With Christmas being only less than two months away, now feels like the right time to start getting hyped up about the upcoming festivities, without seeming like an overly-excited grown-up child. I love that build-up towards Christmas, and one of the things that I do look forward to is trying out the festive-themed afternoon teas!
Last weekend I had the pleasure of previewing the Festive Afternoon Tea at Nobu Cafe located in the Lobby Lounge of the chic Nobu Hotel Shoreditch. The slick and contemporary design gives off a relaxed yet sophisticated vibe, making it a welcoming oasis to retreat to. From their selection of IKAATI artisanal whole leaf teas, I ordered a pot of Imperial Genmai Cha with Matcha that was just what I needed after shooting outdoors in 5 degree weather. For the coffee lovers, they also serve Kinto hand-brewed Japanese filter coffees.
There was a selection of three different sandwiches; the beef tenderloin served on a multigrain roll was tender and went well with the shichimi miso mustard. The tofu bun had a good punch from the truffle tofu cream, with a slice of pickled tomato that added some sharpness. My favourite was definitely the snow crab coated in a light tempura batter, sandwiched between a Shokupan bun with a spicy cream sauce, and topped with Ikura (red caviar made from fish roe).
Moving on to the sweet tier of desserts, I started with the maraschino cherry & chocolate made into the shape of a mini Christmas tree, followed by the coconut snowball with white chocolate ganache that was a tasty mouthful. The Santa Claus whisky macaron had a good texture, although the taste of whisky was not very prominent. I liked the gingerbread ganache sphere that had bits of gingerbread mixed into the ganache. The cute Rudolph chocolate tart with cremoso was rich and indulgent and the perfect treat for any chocolate lover. Last but not least was the snowflake yuzu tart, which I would have preferred to have had slightly sharper notes, but was nonetheless a very tasty tart with a nice buttery base.
Scones, which are usually included in their normal afternoon tea menu, were sadly not part of their festive menu, but overall it was still a well-presented afternoon tea with a good variety of Asian-inspired sweet and savoury delights.
The Festive Afternoon Tea officially launches on 1st October 2018 and is priced at £30 per person, served everyday from 12noon – 5pm. You can find out more information and make reservations via the AfternoonTea.co.uk website.
* I was a guest at Nobu Hotel Shoreditch – all views and photos are my own.
