Review: Festive Afternoon Tea at Straits Kitchen
Review: Festive Afternoon Tea at Straits Kitchen
A luxurious Christmas treat in London
The festive season is well and truly upon us, and jazzy Christmas experiences are popping up everywhere. You can’t walk two steps down a street without stumbling into a festive menu here or there, and it can be difficult to choose which one to go for. After trying the festive afternoon tea at luxury hotel Pan Pacific’s restaurant Straits Kitchen, I can confidently say this is definitely one not to miss out on.
The sleek and elegant restaurant is decked out for Christmas, with twinkling and baubled wreaths adding pops of festive cosiness. My friend and I were seated next to the window, overlooking a many-feet-tall Christmas tree proudly laid out in the square outside.
We began with a glass of champagne each, before being presented with a book of elegant tea samples from which to select our tea. We opted for the masala chai – a deeply aromatic and spiced tea that felt perfect for the season – and the milk oolong: a deceptively milk-less concoction that was nevertheless wondrously creamy and light, with an indulgent caramel aftertaste. Both were fantastic.
Most known for their south east Asian fusion cuisine, Straits Kitchen harkens back to the traditional with their afternoon tea menu. Our finger sandwiches arrived on beautifully presented rectangular plates: dry cured salmon with dill and crème fraiche, crushed feta with balsamic onion, roasted red pepper with parsley, roasted Portobello mushroom with horseradish and a miniature brioche bun with egg, truffle and cress. All were delicious, and it was tough to choose our favourite. My friend’s standout was the crushed feta, while for me the salmon took the top spot.
Next up came the scones. The orange and cranberry scone was wondrously fluffy with a nod to festive fruits, pairing excellently with heavenly cream and jam. The star of the show, of course, came next: a selection of fabulously presented sweet delicacies that we couldn’t wait to sink our teeth into.
Each sweet treat was a pop of Christmas colour. There was a mint wreath humbug made with Kalingo 65% chocolate, the mint flavour poking through with a refreshing freshness. A purple bauble cracked open to reveal impossibly light cream with chestnut, plum and cinnamon preserve. A sparkling gold sticky toffee cake bar delicately rolled into the shape of a Christmas cracker proved to taste wonderful. We were both in unambiguous agreement, however, that the best dessert was undoubtedly the pecan tart with a Rudolph-shaped head and antlers made of delectable mousse.
We left utterly satisfied and feeling appropriately festive. The sky was already beginning to darken, as British Sunday afternoons are wont to do in the winter, but we didn’t mind a bit. Christmas is coming, after all.
