Tete-a-tete Over Tea at Malaysia’s Heritage Hotels

Afternoon tea in the English tradition has come to mean to me, a hotchpotch affair of over-brewed tea accompanied by cucumber sandwiches, sugary biscuits, and bread and butter pudding — hardly gourmet fare. And of course, scones, ranging from the lumpy and chewy, to the crumbly or spongy.

In the past ten years, many hotels and eating establishments have tried to raise this repast to a new level by serving fancy foods on fine bone china with silverware. Many have flopped, because the hyped-up ambience merely highlighted the sloppy quality of the offerings. How many times have I seen pretty open-faced sandwiches sitting soggy in their self-importance? And bite-size pastries that distinguished themselves by being consistently indifferent from the first bite to the last (only their names were interesting).

Back to basics is best. This means even the humble biscuit or butter pound cake should be made with care and passion. The pastiche should be peeled away and true taste restored. Two of Malaysia’s historic hotels, Carcosa Seri Negara and Eastern & Oriental Hotel, have attempted a return to fundamentals — with mixed results.

Carcosa Seri Negara

Tea is served in the drawing room of a 107-year-old colonial bungalow (one of two bungalows that offers only 14 suite rooms). The ambience is as quintessentially English as you are likely to get in a bustling Asian city, the bungalows being the former residence of the English Resident General, Frank Swettenham in 1896. Beautifully appointed, the drawing room is relaxed and has an understated elegance. But the unforgettable experience was having tea on the upper floor verandah. I had a view of KL’s skyline while I sipped tea and indulged in an assortment of pastries, finger sandwiches and scones. The scones were agreeably crumbly and served with clotted cream. The intimacy is enhanced by the smallness of the verandah which accommodates around three tables.

Food: Above average
Ambience: Authentic
Service: First-rate
Afternoon tea is served at the Verandah or the Drawing Room.

Carcosa Seri Negara
Taman Tasik Perdana
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O)

Older than the Raffles by two years, the E&O has been revitalised with a total revamp and is considerably less self-conscious than her renowned Singapore counterpart. The famous lobby dome, under which the echo of footsteps resembles the flip-flapping of a startled bird, remains. Rooms have been lavishly redecorated as suites and many have a sea view.

The hotel gardens border a sea embankment and have relic cannons pointed seaward. It was here on the Verandah under the traveller’s palms that I had my afternoon tea. The selection includes pastries, scones and savouries. Never mind the food was less than inspired; I sought comfort in the heady scent of tea and the tranquility of the gardens. It did not matter that both Maugham and Coward have sat out here and written their works. The hotel wears its history with ease and refreshingly so. Apart from the décor, the scant references to its heritage were almost an afterthought. Yet this indiffernce makes the old-world atmosphere more palpable. For this reason alone, the 118-year-old grand dame is worth a visit. Now if they could only prepare their food properly ...

Food: Sickly sweet fruitcake and lumpy scones, anyone? The basics do need to be straightened out.
Ambience: More than excellent. You’ll never want to leave.
Service: Well-meaning but patchy
Afternoon tea is served at the Palm Court or the Verandah.

Eastern & Oriental Hotel
10 Farquhar Street, 10200 Penang
Malaysia

Jeffrey Lee