On the Hunt for BJ’s Best Afternoon Tea: The Summit


Queen Victoria Afternoon Tea Set at The Summit's 80th Floor Lounge

Perched higher than any other "high tea" in the city, The Lounge on the 80th floor of China World Summit Wing is truly worthy of its "summit" name at such high altitudes.

In collaboration with CityWeekend, LumDimSum has tirelessly continued in her efforts to hunt down Beijing's Best Afternoon Tea. Searching far and wide (and now high), I have already checked off the Ritz-Carlton, Park Hyatt, Sofitel Beijing Hotel, Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center, China World Hotel, and Raffles Beijing Hotel (in chronological order) to proudly pronounce the best of the best in the "afternoon tea" category. Unlike a standard lunch or dinner meal at a restaurant, afternoon tea requires a different skill to master. From the bite-sized snacks to delicate desserts and authentic scones worthy of this time-honored tradition, it hasn't been easy to lock down a winner, taking into consideration the extensive list of afternoon teas made available around town.

Although I was previously impressed with the view from the swanky lounge on the 63rd floor of the Park Hyatt, it's unquestionably rivaled by the 80th floor Lounge at China World Summit Wing. It's higher up, the lounge is just as swanky (if not more so) and it's literally half the price which makes it much better value.

Afternoon Tea at the China World Summit Wing aka The Summit for short, seems like such a prestigious location would be nothing short of a glamorous affair reserved for special occasions, but it's actually pretty laid back and from what I hear (from multiple unbiased sources), it's packed every single day of the week serving as a base for both business and leisure. I suppose the vibe is similar to Centro Bar in Kerry Center Hotel or Atmosphere bar (on the other side of The Lounge in China World Summit Wing), but instead of sipping on pricey cocktails till the sun rises, the Lounge caters to those sipping on quality tea and coffee from morning till early evening.

Boasting one of the largest selections of premier teas and specialty coffees in the city, The Lounge is more than just a classy venue with a phenomenal 360 view of Beijing (given that the sky isn't completely hazed over in thick grey smog).

LumDimSum Snapshots of The Summit's Lounge:

The Lounge on the 80th Floor of China World Summit Wing

Live Music Duo: Pianist Together with Flautist

Afternoon tea at The Summit is offered weekdays and weekends from 2:30PM-5:30PM and there are three different sets to choose from:

  • 7th Duchess of Bedford: Tea, Scones and Petit Fours (RMB 140 + 15% service fee)

"Lady Anna Maria Stanhope, also known as the 7th Duchess of Bedford (1783-1857) is credited as the creator of Afternoon Tea. According to legend, at precisely four o'clock each afternoon she suffered from "a sinking feeling" which she would alleviate in secret with tea and bread."

  • Queen Victoria: Tea, Sandwiches, Scones and Petit Fours (RMB 180 + 15% service fee)

"Queen Victoria (1819-1901) reigned over Great Britain from 1837 to 1901. Her governess was of the opinion that drinking tea and reading "The Times" were sins for young girls and therefore strictly prohibited both. It is said that directly after Victoria was crowned queen in 1837, she asked for a cup of tea and a copy of "The Times" saying, "Now here is the proof that I do reign."

  • Tea at the Summit: Tea, Sandwiches, Scones and Petit Fours, 1 Glass of Champagne (RMB 320 + 15% service fee)

Although a glass of bubbly would have been a treat, it also would have been a bit indulgent. We happily settled for the Queen Victoria Afternoon Tea Set to slowly savor over a live music duo performance featuring a pianist and a flautist playing together side by side.

A Complete Queen Victoria Afternoon Tea Set (RMB 180 + 15% service fee)

LumDimSum Snapshots of Afternoon Tea at The Summit:

Shangri-la Tea Set: The Rich Pineapple-Kiwi-Plum Aroma of the Babaco Fruit is the Secret of this full-bodied tea blend from Java, Ceylon and India.

I can't praise this Shangri-la tea enough. It was incredibly fragrant and simultaneously soothing for a sensation that I will not soon forget.

The Lounge also offered a wide range of Black Teas including Mokalbarie, English Breakfast, Nurbong (Darjeeling), Earl Grey, Rose Tea with Petals, Vanilla, along with a range of Green Tea (Japan Fancy Sencha, Jasmine Gold) and Herbal Infusion Teas (Peppermint, Camomile, Roibosh Lemon).

The Lounge's Specialty Coffee Blends

LumDimSum Breakdown of The Summit's Afternoon Tea Set:

Queen Victoria Afternoon Tea Set includes Tea, Sandwiches, Scones and Petit Fours

Bottom Tier: Savory Sandwiches (L to R) – Egg Skin Shrimp Cocktail, Cucumber Wrapped Smoked Salmon, Parma ham wrapped Focaccia, Vegetable Wrap

Just when I thought sandwiches couldn't get any better than the tasty little finger sandwiches from the Afternoon Tea at China World Hotel, The Summit surpasses prior tasting experiences serving the most fresh, moist, delicious finger sandwiches of all. I can't say I was sold on the presentation with each one wrapped within a different textured outer shell and each one being a bit too large to be considered bite-sized, but each savory sandwich was exquisite in its own right.

The vegetable wrap was filled with tasty mushrooms, bell peppers and soft pesto sauce wrapped in a soft tortilla shell. The Parma Ham was wrapped in Focaccia bread spread with buttery cream cheese. The Smoked Salmon wrapped in thin strips of cucumber was also a winning combination but the best sandwich of all was the shrimp cocktail wrapped in a layer of egg omelette.

Perhaps this method of wrapping the sandwich bread within an outer shell is in fact a strategy to contain the bread's moisture rather than an aesthetic purpose. In any case, these were really the best sandwiches we've come across and we delightfully savored every last bite.

Middle Layer of Sweet Desserts (L to R): Cherry Cream Mousse, Cream Caramel Cup, Fresh Fruit Tart, Mint Chocolate

The middle layer of sweets was also not winning in presentation points as the colors were all a washed palette and nothing was as dainty or delicate as the art of dessert has the potential to be.

Fresh Fruit Tart / Mint Chocolate Dessert

This fresh fruit tart takes the gold as the best fruit tart we've ever encountered and mostly due to the fact that I've never had a tart filled with such a variety of exotic fruits in such a tiny cup serving. On one tiny little tart, were layers of mango, grape, kiwi, dragon fruit and blueberry all piled on!

The Mint Chocolate Wheel dessert was not as indulgently rich as it might look. The bulk of the wheel was creamy milk chocolate with a shell of dark chocolate and mint chips all molded on top of a crumbly biscuit, it was a decent chocolate dessert but nothing mind-blowing or enough to get a chocolate addict to relapse after going cold on chocolate.

Cherry Cream Mousse Cake / Cream Caramel Cup

The Cherry Cream Mousse was a big pink monstrosity. Layers of cherry cream, sponge cake and a nice sheet of white chocolate topped with a single plump blueberry reminded us of a Bakewell Tart (an English confection), minus the almonds.

The Cream Caramel Cup caused quite a bit of confusion. We had no idea what to make of this dessert because 1) there was not one distinct flavor and 2) when I asked the waitress what it was, she said 小布丁 (small pudding), which explained nothing. It was so light in flavor that we couldn't make out what it was – was the green strip of cream meant to be avocados or green tea? I think there was also a slab of apricot cream at the bottom. In any case, we couldn't make sense of the random mix of swirls in the little glass cup. Unfortunately, this dessert seemed more like a generic dessert you'd find displayed in a random buffet line-up rather than a more well-thought-out dessert that The Summit would think to serve as a part of their afternoon tea set.

Plain and Raisin Scones Served with Jam and Clotted Cream

The scones here are best described as mealy. One bite in and I find myself chewing forever with doughy bits getting lodged into every nook and crevice in my teeth. It was too stodgy and dense and although the flavor was OK, the raisin scone had all the raisins only one side of the scone so when we split the scone, I was sadly left with none. The winner of Best Scones in Beijing still goes to Raffles Beijing Hotel.

Although this Queen Victoria's Afternoon Tea set is big enough to share between two, nothing in the set was easy to split up, especially the middle layer of petit fours, which were really not petite desserts at all. As the saying goes, quality over quantity and we really had no complaints about the quality of what we were served today, but it also did not leave us inspired.

It was a lovely afternoon tea experience and The Lounge is really an ideal setting for casual business meetings, but I'm not convinced this will be much competition against the Afternoon Tea Concert with a 12-piece orchestra at China World Hotel or the feeling of being surrounded by historical relevance in the Writer's Bar of Raffles Beijing Hotel.

Review of China World Summit Wing, The Lounge's Afternoon Tea: 80th floor, No.1 Jianguomenwai Avenue, 北京建国门外大街1号, Tel: +(86 10) 6505 2299 ext 6430 / 6431. Afternoon Tea available daily, 14:30-17:30

Best Part:

  • Perched up on the 80th floor, you've reached the summit of Beijing with 360 views of the city. On a clear day, you can't beat this view.
  • An ideal location for both business and pleasure. Although it's pricey to just sip on coffee or tea, their afternoon tea set is very reasonably priced at only RMB 180 + 15% service charge, which is half the price of the Park Hyatt's afternoon tea on the 63rd floor.
  • They boast one of the largest selections of premier teas and specialty coffees in the city.
  • Best sandwiches I've tasted so far in Beijing - super moist bread and each one uniquely tasty
  • Live Music Performance Duo – Pianist and Flautist playing side-by-side during afternoon tea hours
  • Quality over quantity. Everything incorporated quality ingredients

  • The Lounge in the Summit is always very busy with both business men and loungers. I would recommend trying to grab a spot closer to the live music as some of the tables wrap around the other side of the lounge with less of an impressive view.
  • Although the sandwiches were surprisingly delectable, the rest of the afternoon tea set looked like a washed out palette. Everything was satisfactory, there was nothing to really complain about but the petit four desserts and scones did not leave us with a lasting impression.
  • Service was very thoughtful. We came in from the heat to find ourselves feeling a bit chilly with the AC blasting indoors and when we asked for a scarf or blanket to wrap around our shoulders, we were brought super stylish, cozy wraps that I wondered if it was possible to buy it off them. Not joking.
  • Afternoon tea is available daily, not only on the weekends, from 2:30-5:30PM.

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

  • Food: 7
  • Atmosphere: 8
  • Service: 7

  • Overall Experience: 7

LDS's Afternoon Tea Reviews in Beijing:

Checking them off one after the other, LumDimSum will continue to share her experiences as she hunts down and uncovers the Best Afternoon Tea in Beijing.

Stay tuned for more LDS + CW Afternoon Tea Reviews to come…!

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"Your Travel Guide" Brian visits the city-like bunker under Beijing's streets. For more on China visit www.travelchannel.com

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