Afternoon tea, again. It’s a hard life.

Today’s venue was the Ritz Carlton Hotel close to Bukit Bintang station and surrounded by shopping malls.

The approach to the hotel did make me wonder if I was going the right way. It felt more like walking through the carparks and alleys towards the staff entrance rather than the lobby… though I did enter through the main entrance, past three doormen who were vainly trying to rescue a pink helium filled balloon from fifteen feet up.

The Lobby Lounge where afternoon tea is held is actually tucked upstairs from the entrance lobby in a blue and silver art-deco tiled room.

The weekend in Kuala Lumpur had turned decidedly hot and humid since the previous evening so the coolness of the room was very welcome.

After possibly a little reluctance to assist, though it’s likely the waiter thought I was just gawking, the service was superb.

Tea arrived promptly with a small heating stand to ensure it remained piping hot.

The three tier stand’s contents appeared to be a blend of the best bits of a Gentleman’s and Lady’s afternoon.The chicken pie – generous pieces of meat in a white sauce, served hot in flaky pastry was mouthwatering.

The small girl at the table next to me did ot seem to approve when the quartet started a funky take on… what else… ‘Putting on the Ritz‘.

A small spinach quiche didn’t survive long enough for me to work out what the herbs in the cheese sauce were.

As the quartet moved into their next piece, the funky, jazz styling did make me think of that 80s classic by Keith Harris and Orville: ‘I wish I could fly’.

Of course that was probably just me, as I then wasn’t sure if they were playing ‘Oh, Danny Boy‘ or ‘You Raise Me Up‘, by Westlife. It could have been a blend of the two I suppose.

The little girl approved of this song though and went to dance.

The sandwiches were more traditional and delicious. Salmon and cream cheese, well balanced so neither flavour overwhelmed.

Egg mayonnaise followed by a lightly spiced and sharp coronation chicken, which resolved the issue of which came first, at least as far as the sandwiches were concerned.

By this point, the small girl was jogging and skipping laps around the central couch where her parents and I both had our tables.

Her parents resolutely ignored her so she entertained herself (and me) by giving me a small wave every time she dashed past.

My teapot was inspected, by staff (not the child) to see if a refill was necessary. Perfect.

Tea refills were not going to be a problem.

Time for the scone. Only one? Would another be offered? I was hoping so after the clear intention to refresh the tea.

The scone was perfect. Plain rather than fruited but light. The jam was delicious and it was served with clotted cream.

When one of the waitresses took away the stand as I was preparing the scone, she didn’t ask me if I would like another.

I slowly ate each piece of the scone, glancing up and smiling every time a member of staff wandered past. I was hoping that additional scone offering was part of the service.

Sadly, it did not appear to be.

Onto the cakes… which I would contest were pastries rather than featuring a great deal of actual cake.

However, when one of them is a vanilla slice, concerns about cake purity go straight out of the window. I’m fickle like that.

This one promised to be messy.

The vanilla cream melted in my mouth and the small pieces of fruit complimented the flavour nicely.

Best of all, I managed to eat it without scattering flakes of pastry all over me.

Next… was it chocolate? Should I save it for last?

I had my doubts and rightly so… tiramisu. It was beautiful. Creamy coffee with a hint of vanilla on a fluffy sponge, which left, what I suspected to be white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake.

I was correct about the raspberry and white chocolate but actually, it wasn’t cheesecake, it was Victoria sponge.

And one of the nicest I’ve had for some time – the right balance of jam and moist sponge cake. With a refill of tea, is there a better (and possibly more traditional English) way to finish afternoon tea?

I think not.

Coming in at 75MYR for the experience, the Ritz Charlton’s afternoon tea was superb value and a thoroughly relaxed experience.