July Update

It's well and truly summer now. We're had several days above 90 degrees, and last week the cicadas came out. If the last couple weeks are any indication it's shaping up to be a brutally hot summer too. Everyone I've talked to agrees, it's already hotter than the last two summers at least.

Perversely, my mind keep daydreaming of fall - grapes and pears and fall leaves and hiking (for some reason hiking seems like a fall activity). Then I have to remind myself it's only the middle of July.

But, July is my birth month, and it's been fun celebrating. There's been lots of good food and fun with friends.

This guy knows how to do summer

Summer Cooking - Corn Tacos with Zucchini  Radish Slaw  

Pre-birthday lunch (delicious Greek food not pictured)

Pre-birthday Desserts with Raku

Just look at the detail - tiny sugar dew drops!

Just as pretty as all the desserts

Birthday Flowers

Birthday Gelato

Godzilla Spotted at a Beer Garden

Afternoon Tea at the Aman Tokyo

It's been ages since I've posted an afternoon tea review, hasn't it? Luckily there's a new player in town - the Aman Hotel, and Raku and I were able to go a few weeks ago.

The Aman is a new hotel in Marunouchi, and it has a really unique atmosphere. Definitely no generic hotel lobby feeling here. Much of the lounge is black stone, and they've selected a black theme for their afternoon tea as well. Sandwiches and cream puffs are made black with bamboo charcoal, and even the tea cups and plates are black. The rest of the accents in the room are pale wood, and rice paper creating a really elegant but modern feel.

We had a window seat, which we were initially exited about, but I have to say in warmer weather I don't recommend it. We were so hot from the sun pouring in, and had to move our food to the other side of the table to keep all the chocolates from melting!

The food itself was really delicious and creative. Top marks to the chef for that. But I have to say there was too much chocolate. I know that sounds crazy, but just trust me. From the photos you can see that there are a number of fashion themed chocolates - shoes, purses, a jewel with more chocolates inside. Early on we noticed that a lot of people were leaving most of their chocolate behind, and we were scandalized. How wasteful! But we ended up doing exactly the same thing. There's simply too much to be enjoyed.

They have a nice selection of teas. Iced comes by the glass and hot comes by the pot, and you're welcome to change flavors with each order. But, they won't allow you to place your next order until you've finished your current glass/pot which does lead to an annoying wait at times. Our particular favorites were the Peach Bergamot iced tea and the Irish Whiskey Cream tea.

As far as I know, this is the most expensive afternoon tea in Tokyo, but it's a really creative and delicious menu in a unique atmosphere. If you're looking for an indulgent and out of the ordinary tea, this is it.

The Aman Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Tea Hours: 11:30-9:30
Phone: 03-5224-3339
Map

Peach Bergamot Iced Tea

Fashion Themed Chocolates

Excellent scones

Banana Caramel Chou

Tokyo Tea Lovers

Read about other afternoon teas:
The Kahala Resort Honolulu
The Palace Hotel Tokyo
The Metropole Hanoi
The Ritz Carlton Tokyo
Tokyo Shangri-la
Peninsula Hotel Tokyo
The Mandarin Oriental (second time)
Park Hyatt Shinjuku
The Four Seasons Marunouchi
Hotel Chinzanso
The Mandarin Oriental