I’m back with my Hotel series in Bangkok. And again, it’s the afternoon tea! We will be sharing our experience with Capella Bangkok Chocolate Afternoon Tea x Valrhona.
Venue: Capella Bangkok
Availability: August 8 to October 9, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Price: 3500/ 2 people
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For context, just like our last afternoon tea at The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok, we came here through the AMEX 1-for-1 campaign.
The usual price of Capella’s afternoon tea is THB 3,500 for 2 people, but through the AMEX offer, we got 50% off, which honestly makes it a very good deal for the amount of food you’re getting.
For your record, this is not sponsored.
But this time, what intrigued me wasn’t exactly the afternoon tea itself, but the latest collaboration between Capella Bangkok and Valrhona that lured me here, specifically for the afternoon tea.
Note: You do not have to stay at the hotel to experience the afternoon tea set.
WHY did we choose Afternoon Tea at Capella Bangkok?
Just a week before this afternoon tea, I had the chance to try Valrhona chocolate while flying back from Hong Kong on Emirates, as one of the First Class amenities. And it was amazing! So naturally, I got curious. How would Valrhona chocolate shine through an entire afternoon tea set?
Capella calls this collaboration “Éclats de Cacao,” which roughly translates to “bursts” or “shards of cacao.” And after going through the whole set, I think the name makes quite a lot of sense. Chocolate appears throughout the experience, but in different forms, flavours, and combinations instead of everything simply tasting like chocolate. That’s interesting, isn’t it?
Last time, we visited The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok for their afternoon tea, which you can read more about if you are looking for alternatives. Although that particular afternoon tea set has since changed, our review should still give you a good sense of the overall experience and what you can expect from afternoon tea at The Ritz-Carlton.
How to get there
We recommend going by car, as the closest BTS Train Station is Saphan Taksin, which is 1 km away, or around a 15-minute walk.
The Afternoon Tea Experience
The afternoon tea is served in the main lounge area of Capella Bangkok, just beside the welcoming space at the hotel entrance.
It already feels quite different from many other afternoon tea experiences in Bangkok. Instead of sitting inside a more enclosed restaurant or cocktail lounge, the space feels open, relaxed, and naturally connected to the rest of the hotel.
Note: If you are looking for privacy, this place may not be the most suitable.
Just like the usual afternoon tea set, Capella’s set consists of savoury creations, sweet creations, and your choice of tea to enjoy along the way.
But in more detail, the sequence here is:
- Welcome drink
- Savouries
- Pre-dessert
- Scones
- Brioche
- Sweet petit fours
- Mignardise trolley
And yes, there is a lot of food.
A little tip
Save the scones and brioche until the end!
Both my partner and I actually took ours home and ate them for breakfast the next day because we were simply too full. And they still tasted amazing. As expected of scones from Capella.
Tea Selection
Before we begin, the staff will come over with a tea trolley and introduce the different tea leaves for you to see and smell before choosing your favourite.
The tea selection is from MARIAGE FRÈRES PARIS, with black, green and white tea collections available.
I chose Wedding Impérial, which is black tea, while my partner went with Pai Mu Tan, one of the white teas.
A Welcome Drink
Our first introduction to the chocolate theme was, surprisingly, something very refreshing.
This is a chocolate drink paired with yuzu. The yuzu cuts through the heaviness of the chocolate and gives it a much fresher start. It wasn’t too heavy or too sweet, which I think was quite important considering how MUCH chocolate we were about to eat.
It also set a certain expectation for the rest of the afternoon tea. Yes, this is going to be a chocolate-focused set, but maybe a very doable one.
And a little tip from us: don’t finish your welcome drink immediately!
We left some of ours and kept sipping it between different dishes because the yuzu was actually really nice for clearing the palate.
Savory Creations
We have five savoury creations: [refer to the image in order from left to right]*
- House Smoked Salmon
Ikura, Dill Emulsion, Garden Herbs - Parma Prosciutto
Mousse di Formaggio, Mushroom, Brioche - King Prawn Remoulade
Ebiko, Green Apple, Celeriac in Bun - Spiced Pumpkin & Carrot
Zest of Citrus, Ginger, Miso - Foie Gras Terrine
Guanaja 70% Chocolate, Fig, Crème de Cacao
I think this was also where the whole Éclats de Cacao idea started making more sense to me.
Chocolate wasn’t simply being added because this is a Valrhona collaboration. They were actually trying to use it differently depending on each creation.
Overall, this was a great savoury set.
Before Dessert… We Also Have a Pre-Dessert
Yes, afternoon tea has a pre-dessert too!!
- Coconut Matcha Inspiration
Coconut Sorbet, Tapioca Pudding, Matcha Espuma, Black Sesame Praline, Tuile
After the savouries, they brought us this small pre-dessert to transition into the sweet side.
And I really enjoyed how mild this was. Coconut and matcha can both become quite strong flavours, but here they blended together in a very gentle and elegant way.
The coconut sorbet kept everything cold and refreshing, while the matcha espuma gave it a light matcha aroma without making the dessert too bitter.
Then you get the tapioca pudding, black sesame praline, and crispy tuile, adding different textures.
A very light and refreshing way to move into dessert.
Which was probably needed because… There was a LOT of dessert coming.
Sweets Petit Fours
For the sweet side, we have:
- Cherry Manjari 64%
Manjari Crémeux, Cherry Verbena Jelly, Chocolate Biscuit, Manjari Crunch - Yuzu Dulcey 35%
Yuzu Peach Confit, Dulcey Whipped Ganache, Mango Castella, Yuzu Gel, Dulcey Crémeux - Pecan Praline 50% Mille-Feuilles
Pecan Whipped Ganache, Crunchy Pecan Praline, Puff Pastry - Passion Fruit Hukambi 53%
Hukambi Whipped Ganache, Passion Fruit Crémeux, Hazelnut Dacquoise, Croustillant
And let me warn you first.
They call these petit fours, but the “petit” here isn’t that petit!!
These are quite decent-sized desserts, especially after everything we had already eaten.
So please, do not eat lunch before coming here. Please come with an empty stomach!
The Mignardise Trolley
And then comes the trolley!
For the mignardise selection, we have:
- Coffee Bahibe 46% Cake
- Basil Lime Caraïbe 66% Bonbon
- Sablé Alpaco 66%
- Mixed Chocolate Pearls
The three, excluding the pearls, could be described as having more experimental flavours. Personally, they were not quite our style of chocolate, but for those who enjoy more adventurous flavour combinations, these may be the ones for you.
Scones & Brioche
Remember those scones and brioche I told you to save until the end?
Here they are.
- Signature Scones
Housemade Seasonal Jams and Clotted Cream - Chocolate Brioche
Guanaja 70% Chocolate Brioche, Cream and Caramel
We actually couldn’t finish these at the hotel.
So instead of forcing ourselves, we asked for them to be packed and had them for breakfast the next morning.
And honestly? Still amazing. Especially the scones (or is it because I’m a scone lover?)
So if you’re getting too full, don’t feel bad about packing these home. I would much rather properly enjoy the desserts while I’m there and have my Capella scones for breakfast the next day.
What a win-win!
In-depth Review
Savouries
House Smoked Salmon
This was quite different from the usual smoked salmon you might imagine, where there is simply a slice of salmon sitting on top.
Here, they reimagined smoked salmon by taking away most of the actual texture of the fish and turning it into something much creamier, while keeping that smoky salmon aroma.
Then you get a LOT of crispiness along with it.
It was an unusual way of presenting smoked salmon, but in a good way. You still immediately know what flavour they are trying to give you, just presented in a completely different texture.
King Prawn Remoulade with green apple
This one was much lighter. There was a lightly sweet taste from the prawn and apple, followed by a little green herbal aroma.
Nothing felt too overpowering here. It was simply very balanced and a nice light savoury piece to have early in the meal.
The Spiced Pumpkin & Carrot
Continued with that more subtle style.
It was mellow, slightly pasty in texture, with the citrus, ginger, and miso appearing more through the aroma and little touches of flavour instead of hitting you strongly.
This is probably not the piece that makes you go “WOW!” immediately, but it works nicely as part of the whole savoury selection.
Parma Prosciutto
Interestingly, I got a slightly curry-like taste from this one. The flavour itself was good, but the prosciutto felt a little tough to me.
Still a good one, though. The savoury set overall was actually very strong.
And then came probably the most interesting savoury of them all.
Foie Gras Terrine with Chocolate
When I first saw chocolate written next to foie gras, I was curious about how far they were going to take this combination. And this one was unexpected.
You get a lightly sweet flavour together with the savoury foie gras first, while the dark chocolate on the outside comes through after. It almost felt like a crossover between a savoury dish and a dessert.
The foie gras itself was smooth and not too aggressive, while the chocolate added enough sweetness and bitterness to make you question for a second whether you had already entered the dessert section.
Sweets
Yuzu Dulcey 35%
This was probably one of the easiest pieces to enjoy.
There is a good balance of flavour and texture, with enough chocolate coming through without feeling too heavy.
The yuzu and peach keep it fruity and lighter, while the Dulcey gives you that creamy caramelised chocolate flavour.
Taste-wise, it felt like a more familiar type of modern hotel dessert. Nothing extremely surprising, but everything worked well together.
Pecan Praline 50% Mille-Feuilles
This one was very airy. The puff pastry keeps everything light, while the pecan whipped ganache and praline give you that sweet, nutty flavour.
It was slightly on the sweeter side for me, but because the overall texture was so light, it didn’t become too heavy. You can really feel the pecan here, which I enjoyed.
And at this point in the afternoon tea, something airy is honestly quite welcome.
Passion Fruit Hukambi 53%
This was well done and probably one of the sweeter desserts of the four. You get the chocolate sweetness first, followed by a little hit of sourness from the passion fruit.
The hazelnut dacquoise and croustillant also add some texture underneath. Taste-wise, the chocolate-and-passion-fruit combination is something we’ve had in desserts before, so it didn’t feel particularly unusual. But the flavours were balanced, and everything was executed very well.
Cherry Manjari 64%
And finally, the Cherry Manjari 64%.
The Manjari gives you a much deeper chocolatiness, while the cherry brings a strong sour hit at the same time.
Chocolate and berry are obviously a classic pairing, so flavour-wise, it felt quite familiar. But compared with the other pieces, this was much heavier.
You get heavy chocolate together with that strong cherry sourness, and the piece itself was quite big for such an intense flavour profile.
How was the experience overall, & Is it worth the price?
What I enjoyed most about this afternoon tea wasn’t necessarily one individual dessert.
It was how the whole set told the same story.
Nothing really felt out of place. Even though chocolate appears again and again, Capella didn’t simply make every item rich, sweet, and chocolate-heavy.
The welcome drink uses yuzu to make chocolate refreshing. The foie gras brings chocolate into the savoury side. Coconut and matcha give you a break before dessert. Then the sweet creations move between fruity, nutty, sour, creamy, and darker chocolate profiles.
The overall experience felt very well-managed.
I also have to give a lot of points to the savoury side. Sometimes afternoon tea savouries can feel like something you simply eat before getting to the desserts, but here, several of them were actually some of the most interesting parts of the entire set.
And considering this is an entire chocolate-focused afternoon tea, I was surprised that it didn’t become overwhelmingly heavy too early.
Of course, by the end, you WILL feel like you’ve had enough chocolate. But I suppose that means Éclats de Cacao did its job.
If you’re searching for afternoon tea in Bangkok and you love chocolate, especially Valrhona, this is definitely one of the more interesting seasonal sets we’ve tried so far.
- Our Rating: 8/10
- We would say that, at around 1,750 THB per person, the Afternoon Tea at Capella Bangkok is on the pricey side. However, if you are able to get a better deal like the AMEX 1 for 1 or any other promotion, it would be worth the money.
- If money is not your concern, we would say go for it! The experience is worth your time.
What we loved most:
- Chocolate concept throughout the whole experience
- Savoury creations
- Scones, even as breakfast the next morning!
For more to explore around the city, not too far from Capella Bangkok, we recommend checking out our guide to the Silom area.
Happy Afternoon,
Travel Tegami