Afternoon Tea At Majlis by Pierre Hermé ... Abu Dhabi's Best Afternoon Tea?

SPARKLING

The champagne flute is filled with delicious Saicho sparkling jasmine tea - with notes of jasmine and rose, this is a luxe way to start.

Choose your tea from the most glorious list. Even if you're not a real tea lover, do give one a try. We tried a few, the best being Oriental Beauty oolong: what a fragrance! The beautiful flowery taste matched very well with the food to come.

The delectable pea green mise en bouche is a bite-sized tart, that gives you a taste of what's to come.

SAVOURY

The selection of savoury items is served next, and every bite was a step up from the norm. The upscale chicken sandwich with pieces of almond and strong, fresh citrus notes is a good start, while the lobster roll on brioche is a great way to finish. We can't say enough about the smoked salmon rillette choux (pictured): this incredible marriage of sweet and savoury is an absolute triumph and for us, the highlight of the tea.

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ISPAHAN PALATE CLEANSER

To mark the movement between savoury and sweet, the palate cleanser is served ... and it's top tier.

Served in a replica of a signature macaron, this is a mix of a tiny Ispahan macaron and fresh sorbet. It's delicious!

SWEET

The sweet stand is deposited with a flourish and bears three tiers of beautiful, five star patisserie items. Be warned, it's not for the faint hearted so approach it tactically: we started with the beautifully light sponge with plump raspberries and a very light pistachio cream. The chocolate mousse cake and the hazelnut cake were both very rich and delicious ... follow these with the very plain, buttery shortbread and the madeleine. For a suitably bitter finish, pop in the bonbon - a dark chocolate masterpiece, designed to counteract the sweeter options.

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MACARONS

Pierre Herme's signature dish, and the counter sports row upon row of these glorious, colourful mouthfuls. On the stand you get both the Ispahan, with notes of rose, and the hazelnut, both melt-in-your-mouth good.

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SCONES

These are among the best scones in an afternoon tea in Abu Dhabi. Choose the vibrant cerise Ispahan scone or the classic and add thick, luxurious clotted cream, house made, tart jam preserve, fig jam and a gorgeously tart lemon curd. The scones themselves are light but suitably doughy, and not at all dry and crumbly - just perfect. We like our scones as a final act in an afternoon tea and these do very well in closing out what is a superbly good tea.

YOUR GIFT TO TAKE HOME

Fill a cute little box with four macarons of your choice: we couldn't go past the passionfruit, vanilla, chocolate and pistachio. These are absolutely delicious and such a treat to have later on or the next day.

DETAILS & BOOKING

1. You need to book 24 hours in advance and will need to make a payment to secure your booking
2. The price of the tea is AED345 per person and you need to order an afternoon tea for each person sitting at your table.
3. It includes unlimited tea and sparkling jasmine tea to start.
4. If you'd like to add a real sparkle, add Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Brut for AED595
5. And an extra glass of Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Brut for AED299.
6. Book by calling 02 813 5550.