Fancy champagne high tea at Ritz Carlton Osaka

Checking into a hotel is typically a mundane affair.

You queue up at the front desk, hand over your passport, double check the room details, put a credit card on file and receive your room key, together with directions to the nearest elevator.

Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you might get a welcome drink while you wait. But that’s typically reserved for fancy resort hotels, with swaying palm trees and huge open air swimming pools.

Having lived the road warrior life, I must have checked in hundreds of times over the years. So, by default, my autopilot was engaged as I strolled up to the front desk of the Ritz Carlton Osaka.

“Reservation under Mr. Lee,” I stated, as I handed over our passports to the front desk staff. She keyed the details into the computer and paused for a second before discretely beckoning a colleague over.

A well-dressed man in a tuxedo approached, took our passports, checked a printout in his folder, bowed respectfully and requested, “Would you please come with me, Mr. Lee?”

I was pretty sure we hadn’t committed any crimes in Japan, so I happily followed his lead as he guided The Wife and I into a lift and pressed the button for the 34th floor.

Club Lounge

When we arrived, he escorted us into the Club Lounge reception, where a small army of staff was already waiting. “Have a good day sir,” he said, before bowing respectfully and taking his leave.

Instead of completing the check in process at the reception desk, we were given a warm welcome and cold drinks, followed by a quick tour of the lounge and its amenities.

The interior decor was one of understated luxury, with dark wooden tables, cream coloured sofas and a tasteful assortment of throw pillows.

We were escorted to a corner table beside the window, and presented with the customary oshibori, or heated hand towels, to freshen up.

It was slightly overcast that afternoon, but that didn’t take anything away from the impressive view of skyscrapers in downtown Umeda.

The Club Lounge receptionist promptly returned with all the paperwork and handed over our room keys.

“Your afternoon tea will be served shortly,” she informed us with a smile. Now, this was a check in process I could easily get used to.

Lounge Amenities

While waiting, I took a quick stroll around the spacious lounge to recce the drinks and snacks on offer.

To the right of the main dining hall was a food presentation section. It was relatively sparse when we were there in the mid afternoon, but would be fully utilised during breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The beverage selection was extensive, with a decent selection of red wines, white wines, soft drinks and fruit juices.

Coffee came in the form of Nespresso pods, which, while not ideal, wasn’t terrible. I would have preferred bean-to-cup machines using freshly roasted whole beans, but this setup was acceptable.

Yes, I know. I have turned into a coffee snob.

The tea station, in contrast, looked decidedly more refined. Six large airtight cannisters and three smaller containers provided a wide selection to choose from.

They included the usual suspects like English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Afternoon Darjeeling and Assam Bari, as well as flavoured options like Irish Whiskey Cream, Mango Dream and Soft Peach.

There was also a signature Ritz Carlton Osaka Original Blend and a Schlummertrunk, and based on the name alone, presumably a popular nightcap in Germany.

Pièce de Résistance

Our “afternoon tea” had arrived by the time I got back to our table. It turned out to be a fancy high tea tower filled with beautiful looking bites, accompanied by flutes of cold champagne.

In true Japanese style, this was a classic case of “under promise, over deliver”.

The three tier tower started with savoury finger foods at the bottom, followed by a selection of sweet desserts, and at the summit, two flavours of macarons.

We’re not high tea afficionados, and to our untrained and unsophisticated eyes, this spread looked quite luxurious.

Starting from the Top

I’m a big fan of French macarons, and unsurprisingly, they were the first items I reached out for. They had beautiful “feet” and were crispy yet airy, like how macarons should be.

Even though the chocolate one was well made, there was nothing really special about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, it’s just that it tasted exactly like how it looked.

The strawberry one, on the other hand, was exceptional. It was delicate and fragrant, with a filling of strawberry coulis and white chocolate ganache that complemented the almond flour shell.

An almost imperceptible floral note provided a hint of mystery, floating like a singular rose petal in a vast ocean of flavour.

This macaron was the best I’ve ever had, and became the benchmark upon which all future macarons would be judged. The Wife is not a fan of sweets, but even she had to admit that they were delicious.

I asked a lounge staff where they were from, and she informed me that they were made by Pierre Hermé Paris, the world famous macaron purveyor.

So desu ne.

Working Our Way Down

A pretty slice of cake in the middle tier proudly displayed the Pierre Hermé Paris logo, so of course we had to have it next.

The strawberry macaron had set sky high expectations, and this piece of Ispahan Cake would either bring the pâtissier down to earth, or cement its stellar reputation.

After taking just one bite, it was clear that the latter was to be case.

The rose and raspberry flavoured cake incorporated chunky bits of lychee that were themselves pre-soaked in rose syrup.

Amazingly, it was not cloying sweet, but instead, had a savoury element that made it quite appealing. If I had to choose between the macaron or the cake, I honestly wouldn’t know which one to pick.

Rounding out the second layer were madeleines paired with chocolate, and a mini parfait of passionfruit, chocolate and pineapple housed in a shot glass.

Sips of tea were required to wash down the buttery rich but slightly dry madeleines. Perhaps they left just a bit too long in the oven.

The mini parfait though, was another home run, teasing our taste buds with a playful combination of sweet and sour. It acted as a palate cleanser, resetting our tongues for the savoury food that was next.

Ending at the Bottom

Sakura season was just around the corner, which meant that it was inevitable that some component would be featured somewhere, somehow.

In our case, it was the leaves that were first blanched, and then layered into a petite roast beef sandwich. I’m doubt if they added any special flavour, but I suppose the symbolism was important.

Another connection to cherry blossoms appeared, in the form of tiny sakura ebi that topped the potato salad blini. Though the reference is due to the pink hue of the shrimp, similar to the colour of the flower.

Scones with clotted cream made an obligatory appearance. This was a high tea after all, and it can’t be considered as such without scones in attendance. They ones we had raisins and were actually nubbad.

Our last bite was a salmon mousse topped with ikura, aka salmon eggs, and garnished with microgreens.

Anything with ikura is an instant win in my eyes, and this was no exception. It tasted even better when used as a spread on scones. I doubt that was its intended usage, but if it works, it works.

Reinforcements

After finishing all the food in all three tiers of the high tea tower, we still had champagne and tea left. So we went foraging for more food in the lounge.

The fridge was stocked with small glasses of pink liquid, which could have been easily mistaken for strawberry smoothies. Except for the bilingual warning sign that stated that they were made from beets. Eww…

Needless to say, I walked away, quickly.

There were plenty of other options, including a strawberry cake that looked like a strawberry (kawaii!), a coffee cream tartlet and a refreshing raspberry jelly.

Not to mention an almost endless supply of savoury snacks like renkon (a.k.a. lotus root) chips, potato crisps, dehydrated long beans.

Au Revoir

As the afternoon tea service wound down to a close, I realised that this was the longest check in process I’ve been through.

Even though it clocked in at almost two hours, it was also the most pleasant and enjoyable one I’ve ever encountered. I couldn’t help but think: “If only all hotel check ins were done this way.”

Luckily, it was not the last that we’d see of the delightful Ritz Carlton Osaka Club Lounge. As we would soon find out over the next 24 hours.