Afternoon Tea at the Mandarin Oriental, Vegas

Me, having afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental in Vegas

I was recently in Vegas for work and managed, despite my busy schedule, to squeeze in time for tea at the Mandarin Oriental.  A girl needs priorities and I was desperately seeking quiet time.  Working trade show events and being constantly 'on' can take a toll even on the most outgoing of us.    

 The Mandarin Oriental is a respite.  It has great views of the strip, but more importantly to me...it was peacefully quiet and smelled nothing of smoke, not even a subtle hint of it.

The tea I chose was the Mandarin blend, a black with essence of orange.  I should have known better and stuck with an English Breakfast.  I'm very, very picky about teas and this was so-so.  But the afternoon tea service more than made up for the just-OK tea.  It was delicious!  On the pricey side, but my mental health is worth it.

The afternoon tea was not an Asian theme; it's standard British-style fare.  However, the Mandarin does offer a gong fu cha service for parties of 3 or more.  Next year I will plan for this and drag along some colleagues.  ;-)

The three-tiered server was very novel. It's a stand-alone unit next to the table and curves back at a slight angle.  The savories were my favorite of the three courses (that's normal for me).  The presentation was spot-on!

Creamy deviled egg and lavash

Smoked salmon and cucumber with watercress spread

Tartlet of mango with goat cheese and spice bread crisp

Black Forest ham sandwich

Traditional scones with cherry preserves and imported Devonshire cream

And for dessert...

Blueberry cream puff (on the right), rum cake (mini bundt), yuzu tartlet with raspberry center and sugared rose (my favorite), a coffee-flavored cake in the little purse (not for me, I don't like coffee) and a passion fruit truffle in the back (also very good!)

If you are in Vegas, I recommend taking your gambling money and going to the Mandarin Oriental for afternoon tea instead!  That way, you're sure to win.