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f luxury that make the high tea session a treat in itself. Whole baby abalones are braised and then topped on a shortcrust pastry shell, a sort of Chinese version of the Western volauvent, but classier. Even classier is the dim sum staple shrimp dumpling or hargow, upgraded with the addition of slivers of midnight dark truffles. This is a master touch, and chef Simon Choi, who presides unchallenged at ShangXi, has scored a winner again. Sweet prawns and aromatic truffles — what’s not to love? His masterful craftsmanship is exhibited in yet another pastry — a sweet pastry that is shaped to look like a walnut, but which you can put straight into the mouth. It crumbles immediately, and the slightly sweet, nutty morsel is so easy to eat you’ll probably reach straight for another. My favorite is the dessert that goes by the name yangzhi ganlu, or ambrosia from the gods. The hotel calls it chilled mango cream with sago, pomelo and bird’s nest – made with ingredients that resonate with every female soul. It does taste like ambrosia, with the sweetsour fragrance of the mango forming the first layer of taste and sensation, and the pomelo sacs and sago pearls providing the tactile contrast. The bird’s nest — it’s the ingredient that gilds the lily, since it is supposed to nourish and nurture a perfect plexion. For those unfamiliar with this exotic ingre dient, the bird’s nest is not a bundle of twigs, but is, instead, the dried secretion that cave swifts use to build their nest. Technically, it’s bird saliva, but the Chinese believe that it has collagenboosting properties essential to beauty. To me, it just tastes good, adding a slight gelatinous crunch to the back of the teeth. There is also a baked mushroom puff pastry that includes the highly prized Matsutake or pine mushroom. You also get a choice of teas, but I strongly remend the aged Pu’er from Yunnan province. It is a mellow tea that will go perfectly with the rich little nuggets, and will warm you up on a cold afternoon. Incidentally, the general guide is green tea such as Longjing or Dragonwell for the hot season, semi fermented teas like Wulong or Iron Buddha for autumn, and more warming teas like Pu’er for winter. The ShangXi afternoon tea costs 228 yuan ($37) per person, and 388 yuan for the more opule 。brand ambassador’ on hand to ensure the business adheres to its ethos of creating innovative, hearthbaked pizzas, a slice of PR blurb that Simpson insists lives up to the hype. They are very innovative, he says. The problem with most fast food places is that they use the same sauce on every pizza and just change the toppings. Every one of our 16 pizza sauces is a unique recipe that has been formulated to plement th