Little luxuries in the afternoon

GILT-EDGED: Edible gold foil adds a touch of class to the classic custard tart. [Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

This is a master touch, and chef Simon Choi, who presides unchallenged at Shang-Xi, 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 sweet-sour 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 complexion.

For those unfamiliar with this exotic ingredient, 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 collagen-boosting 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 recommend 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 Wu-long or Iron Buddha for autumn, and more warming teas like Pu’er for winter.

The Shang-Xi afternoon tea costs 228 yuan ($37) per person, and 388 yuan for the more opulent selection which includes abalone and bird’s nest.

IF YOU GO

Shang-Xi Add: Four Seasons Hotel Pudong, Shanghai 210 Century Avenue

Tel: 021-2036-1310