On my last day in Munich, I have a reservation for afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental, just around the corner from the Hofbräuhaus.

The afternoon tea is available on the regular menu only on weekends. Throughout the week it’s only available on request and with a reservation by credit card guarantee. It is served in the lobby lounge, so it feels a lot less private than my afternoon tea a few days ago at the Kempinski.

The tea selection is somewhat limited, and I have no idea what brand of tea they use. I settle for a Darjeeling second flush. The tea is served with a ramekin to put the sieve in, as well as a small réchaud to keep the tea warm, which is a nice touch.

The tea is presented on a three-tier étagère with the sweets on the top tier, savouries in the middle, and scones at the bottom with some more sweets.

The pastries are all very good. They are themed around the yuzu and have a refreshing, citrusy note.

The sandwiches are also nice. There is a turkey club, cucumber and tuna tataki, crab with chimichurri, beetroot hummus, couscous cracker, and aubergine.

The scones are served with whipped cream, and to be fair, the staff don’t claim otherwise. Whipped cream works just as well with scones for me as clotted cream. I just don’t like it when an establishment pretends it is using clotted cream in the hope you won’t notice the difference.

The quality of the food at the Mandarin Oriental is excellent – both in terms of taste and quality. The pastries are a delight and the scones are incredibly fluffy. The staff are very polite and attentive. In terms of location though, I think I prefer the setup at the Kempinski, simply because it is more intimate.