I once watched one of my colleagues spread strawberry jam on an almond scone, joking she was enjoying the afternoon tea as an aristocratic lifestyle, as my mouth watered.

Now I finally have the opportunity to try the famous Teddy Bear afternoon tea at the Shenzhen Ritz-Carlton with my colleagues.

It is 3 pm, and just in time, as our stomachs begin to rumble. Here before us stands an array of jams, cookies, scones and cakes.

Limoges tea sets trigger a sense of an aristocratic lifestyle.

Teddy Bear afternoon tea is served at the Shenzhen Ritz-Carlton. Photos by Lin Baiyu / China Daily

If you prefer chocolate, the Teddy Bear chocolate crunchy cake would be a nice choice. The chocolate sauce in the middle of the cake fusion provides your mouth with a special flavor.

"It is very cute, I cannot bite it," I say as I gaze upon the cake, before reluctantly biting off its ear.

The image of Teddy Bears take pride of the selections, including the Teddy Bear praline chocolate, Pooh's bear cupcake, and Teddy Bear cookies.

Other choices cover the traditional English fruit cake, mini pumpkin custard, raspberry ivory almond lollipops and different styles of scones.

For most of us, the "bears" are simply there to be eaten, but for children, they are all about fairytales and a happy life. It would be a wonderful experience to come here with kids.

We sit in the corner, quiet and private. Through the window we have a view of the buildings in the central business district. Thinking of the businessmen toiling away behind concrete and steel, we appreciate the moment and this short respite from the shuffling crowd outside.

Inspired by the pleasant experience at Ritz-Carlton, we continued our exploration of traditional afternoon tea in the Foo restaurant at the Four Seasons in Shenzhen the next day.

Here English classic afternoon tea is served with a selected scone and sandwich assortment.

"You will not taste any others, if you taste this first," the young waitress says as she points to the handmade strawberry jam. It is so nice that I cannot help but spread more on my egg sandwich, even though it is not exactly a perfect match.

Among the little treats on the stands before us, the Jivara Melody, which is served in a transparent bottle, grab our attention. It's chocolate-brown in color and its multi layers, make it stand out among all the colorful desserts.

The dim sum combines different patterns of chocolates: cakes, biscuits, chocolate beans and jam. Four layers turn out to be a melody in the mouth, just as the name implies.

Here, you can order the local spin as well, which adds several local Chinese elements to it.

Afternoon tea on consecutive days proves enjoyable. However, we look forward to trying even more.

linbaiyu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/09/2014 page8)