I took mum to try this Scottish hotel's afternoon tea - she gave it 9/10

Now, in her late eighties, she’s become hooked.

Back in the day, a carvery was more her vibe, but the late onset sweet tooth means she’s an extremely eager plus one when I visit Sushisamba at the W Hotel, where they’ve just launched an afternoon tea. It’s available in Signature or Vegetarian varieties, for £65pp (or £75pp with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne) and showcases their Brazilian, Japanese and Peruvian flair.

Mum went to Machu Picchu once, and ate a guinea pig, so she knows her stuff when it comes to at least one of these culinary genres. However, though she may have dispatched a cute rodent - poor Gerry - she’s never tried matcha tea.

As she vacillated between this, and the genmaicha on the tea list, I attempted to steer her towards the more pedestrian Earl Grey.

But, no, she was adamant about the green stuff and I think she was converted. As she sipped this, with a glass of cold champers in the other hand, the food arrived.

It’s served on a sculptural iron pedestal that pays tribute to the walnut whip spiral of this modern building. You begin on the bottom deck, and wind your way through six savouries, to the four sweet things at the top. They are all served Noah’s Ark style - two by two.

There are no sandwiches with the crusts cut off, a la your average afternoon tea. I was glad of that. I have my fair share of baps during the week and they’re so often a dull filler.

We both had our favourites in the savoury section. Mum was very sold on the Samba Edinburgh roll - a pastel-hued sushi disc that was filled with whisky cured salmon, avocado and oshinko, and presented on a whisky-orange-gel-dotted plate.

I was drawn towards the Highland wagyu katsu sando - a blocky toastie that contained silky rare beef, Sriracha mayo, and peppery aji panca chilli paste, and was topped by a generous blackberry-sized blob of caviar. There were also two bollards of black cod, with a dot of aji amarillo lime mayo, and another deck featured a pot of tempura-batter-frosted green beans, which you could pull out like the spills in Ker-Plunk and dip into a black truffle aioli.

When it came to the doughy bricks of waffle that were topped by blobs of spicy tuna with avocado, snow crab and chilli sweet potato, I told mum to beware, since the tuna had a fair wallop of chilli, but she ignored me. She was in a carpe diem sort of mood.

I began to pace myself so I’d have room for the sweet things. I’m glad I did, because these really shone.

So often, with afternoon tea, the sugary stuff is samey and gets boring fast. Not here.

The sugar-spangled Japanese milk bun, which was anointed with passionfruit curd and mango salsa, was the size of a Persian moggy’s paw and just as fluffy.

We got our chocolate fix from the glossy and sticky cremeaux, with its touch of miso, as well as minarets of yogurt and tangy yuzu, to take the edge off the palate-coating sweetness. There was also a pretty red and white fan, which turned out to be an almond taco, with a shell made of white chocolate. While, up another level, was a pair of craggy and nutty choux buns that contained a zingy blackberry gel.

We thought that this was the final coda on our meal. Nope, we’d forgotten about the honey and Tahitian vanilla scones for afters.

These were as warm as freshly laid eggs when they came out in a little bamboo box, with clotted cream and strawberry and pink peppercorn compote on the side.

In the end, we only managed to dispatch all of this feast because we were taking it so glacially slowly.

There was no urgency to leave, especially as the staff here are incredibly lovely, and mum was enjoying looking over the rooftops - at Arthur’s Seat, Calton Hill, the spires, chimneys and verdigris domes.

She doesn’t get out of the house much these days, as her mobility is limited. Indeed, this venue is ideal, as far as disabled access goes. I pre-booked and borrowed a wheelchair for free from the adjoining St James Quarter’s Guest Mobility service, and there are lifts everywhere.

Before her carriage turned into a pumpkin - we had four hours' use - we swung round the quarter’s shops, and she was uncharacteristically silent.

I think she was still coming down from all the excitement (and the matcha tea).

So, how much out of ten did that experience get, I asked her, as she perused the eyeshadows in Boots. A nine. Praise indeed, from the sweet-toothed one.

Sushisamba, W Hotel, 1 St James Square, Edinburgh (0131-287 1450, www.sushisamba.com)