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There are afternoon teas and afternoon teas, and then there is the Nutcracker Ballet afternoon tea at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre. Without a doubt, it’s the most beautiful afternoon tea I’ve ever experienced.
Not only is the setting and the food exquisite, but on Saturdays during the festive season, a ballerina dances gracefully to live piano music.
It can be a bummer having a birthday a few days before Christmas but one of the upsides is being able to celebrate it at festive occasions like this. This gift from my beautiful family was so special it brought me to tears, especially when the pianist serenaded me with Happy Birthday.
The Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre (not to be confused with Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah) spans floors 18 to 50 of the Burj Daman. It’s a gorgeous hotel with Art Deco-inspired décor and an iconic clock that takes pride of place in Peacock Alley, where afternoon tea is held.
‘Meet me at the Clock’ afternoon tea is available from Sunday to Friday from 2pm to 6pm, but on Saturdays (until January 7 at least) there is a special Ballet Edition on Saturday afternoons. When we arrived, the lovely Julia was playing classic melodies and Christmas songs on the grand piano. When Russian ballerina Aliaksandra Rakouskaya took to the floor, the last thing I expected was to be entertained by a ballet dancer – the afternoon tea was a surprise gift that I knew nothing about beforehand.
The grace and beauty that Aliaksandra brought to the room took the whole experience to another level. Having performed around the world in classic productions such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and more, her appearance at afternoon tea was utterly enchanting.
After a welcome (non-alcoholic) cocktail, we toasted our little party with a glass each of Perrier Jouet Champagne, before moving onto a choice of unlimited tea and barista coffee. There was an extensive selection to choose from, including green, white, black, herbal, and oolong teas, and some teas created especially for the hotel. They came with a timer so we knew exactly how long to allow them to steep. My choice, a rose-flavoured white tea, was very delicate — appropriate for such an elegant occasion.
From an amuse bouche of wild-caught Alaskan crab and caviar, we moved on to four exquisite savoury bites including slow-roasted capsicum and carrot cannell, and a crispy pommes mousseline ‘pillow’ with Umbria black truffle.
There were three different types of finger sandwiches and a selection of warm scones served with clotted cream and various jams. The sweets were adorned with various Christmas designs: a star-topped tree, reindeer, bauble and Santa hat. Continuing the Nutcracker theme, a banana and (non-alcoholic) ‘Baileys’ choux pastry was topped with a chocolate ballerina shape.
As it that wasn’t enough, there were mini yule logs filled with velvety chestnut mousse, along with dainty balls of strawberry chocolate-coated mango sorbet, the latter spectacularly presented in liquid nitrogen under glass domes.
It would be hard to pick a favourite among such a great line-up of treats. All were quite magical, but the ballet dancer was truly the icing on the cake.
If you go:
Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre
Burj Daman – Al Mustaqbal St – Za’abeel – DIFC
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 (0)4 515 9999
www.peacockalleydifc.com
Afternoon tea is AED 225 per person, and the Ballet Edition AED 295 per person. Both can be upgraded at a cost of AED 100 for a glass of Perrier Jouet Champagne.
