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2013-11-08
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To be honest, I haven't been to a lot of afternoon tea places as planning for an afternoon tea means you basically can't eat a full lunch or plan for a full dinner that night either. Luckily, one of my friends organized a gathering for 7 of us at St Betty for their afternoon tea. St Betty actually resides towards the back of the IFC mall so it's got an unobstructed view of the harbor, which made for a nice dining backdrop. The decor was modern and casual with birch wood furnitures, and the wall
'China Muscatel' Organic Darjeeling - the afternoon tea set for 2 also came with a choice of tea, coffee, or fresh juices and we all thought that the tea seemed like the best deal because you get free refills with tea (they will refill your teapot with hot water). The only thing was that when we were looking at the China & Taiwan tea, we couldn't figure what kind of tea they were from the descriptions. I ended up picking the China Muscatel because I thought the name sounded cool. It turned out to be a type of Oolong with a strong flavor, which was great for eating sweets. Unfortunately, it was also one of those teas that turns bitter the longer the tea leaves sits in water so it was harder to enjoy that 2nd or 3rd cup of tea.
Afternoon Tea Set ($418 for 2) - came with 3 tiers of food with the sandwiches on the bottom, scones in the middle, and the patisserie on top. Starting from the bottom:
1) Selection of Sandwiches - 4 flavors in total with one of each which made it harder to share as we had to cut the sandwiches in half ourselves. All of the sandwiches were very delicious with delicate pairing.
Home smoked salmon, pickled cucumber & horseradish - the smoked salmon was very flavorful and the addition of the pickled cucumber and horseradish added a nice acidity to the overall taste.
Tomato salsa, pesto & shaved parmesan - very refreshing to eat as the tomato was light while the flavor of the salsa was tangy.
Crushed avocado, roasted red pepper & chilli jam - the avocado had been crushed like paste with bits of red pepper mixed in. The texture was fluffy while the flavor was rich.Roast beef, charred red onion & mustard mayonnaise - the roast beef was soft and tender to eat while the charred red onion was sweet which made for a nice pairing with the flavor of roast beef.
2)Warm Scones, Homemade Jam & Clotted Cream - 4 scones in total with 2 being raisin scones and 2 being plain scones. There were 3 jars of homemade jam and clotted cream provided as spread. I had one of the plain scones which was still warm to eat by the time I got to it. It was probably one of the best scones I've had as it was very soft and fluffy to eat. I usually don't like scones as some can be hard or sticky to your teeth. The scone at St Betty was neither and the jams were very tasty as well. The darker jam was berry while the orange one was apricot. All 3 spread went very well with the scone.
3)Patisserie Selection - desserts are usually my favorite part of afternoon tea! There were 2 of everything this time so it was easier to share except for the shooter glass in the middle. The shoorter glass contained a grape jelly with cream and foam which I found to be too sour for my taste. Other patesserie included mint chocolate macaroon, tiramisu cake, madeleine, bundt bread, and mango mousse on a spoon. Most of the patisserie were very good and my favorite was the mango mousse. The texture was light and fluffy while the taste was rich and tart!
4) Home smoked Hamachi ($208) - our a la carte dish of the day. This ended up being a pretty good choice as we got to taste their other food besides the afternoon tea. The hamachi was thinly sliced with an apparent smoky flavor. The slices of avocado and green daikon offered a refreshing counterbalance in flavor to the hamachi. The sesame vinaigrette provided a nice finish with its sweet and tangy taste.
Conclusion - the quality and the taste of the food here were high! The flavors and pairings of ingredients were fresh and thoughtful. The service was also prompt and adequate. While the prices may be on the high side, I think it's worth a trip to come back to St Betty to try some of their other cooked food besides their afternoon tea set.
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