Happy New Year from the British Kabayan or in Tagalog we say "Maligayang bagong Taon"
Ang taong 2024 ay ang pangalawang taon ko bilang retirado sa isla ng Palawan, at si Chester at ako ay magkakaroon ng iba't ibang karanasan na ibabahagi namin sa inyo dito sa aking blog.
Maraming salamat kay Luis para sa mga bagong TBK cartoons!
The afternoon tea at Bijou Patisserie, Sofitel Obelisk, Dubai by Erickson
Before I arrived in Dubai Time out Magazine said:
"Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk
One of the hottest hotel openings of 2020
Restaurant-wise the hotel really shines. Enjoy top-notch British cuisine at gastropub The Nine, or dig into chic French fare at Brasserie Boulud from celebrity chef Daniel Boulud, who is best known for his two Michelin starred restaurant in New York.
And then there’s Taiko – an award-winning restaurant from Amsterdam. Don’t miss the famed afternoon tea, either."
Sadly I ran out of time and empty stomach that day to try the tea after my lunch. I put it back on my bucket list and when Erickson announced he was coming back to Dubai from Abu Dhabi to say goodbye before I returned to Bahrain i thought it was a good opportunity to surprise him. I just told him to dress smartly as we were going somewhere nice and booked our tea for 4 pm and dinner at Rhodes Twenty 10 at La Royal Meridien hotel for 7 pm. Then I realised I did not have a smart shirt for either venue or Tuesday's dinner with Thang at Indigo by Vineet at Grosvenor Hotel. So I headed off to Brands 4 Less to buy two new XXXL shirts!
The Birthday Boy, Erickson, my Bunso, choose Green tea
The last time Erickson was in Dubai with me in July we went for Afternoon Tea at The Address, and prior to that at Emirates Palace when he worked in Abu Dhabi before at Edison. In Bahrain I took my Phillipino friends for a farewell afternoon tea at The Orangery in February 2021 and Miss Andrea promised to take us back there when I return to Bahrain mid February.
Champion Dubai Boxer, Joshua , and Fashion Designer Corleen have afternoon tea in Bahrain
Having learned our lessons from Emirates Palace and the Intercontinental, Dubai Festival City where we turned up without a reservation and were told they were fully booked, I made sure I booked this time! They promised to send me a text confirmation after trying to sell me a very expensive Valentines afternoon tea package. When it arrived it had the wrong time on, and knowing how busy Dubai hotels get and the fact that they release tables not taken within 30 minutes of the booked time, I quickly called to get the booking corrected. They apologised and promptly sent a new confirmation.
When we arrived at Bijou Patisserie we explained we had booked a table for two for afternoon tea in the name of Neil Porter and they said " Oh yes, welcome, you can sit anywhere apart from the end table which is reserved" . We selected a table and chose our tea and then after 15 minutes Erickson went to ask where our Afternoon Tea was. It turned out that she misheard us when we arrived and did not realise we were the reservation that they were waiting for. We were asked to move to the table laid up for afternoon tea behind us and 10 minutes later our afternoon tea arrived ( see the photo at the top of the blog). It was not a good start. However the beautiful friendly waitress, Mar Mar from Myanmar saved the day. She presented Erickson , the birthday boy, with the blue box containing a key that opened the drawers containing the afternoon tea.
Mar Mar presents Erickson with his birthday gift, a blue box containing a key
Next Erickson undid the top drawer with the key and Mar Mar from Myanmar explained all the delicacies contained inside. The top savory drawer had croissant with guacamole, goats cheese with finely sliced Baguette and a small Quiche. The sweet drawer included small squares of Black forest gateau, Mille Feuille, Tart and Pistachio cake with edible flowers . Finally in the bottom drawers, which pulled out to make the perfect Instagrammable picture. You can see more in our Vlog:
Over the next amazing hour Erickson and I worked our way down through the drawers eating everything ( well actually Erickson his two cakes in the bottom drawer as even he was full!) . TBK , of course, ate everything! Mar Mar from Myanmar kept a close eye on us and refilled our sparkling water, got us fresh tea, and asked if we were enjoying our tea.
My favourite moment was when we asked for the bill and Mar Mar from Myanmar said " Sirs, I have a gift for you" and presented each of us with a Pink Pouch ( I think John Jaworski had told her pink was my favourite colour) containing a key. This key, she explained, could be exchanged for a complimentary patisserie on our next visit to Bijou Patisserie.
Special thanks to our waitress Mar Mar from Myanmar and Pastry Chef Romain Castet for an amazing afternoon.
The cost?
400 aed or 40 bd or 80 GBP for two plus we gave Mar a 60 aed tip!
We thanked Mar Mar for looking after us so well and went for a tour of the hotel taking in the beautiful ( but windy ) pool area where we met a lovely lady from South Yorkshire who explained all about the pool and spa area and their special offers. She also recommended we visit Taiko – the hotel's award-winning restaurant from Amsterdam. When we visited we saw the beautiful setting and the proudly displayed " Dubai's best Japanese restaurant of 2021" award.
Next stop was Brasserie Boulud from celebrity chef Daniel Boulud, where I ate just before Christmas. I explained to Erickson that Chef Boulud was best known for his two Michelin starred restaurant in New York. On the table was his amazing recipe book which the lovely French Waitress had let me read as I ate back in December after she discovered we both shared a passion for good French Recipe books and had a shared love for Julia Child! Our final stop was the home of top-notch British cuisine at gastropub "The Nine " on the ground floor. When I booked the afternoon tea the Pinay operator had promised to email me details of the Sunday Roast at The Nine but this never arrived so the Manager of The Nine talked me through the Sunday lunch offer, how to book, the different prices and so on. I will definitely be back before I leave Dubai!
This is TBK signing out from Dubai wishing you all Bonjournee!
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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