Pengguna Tetamu
30 November 2024
I recently visited Cashel Palace Hotel for afternoon tea with a friend who'd been gifted a voucher for the experience. The hotel itself is quite impressive in its grandeur and very cosy overall. The dining room was also lovely for the most part, warm and inviting, however our table was slightly too small for the serving and we noted tables were a tad too close together, at least in the area we were seated. The "tea set" items were all gorgeous and added to the experience. The service was pretty much faultless with just the right amount of check-ins on our table and staff very happy to advise us on what was being served. There was an extensive tea menu (always a bonus in my book!), from which I sampled two teas that were very enjoyable. However, as an avid foodie, I felt the actual food being served fell a bit flat for the high expectations set. First serving was the plate of savoury offerings - the goats cheese and fig number I'd been most looking forward to was pretty much bland, goats cheese not tart enough and fig practically tasteless. Most of the other pieces (including a crab brioche, cucumber and tomato sandwich, a smoked salmon number), while all perfectly fine were rather forgettable in taste save for the coronation chicken basket which was very nice. Mini sized warm scones were served next with a selection of butter and potted jams which were really delicious and enjoyable. Next was the dessert selection, a very impressive 3 tiers of beautifully presented and very photogenic desserts! Unfortunately again the flavours just didn't hold up to the visuals for me - a pistachio mousse that tasted mildly sweet without any real hit of pistachio, and with a slightly gritty texture that was a bit off-putting. A raspberry choux bun that lacked the zing of raspberry you'd expect. Two other desserts, a dark chocolate tort and some form of tartlet that I can't fully recall were perfectly fine but again, quite forgettable. The most enjoyable offering of this platter to me by far were the macarons which were the perfect texture, and had the right levels of citrus and sweetness respectively. Overall an absolutely fine way to spend an afternoon but I would have been quite disappointed if I had paid full whack for the experience - I am completely in favour of "taster" sized offerings when the flavours are there to be enjoyed, but I really felt the food just did not live up to the high standards I'd expected from an otherwise wonderful place.
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