Yummy cake...
So we're nearing the end of the holiday and Helen had all sorts of treats in store for us to share but life has a habit of throwing spanners in our best laid plans. The Cheesecake Factory needed Helen to work a ridiculous shift 5 pm to 1 am. Yes, I do mean 1 a.m! They work hard in these places in Vegas, it is a 24/7 culture, the city that never sleeps and neither do the staff who work in these places. Just remember this the next time your out late partying and enjoying yourselves and leave a big tip.
Onto the strip and subterranean parking before moving into the Shopping Forum. All the brands you would expect, Macy's H&M, Gap, Topshop (Topshop we have that in Leicester). The item of interest for us though was the 'Fashion Show' Every hour the lower floor mysteriously ascends from the depths to produce a runway for the Fashion Show. Lights, music and action and for the next 10 minutes you are entertained by all these young slilth like guy and gals showing us what we would like to wear but are either to old, can't afford or challenged in the height department to even think about rushing off to the store to buy something. When I come back into this world I shall be at least 5ft 6inches and a size 8. Stop laughing you lot.
Show over and we start heading out in our respective cars to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Its' claim to fame, the only hotel in Vegas that doesn't have a casino. It is so 'posh' they even have a seat in the lift as you travel up to some dizzying height to the Restaurant for your afternoon tea.You have to book in advance, just as a word of warning. http://www.mandarinoriental.com/lasvegas
So if you fancy having afternoon tea where the likes of Dame Helen Mirren, Darcy Bussell, Kevin Spacey, Liam Neeson or Harry Connick. Jr. frequent, then this is the place for you.
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| Tea, tea, tea and more tea |
We had a lovely seat and table by the window which gave us spectacular views of the Strip. Must be quite spectacular when the lights come on. The atmosphere is really calming, no hustle and bustle, no sense of urgency to eat up and get you out. So what did we have for tea. The emphasis is on China Tea and it was interesting to note that all the staff were of the Oriental persuasion. You have a great range of teas from which to choose which is brewed correctly so that it is served to you at the correct temperature for a great cup of tea. I went for a Mandarin Earl Grey. In fact the five of us (remember Helen had to go to work), each choose a different tea blend. The plates of cakes, scones and sandwich were placed on a stand to best show off the creations. Sandwiches included Rye bread with Salmon, Coronation Chicken, Egg Mayonaise and Beef & Horseradish. Mike is not a fish or egg man and I was happy to do a swap with him. The scones were light, but my only comment being that there wasn't enough preserve and Devonshire (!) Clotted Cream to satiatiate my needs we did ask for more which we received but we English like to pile on the cream and jam, or jam and cream whichever way you choose. 
It was a very pleasant afternoon tea just such a shame Helen couldn't join us. I'm sure there will be another opportunity in the future. Thanks for the treat folks. Muchly appreciated and a great experience.
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| Back to home as the lights start up for the night. |
