, Chef Tanaka joined The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo at the hotel opening in 2007. Since then, he has been in charge of the pastry kitchen supplying cakes, desserts, candies and chocolates to the hotel’s restaurants, banqueting events, weddings and guestrooms for welcome amenities. Highly acclaimed for his masterfully designed chocolate crafts and sophisticated dessert creations, Chef Tanaka enjoys being led to new ideas by his boundless imagination.
This time, inspired by the stunning views of lingering seas of pink and white petals accompanied by a mild and sweet floral scent in the spring breeze, Chef Tanaka infuses the much-loved cherry blossoms into a range of delectable sweet and savory afternoon tea treats. Sakura Flower-Marinated Radish Roll with Zuwai Crab and Caviar is a palate-pleasing snack to whet one’s appetite. The pickled cherry blossom gives the airily sliced radish a nearly translucent pink color. The mild sweetness of the radish wrap and the savory snow crab meat filling complement each other, whereas the caviar topping adds a kick of strong sea flavor to enrich the overall taste profile. Carefully arranged in alternate layers of green tea joconde cake, strawberry confit and cherry blossom mousseline cream, Green Tea Sakura Strawberry Cake gathers the most iconic ingredients of Japanese sweets in one bite.
Soy Milk Panna Cotta with Sakura Jelly is a lighter and more refreshing version than the traditional panna cotta. The fruitiness of meltingly soft strawberry cherry blossom jelly adds a new dimension to the beany-flavored panna cotta. Sakura Tropézienne is a tribute to Chef Tanaka’s culinary training in French pastries. Chef Tanaka adds a Japanese twist to this classic treat by replacing custard filling in the sliced brioche with strawberry cherry blossom confit and cherry blossom white chocolate ganache. Sakura, Strawberry and Red Bean Mousse will, for sure, catch one’s attention at first sight. The dome-shaped red bean crème brulee is covered with strawberry cherry blossom mousse and decorated with pink strawberry glaze, extruding tempting hues of red. For the full menu, please refer to the appendix.
Sakura Afternoon Tea
Date: April 1 to May 14, 2017
Time: 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Price: April 1 to May 13 (Except April 14 to 17)
Monday to Friday – HK$378 for one / HK$638 for two
Saturday, Sunday & Public Holiday – HK$398 for one / HK$658 for two
Venue: Café 103, Level 103, The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
All prices are subject to 10% service charge. For reservations, please contact Restaurant Reservations at (852) 2263 2270 or via email [email protected].