I try not to do too many touristy things in Tokyo. After all, it's been ten years since I was first a "tourist" in Japan. But Afternoon Tea at the Bulgari tower in Ginza is one things I was not ashamed to put on my list. I envision myself becoming one of those afternoon-tea snobs who jets around the world just to sample afternoon tea in all the famous spots. On second thought, I don't think having tea in Hong Kong and Dallas, Texas makes me some kind of authority on the subject...
Nevertheless afternoon tea has become one of my "things" right up there with Aquariums and Cemeteries. What a good assortment of interests.
Well...back to Bulgari.
In Tokyo, it is quite common for famous brands to have cafes or other such venues that tout their label further in the face of the public. Hence, Bulgari, the famous jeweler, has a restaurant, cafe, and bar all in the same city.
The cafe, where afternoon tea was served, happens to be in their multistory complex in Ginza. We had a spectacular view from our table, which overlooked the Omotesando and on this particular day, Ginza Fashion Week.
Now it was no accident that I ended up here. I chose this particular place for my one afternoon-tea experience in Tokyo after thorough research. The extent of my study starts and ends with another blog, Memoirs of Aleisha, written by a woman who seems to have sampled every afternoon tea in Tokyo. Thanks to her I narrowed down my options to only a handful, and finally picked Bulgari after seeing how unique and beautiful their tea displays were.
Unlike the traditional British style tea arrangement, our food was not served to us on a three-tier tray. Instead, it came in these stylish black boxes.
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| The food photographed so well in the sunlight. And yes, this is all for one person... |
This was truly one of the best afternoon tea experiences I've had (well, of all three I've had thus far in my life), and I am so happy to have shared it with fellow designer and blogger Emma of 557. She came up to Tokyo from Osaka to spend the whole weekend with me, and this was the one place I told her I couldn't miss. After spending about 4,000 yen on lunch here, I told her she could choose the dinner place. Wait till you see what she chose!
The scones come with cream, and choice of two spreads, though I sweet-talked the waiter into letting me pick three spreads: Hazelnut chocolate, Honey from New Zealand, and Blueberry.
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| That's a Kobe beef burger on the top left corner... |
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| Ahhhhh desserts! |
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| My sly and devilish "Tea Face" |
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| The finale: Bulgari chocolate |
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| I chose the Green tear yuzu flavor |
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