Afternoon Tea at Burj Al Arab Hotel

Location: Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Date: 20 January 2009
Details: Jasmine Green Tea, sandwiches, desserts, patisserie.

Notes:
My friend Clare's parents had bought her 'Tea for Two' at the Burj as a Christmas present so she generously took me along. The security was very tight - we had to be checked in at the gate by guards before even getting over the moat...

The tea began with a glass of fizz (fruit juice for Clare) and a bowl of fruit salad. We were then presented with this Burj-shaped stand containing our food:
Top two tiers: mini sandwiches. We chose the vegetarian option which involved the creative use of mushrooms, roasted veg and salad. The breads were all different types from ordinary white to mini ciabatta. My favourite was the tasty brown light bread.
Green tier: Miniature crème caramels with shortbread and some unidentifiable fruit cakes (bit dry). The crumbly shortbread goes beautifully with the smooth crème caramel.
Bottom tier: Dinky patisseries


We took over 3 hours to enjoyably chomp our way through this delicious 'meal'. The view was spectacular, out across the coast and the whole city. Not for sufferers of vertigo! The staff were fab throughout, friendly and quick, and enthusiastic about helping most of the customers who wanted to talk photos. I'm not sure how this hotel claims to be a "7-star" but maybe the unusually good service is worth an extra star. A memorable experience, nothing like a stuffy Afternoon Tea at an English hotel.