Review: High Tea brunch at Freak Scene
Review: High Tea brunch at Freak Scene
Serving up the flavours of Asia for afternoon tea
It’s all the rage in London hospitality these days to affect your own twist on one of the most quintessentially British dining traditions: afternoon tea. The people have just about had enough of plain old scones, jam and cream. Establishments are coming up with increasingly elaborate ways turn afternoon tea into a capital ‘E’ Experience, to the point where it’s all getting a little bit convoluted.
Freak Scene doesn’t bother with all the faff and frippery. Their concept is blessedly, refreshingly simple: afternoon tea with Asian dishes. Taking inspiration from Singaporean High Teas and served on bespoke cake stands, the concept does away with pomp and circumstance and allows Head Chef’s Scott Hallsworth’s creative dishes to speak for themselves.
When Freak Scene’s Balham location opened earlier this year, it brought Hallsworth’s distinctive flair for pan-Asian fusion cuisine to Ramsden Road. And the new Singaporean high tea brunch feels like a taster course in the best of Hallsworth’s creativity: bite-sized pockets of punchy flavour, from seafood dumplings to pork buns. It’s the best argument for ‘less is more’ – you don’t need to overcomplicate afternoon tea when the food tastes this good.
The experience begins with two deceptively simple starters of edamame and assorted pickles. Usually I can take or leave edamame, but this bowl was the best I’d ever tasted. It had been elevated with a slight chargrilling, adding a wondrously smoky flavour to the perfectly salted pods. The pickles were accompanied by a gorgeous dipping sauce of truffle ponzu, a combination of flavours I can safely say introduced me to a whole world of culinary possibility. I knew then that whatever was coming next would blow me away.
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The stand was brought out: a regal riot of colour and taste. We decided to begin at the top and work our way downwards. Seared salmon sashimi with ginger and yuzu soy was followed by a fresh-tasting Thai Miang Kham leaf wrap. Each dish stood out with its own distinctive mixture of flavour. The char sul pulled shiitake puffs were deep-flavoured and earthy, the pastry cooked to crumbly satisfaction, while the scallop dumpling with yuzu egg sauce was a deliciously yellow surprise. My sister and I both agreed, however, that the stand-out dish was the crispy rock shrimp with jalapeno sauce – if you find yourself getting full, I definitely recommend keeping some room to polish off this one.
Dessert is where Freak Scene can’t resist showing off a little, and they deserve to. A chef comes to your table with a rainbow-coloured birthday cake bombe Alaska, which they proceed to lightly char with an impressive piece of equipment reminiscent of a Chemistry class Bunsen burner. It’s a deliciously thick and spongy cake, complete with a sweet Pandan and coconut sauce that pairs excellently.
The high tea brunch is served every Saturday at Freak Scene from 12pm to 5pm. The price includes a welcome drink (beer, wine, cocktail or mocktail), the high tea stand, a serving of tom yum rice and dessert. It’s definitely an experience worth trying, if you fancy putting down the scones and jam.
