In a bustling city like Tokyo, always on the move, high tea is the perfect escape! Here, time seems to slow down to a leisurely pace as one contemplates on the delicate nuances of a Darjeeling or Assam tea while savoring the accompanying pastries and sandwiches.

Tokyo has a slew of establishments offering afternoon tea. But what I absolutely crave in an afternoon tea is the decadent opulence, the immaculate service, transporting you to an era gone by. It’s always quality over quantity for me, the creativity and artistic details in every single offering is what catches my eye!

It is with these expectations that I decided to give the afternoon tea at Andaz Tokyo a try. Andaz Tokyo is located in the modern Toranomon Hills office building and occupies the top few floor of the structure, with the lobby and their restaurant Tavern, located on the 51st floor. The hotel has a typically “modern” Andaz feel, though the design hearkens back to elegant mid-century Japanese design.

The restaurant itself is beautiful, with tall windows and soaring ceilings adorned with hanging sculptures creates this airy atmosphere while their sofa-style setting with a fireplace located in the centre, a cosy atmosphere. The dramatic views of the prominent Imperial Palace and Tokyo Tower competes for your attention as does Andaz’s signature bite-size éclairs. Honestly, their presentation is the best in Tokyo so far, just loved the petit treats beautifully arranged on their two-tiered tray.

Menu items – Their savory items included chilled cucumber soup, home cured salmon, honey mustard sauce, Japanese artichoke tartlet, with nasturtium leave, ham & cheese sandwich, mustard foie gras cream brulee and some more!

Sweets included my favorite seasonal eclair selection, chocolate financier, ganache pistachio cream, pate de fruit, sable, creme brulee tartlet, strawberry mousse etc. They serve two varieties of homemade scones – plain & orange, which are served with clotted cream and seasonal fruit jam. Afternoon tea includes a free flow of assorted coffee and tea selection, and trust me, they have a lot to choose from!

We went there during Christmas season, and the atmosphere there was really festive. And did I mention the ginger bread decoration at the entrance. Wish I could eat that too!

Time: 2pm – 6pm

Price: ¥3,900 (plus tax and service) You can share their afternoon tea tray, which is officially for one person, while drinks cost an extra ¥1,500. But we decided to order two so that we could try every item. Also, I think the portion size is just enough for 1 person.

Definitely going back, but this time for the ‘desserts only’ afternoon tea set!

Afternoon tea at Andaz Toranomon Hills

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Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills

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Tokyo fashion blogger

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