Mother's Day 2011 - High Tea at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel
Beautiful flower arrangement. I mean, this is really something so Shangri-La, the flower arrangement is always perfect.
Perfect for photo-op.
Must have photo with the kids. I don't care, if Zoe is 14. I am extra-queen today!
Then, Zahnina, a picture ham, thank goodness!
We wanted to try the lobby lounge special : Mother's Day High Tea,
P650 ++ (P745 nett)
which came with the usual three-tier pastry tower. Plus, coffee and tea.
The last statement was a printing error, according to the snooty lady who came by.
Please refer to the Department of Trade and Industry regarding this issue.
Wasn't there anyone capable of editing prior to printing?
And did none of you notice the error before I brought it up?
Vel, the attendant looked way too surprised.
When Zahn pointed out that the conjunction was 'and,' and not 'or.' The attendant smiled, and said, 'okay.' We wouldn't have bothered had she apologized right away.
She returns with 1 pot of earl grey, 1 piece of lemon slice, cup of white and brown sugar cubes,
a tea cup and saucer, and a real cup-size of coffee.
Zahn and I looked at each other. How were we were supposed to have tea together...? There was only 1 tea cup. Clearly, there was a mistake. The coffee was there really, because it was offered. Looking back, we should not have bothered. Did I mention that at this point, our pastries had not yet arrived? Fifteen minutes into the order.
the pastry showcase was suddenly looking more appetizing
I finally waved and summoned one of the ladies who passed by, clearly a person of higher authority than Vel. She appeared more seasoned, or so we thought. She at least looked snooty, an attitude well understood to keep away the riffraff, I suppose.
No problem - Shangri La is high end, after all. My family and I are not riffraff, so no problem =)
The conversation went like this...
River: Uhm, are there really just two cups?
Lady: Oo e.
River: Coffee and tea?
Lady: Actually, that was the mistake of the printer. Pero, wala ng problema
yan. Okay na iyan (pointing to her head down to our coffee and tea).
[she smiles] Ano pang kailangan?
River: Uhm, may I ask for another cup?
Lady: O sige.
River: [frowns at her intonation, in disbelief that I was made to feel
like I was supposed to be thankful for the cup]
Somebody else arrives with our second tea cup. By that time, the pot was already cold.
Again.
Before we could request for a new one, she was gone.
Meanwhile, the kids were having a hoot with the extra large sugar cubes.
Zahnina even licked one like a lolly, till it was gone. No picture.
I wouldn't have allowed it, but they were bored to tears. It was already 4:05 PM, still no treats.
Of course, Zahnina had an excuse to continue munching on her Doritos.
After she ate the chocolate muffin from the Shangri-La bakery.
Mental note: must ask Franco for the sack of sugar cubes he promised before.
Very effective treat indeed; they're not only horse treats, they're also great appetizer (Zahnina) and perfect for high tea!
I am sure the Shangri-La people will be outraged even more just for that remark alone. My daughter wasn't hungry, she was just being a typical 9 year-old.
We tried EDSA Shang High Tea so the kids can try the English experience... next time, we'll go to The Pen.
Anyhow, two servings of tea later, plus one terrible coffee, the most-awaited pastries arrived.
Hey! Once a prolific columnist, I am now a writer - print and script - and author of romance novels - so I know coffee, brewed and instant. So trust me, that was terrible coffee! Latak is how a Starbucks staff would call it, if they had the unfortunate experience of trying it out.
This is the original tower served to us, after at least 30 minutes.
Four-piece per plate, 3-tier pastry tower...
I wanted to believe we were simply not sophisticated enough, to appreciate the selection, but I've been to many high tea functions in my close to five years stint in the local newspaper industry.
Being once a member of the five-man in-house PR team of Rustan's Department Store, high tea affair was a regular event in my planner.
my kids have fantastic sense of humor
Then, as once a prolific beauty columnist for one of the three major newspapers in the country, I had the fortunate experience of being invited to some of the better high tea events in recent memory. Well, 'tea party' was, and I think still is, the choice event for most principals arriving in the Philippines to promote their beauty products.
I love that they found the joke out of the long wait...
Lastly, I was Assistant to the Publisher of The Philippine Star (not really assisting, but more like tailing the great man and watching his work), while I was studying at the University, so I've been to a good number of high tea functions, although, I still dislike the caramelized onion treat wherever I go.
There's something amok in its flavor, I think.
We were about to eat when I noticed the dirty plates and thumb marks on the pastry plates.
I honestly tried to get passed it, but can you blame me? It was gross.
I excused myself from the table, then proceeded to talk to Jane in private.
Bothered by my display of dismay, little did I know she followed me to my table, and requested to see the plate.
I did not ask her to follow, I only told her to convey my displeasure to the headwaiter. Anyway, grossed out herself after seeing the the dirty plates, she convinced me to let her borrow the last plate to show to their manager.
notice that there's only two more sugar cubes left?
that's how long we waited for this tower of un-treat
A little later, manager Delia arrived, with the replacement of the bottom plate. She haphazardly apologized, and then said, 'Gusto niyo po ba ng chocolate cake?'
Honestly, as if the chocolate cake would absolve them of the misdeed.
I shook my head slowly, and commented, 'Actually, we like the scones.'
I could not tell if she was upset by that remark or she was still reeling from embarrassment, because this is how she replied, 'Sige, padadagdagan ko yung kapalit.' Then she took another plate from our tower. The plate was not empty, mind you.
What is it with these people?
One would think that because they were in the food industry, they would know not to
remove a food-filled plate while the guests are eating!
No 'excuse me' or polite inquiry of whether or not we minded that she removed another plate...
check it in your security camera, because we have it in ours...
So another wait staff returned with our replacement treat. It was overfilled with the original treat and four scones, with the unique addition of this particular pastry... take a guess, which.
that happy mother's day pastry was mysteriously absent in the
original plating served to us. [see above] what does that mean?
By the way, when the scones were delivered, Delia did not bother to add more strawberry jam, or cream. It's strange, isn't it? The original serving was only meant for two scones. Now we have four more. Look, we could have easily paid for it, but out of principle, we just decided to make the best out of the situation. The other point, there really isn't any value in any one of you capitalizing on 'free refill today' only on Mother's Day, when customers would require to raise their hands for such a ridiculously long time, to get attention.
A human being's normal peripheral vision's basic function is to detect movement, an excellent skill honed by people in the food service industry.
But yours at The EDSA Shang is terrible. TERRIBLE.
remember that pastry with the happy mother's day note? man, it was tough!
BUT it made the first time English Tea experience of my children more memorable.
I mean, my kids were scraping the cream, seriously, in an embarrassing manner, out of the small pot. I should have been mortified, but it was eerily endearing.
I was going to slice it to split between the two girls, then the knife didn't go through
My fourteen-year-old even asked for a tea set, a real one, so they can discard the the play set from her preschool years, whilst I take the task of recreating the wonderful-tasting fluffy cream for the scones.
Hey, I was once a consulting operations manager for a popular bar and restaurant in Ortigas Center, and let me tell you, not only did I go and make sure no one waited too long for their food or drinks, especially when Side A played a gig, but also no one was left too long waiting without complimentary drink or food to munch on. On me. I am not saying I should have gotten mine free - what's P800 pesos as a hotel spend anyway?
I am only glad that the children and I had a wonderful time.
WE DID, generally.
In fact it's so wonderful, it was easily the best
Mother's Day I've had in years...
Thanks, you guys.
I may not be an excellent candidate to become a wait staff, but when I am the wait staff, I serve with dignity and pride. I serve regardless of my personal biases. I know it takes a special kind of person to serve, without feeling like a lowly servant. But there is dignity in service...
When I ask the lone guy-waiter for the reason why our pastry tower was taking so long, he looked utterly confused. He came back a few minutes later with the explanation that one of the treats was 'kinapus (short)' and so the kitchen had to wait before serving. Well, then, someone should have told us. WE could have ordered from the pastry showcase instead.
Mr. Waiter guy, R-something, was so embarrased, he did not pass by our way again.
Mr. F&B Manager of EDSA Shang, we hope that you will have improved by Father's Day; although, I must tell you, the future of your high tea event looks very bleak.
While you're at it, you might want to take a look at the kind of salad and corn the pool bar serves.
Albert failed to serve my corn on the cob when we ordered a burger yesterday, so I jokingly said, you owe me corn. I'll collect at lunch tomorrow.
He laughed as he happily agreed.
My daughters love corn you see, and they don't care about salads. At all.
Just out of curiosity, I decided to pass by the pool bar.
I wanted to view the lunch menu, and see if he remembered me.
Albert not only remembered me, he also served the corn... but my goodness, it was the worst corn ever. I wanted to ask him, but decided not to. I decided, what Albert couldn't fix, he made up for his enthusiasm.
Needless to say, we decided to eat elsewhere.
Last, in all fairness, what the Lobby Lounge crew lacked in food service, they made for honesty, which is so very rare these days. I'd give up the scones for honesty. Whoever cleaned out table after the high tea managed to locate my Ipod Touch and phone, which were then deposited to lost and found, where I retrieved them some two hours later.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, Shangri-La for returning my ebook reader =)
Hopefully, I can thank you for a nice, if not better meal, next month!
