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2012-10-12
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I must admit, as a girl with a big appetite, I've never been one to go for such "high teas" - until recently, when I learned about all the food and beauty collaborations.As a beauty junkie, of course I jumped on the bandwagon when I heard that APIVITA (a Greek health and beauty giant) was collaborating with MO Bar to create a tea set, this time Greek themed and inspired by their honey-based products.Raisin and plain sconesFor starters, the tea began with the usual scones and side of clotted crea
As a beauty junkie, of course I jumped on the bandwagon when I heard that APIVITA (a Greek health and beauty giant) was collaborating with MO Bar to create a tea set, this time Greek themed and inspired by their honey-based products.
Raisin and plain sconesFor starters, the tea began with the usual scones and side of clotted cream, with strawberry and grape jam. I personally found it quite interesting that the scones were on the smaller side - which is actually quite smart (as the last thing you want, is to be overstuffed with carbs at the start of the meal)!
However, I thought the scones were just okay - warm but not warm enough, buttery but not buttery enough. I also kinda liked the fact that they provided a very generous portion of clotted cream - perfect for clotted cream lovers like me!
Black olive foccacia, tomato confit & feta cheese shavingsAs for the mains, this was what I was most excited about - as each piece really captured the "Greek theme". So instead of having your standard high tea sandwiches, I liked that the selection provided was tailored to fit the APIVITA collaboration.
Amongst all, my favourites were the goat cheese pie with green apple, pine nuts and honey and the mediterranean quiche.
I liked the goat cheese pie a lot as I thought that it was really interesting with the three different textures: the slightly crunchy slice of apple, combined with the softness of the goat cheese, as well as the crunchiness of the "biscuit" underneath. I also really enjoyed the mediterranean quiche as the peppers tasted fresh and juicy, while the pastry exterior was crunchy but not too hard.
As for the greek flat bread with grilled chicken and tzatziki and black olive foccacia, tomato confit & feta cheese, I thought these were okay. My least favourite was the pita, hummus and olive caviar. First, because exterior was way too hard (by the time you bit into it, the pita bread was crushed everywhere) and second, the hummus was way too bitter for my taste (although I don't really like hummus in the first place...).
Mediterranean quiche
Pita, hummus and olive caviar
Panna cotta honey and red fruits with strawberry jellyFinally, for desserts, I was actually pleasantly surprised - as I had liked these more than expected. I felt that each "piece" was really unique, offering a variety of flavours to satisfy the sweet tooth.
My favourite of all was the panna cotta honey and red fruits with strawberry jelly. As you can see from the photo above, the panna cotta is made by consecutively layering cream, strawberry jelly, cream, etc. This produced a really interesting flavour when eaten together - you get a mixture of creaminess from the "white" layer while a sweet, juicy flavour from the strawberry jelly itself.
Overall, I was really pleased with the meal - especially in comparison to the Cle de Peau x Cafe Gray set I had last month. You can truly see that each piece is designed with a "Greek theme" in mind.
***
But of course, the best part is the beauty part. I liked the set even more when I found out that it came with a generous box of full size and sample goodies!
Inside the box, I was given:- 12 sachets of their Express Beauty with Apricot Gentle Exfoliating Gel
- 50ml bottle of their Moisturising Hand Cream with Aloe & Honey
- 1ml sample of their Natural Serum for Hydration with Aloe & Hyaluronic Acid
- 1ml sample of their Natural Serum for Lifting with Royal Jelly & Vitamin A
- Gift voucher for HK$300 to spend at The Oriental Spa
For HK$200 per person (~ $26 USD / £16 / €20), I thought that the meal was a total steal as the Exfoliating Gel costs €3.50 per sachet - making it total €21, more than the cost of the meal already! So whether you're after the food or the goodie bag, I suggest you make your reservation as soon as possible - before it runs out!
The APIVITA tea set is available now until 31 October and is served between 3-5PM on Mondays to Saturdays and 3:30-5:30PM on Sundays.
Thanks for reading. Happy Thursday!
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