Our new Plantation Food Series will showcase locations where you can find Plantation teas around town. Let’s start with some local delicacies at Man Ho Chinese Restaurant at JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong!
Our collaboration began last year when Man Ho’s tea sommelier, Sophia So, asked us for help in curating a tea menu that speaks to the ritual of yumcha. In doing so, we suggested a range of Plantation favourites but also created two bespoke blends for Man Ho - the Magnolia Kuan Yin (韻蘭香), and Garden Bloom (玉雪香), which you can see on the first page of their menu. Our selection honours the classic six categories of Chinese tea, spanning fresh green tea to robust black tea, alongside thoughtful caffeine-free infusions attuned to every palate and moment.
Sophia So, Tea Sommelier at Man Ho Chinese Restaurant (Photo credit: Harper's Bazaar)
About Man Ho Tea Blends
The Magnolia Kuan Yin is a play on one of yumcha’s favourite teas - tieguanyin, yet more elegant. This is a tea of remarkable freshness and poise, its fragrance unfolding like visiting a blooming garden, delicate yet resonant, while Garden Bloom is like it’s caffeine-free sister.
Garden Bloom is blended with magnolia, camellia, jasmine, verbena and an interesting Chinese herb called the mountain honey herb, which adds a touch of woodiness to the concoction.
On our visit, we tried the tea flight menu which allows you to choose three very distinct tea expressions from a carefully curated collection including hot teas, cold brews and mixed drinks. The cold brew Magnolia Kaun Yin and hot Liu Bao tea was a hit!
We were also lucky enough that day to catch a newly launched dimsum and tea pairing menu. Consider, for instance, their Fish Maw Siu Mai (花姿銀魚花膠燒賣), drawing inspiration from the cherished texture of steamed pork patty with dried squid (土魷蒸肉餅). Its subtle, oceanic umami finds balance in the cool clarity of a cold-brew Jasmine Chrysanthemum Green Tea, where soft floral notes and gentle grassiness linger, quietly enhancing the fresh seafood character.
Dim Sum (Photo credit: Harper's Bazaar)
The dessert pairings prove equally compelling: a sweetened chestnut cream interwoven with hemp seed, accompanied by a baked chestnut pastry. The silky-smooth richness of the chestnut offers a gentle satiation after the savoury courses, inviting a final sip of tea to draw the meal to a graceful close.
Man Ho Chinese Restaurant
📍3/F, JW Marriott Hotel Hong, 88 Queensway, Admiralty
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