The Chocolate Buffet Sukhothai Hotel

My girls know me well – I was born in the wrong century.  With a taste for the finer things in life, Id be very content to live the “Downton” existence with afternoon tea time and garden parties and evening wear and dance cards.  And with that in mind, they treated me for my birthday to an indulgent afternoon with all the pomp & circumstance you’d imagine royalty enjoyed on a daily basis in the Victorian era.  Teatime at The Chocolate Buffet Sukhothai Hotel!!

Here my girls and I (and our dapper little escort) partook of afternoon high tea in style.  Two adjacent rooms with parallel buffets, one sweet and one savory, are laden with the the choicest of culinary delights.  Delicate tea sandwiches, crispy spring rolls, salmon croissants, seared tuna bites, fresh sushi, giant prawns, seasonal fruits, exotic olives and nuts are amongst the savory selections and kept our palate balanced so we could frequent the other table; an extensive selection of all things seductively sweet!  The name says it all, “The Chocolate Buffet” does not disappoint with every conceivable truffle and trifle.  Eclairs, cakes, pastries, fondue, macaroons,  creme brûlée, fruit tarts and even an assortment or sherbets and ice creams tantalize the insatiable craving for just a bite more of something sweet.   And it just wouldn’t be high tea without scones and clotted cream, of which we partook more than our share!

But the real highlight of the whole experience is the trolly manned by Swiss pastry chef Laurent who hand crafts custom hot chocolates for guests from a wide assortment of cocoas from around the world.  He will educate you in the varying flavors of chocolate from the robust to mild, acidic to earthy, bitter to sweet and then concoct according to your preferred taste, a demitasse cup of the richest hot chocolate you’ve ever experienced.  Top with cream or a dollop of hazelnut or swirl of caramel or sprinkle of chili or dusting of sea salt for a blend unique specifically to you.  (Swiss Miss will forever be ruined in your list of guilty pleasures!)

And as our afternoon drew to a close and we felt that we could not bear to look at one more chocolate chip (for our lack of self control,) the courteous staff, knowing it was my birthday, presented me with a lovely chocolate cake in celebration of the occasion.  We blew out the candles and boxed it up to take home to the littles who were feeling very left out that we’d spend the entire afternoon in the likes of “Willy Wonkas Chocolate Factory” without them.

I do feel I should have been born in a century where afternoon high tea was a daily pleasure, but how in the world did those ladies live in corsets?  We were grateful for the “breathing room” of our loose fitting dresses as we made our departure after 3 hours of chocolate indulgence!  Ill be coming back for special occasions, but my figure would suffer greatly if I had this little luxury every day!  Recommending this at the top of my list of “things to do in Bangkok”!