20 June, 2012
Eat & Drink

FINDS afternoon high tea – a tea set with a difference

20 June, 2012

Everyone in Hong Kong loves a good afternoon tea set… so much so that every Tom, Dick and Harry of a restaurant is at it. As a result, it’s easy to get afternoon tea fatigue in the 852 – pretty cakes check, mini sandwiches check, impossible-to-photograph-properly cake stand check – so it’s great to see an afternoon tea with a bit more imagination enter the scene. And FINDS’ fantastic European high tea set is just that!

FINDS remains Hong Kong’s only premier Scandinavian restaurant (check out our review of their normal menu here) but their tea set only has a minor Nordic slant. However, you can forget about clichéd cucumber sandwiches and fruit tarts… this is a high tea prepared with some definite Scandi-chic style!

Even the presentation is a little bit different, with all your afternoon delights housed on a three-tier wooden bookshelf (still just as difficult to photograph well though!) and the cutest squirrel-print teacups ever.

I always kick off with savouries in my tea sets – and I’m usually disappointed (another cucumber sandwich… really?!) so I was particularly impressed with how much of an effort FINDS made. In fact, there’s not a single sandwich in sight! The house-smoked salmon tartar on malt bread was absolutely delicious – salty, smoky and rich in fishy flavour. I also loved the simplicity of the Camembert and black truffle on toast, with that indescribably delectable truffle taste balancing the creamy cheese perfectly.

Warm mushrooms in pastry were as far removed from tired 70s vol au vents as you can get, whilst even the traditional scone was given a new FINDS spin by being topped with herb cottage cheese instead. It was a pleasant surprise not to be overloaded with heavy scones… meaning more room for desserts, of course!

The sweets were every bit as gorgeous as the savouries and if I’m honest, every single one was a standout. The banana-toffee pie was sticky sweet scrumptious-ness at its best and gone far too quickly. A toasted white chocolate parfait surprised me with its light subtle touch – it was silky smooth, with a beautiful delicate toasted flavour but without being over-sweet.

I’m not usually a fan of macaroons (all style, no substance) but even I was won over with these two. They change flavours regularly; we had lemon and raspberry and these were exactly the right kind of sweet nothings… light, airy, crunchy-to-chewy, with flavours that were fresh and fruity rather than artificial. Even a simple chocolate fondue was done just right, with lashings of rich molten chocolate (not too bitter, not too sweet) and the juiciest freshest giant strawberry to dip in.

FINDS also takes things up a notch with its gourmet tea selection from Tea Forte – try the organic lemongrass and ginger blend for a more unusual touch (you could also opt for coffee, hot chocolate, wine or even a signature cocktail if the mood strikes you!). As with their lunch and dinner menus, FINDS also changes the items in their tea set regularly… but if the set I had was anything to go by, you can expect a wonderful array of bite-sized delights whatever the items! If I had any complaints, it might be that they were a little too bite-sized – it’s always saddening when something so delicious is gone in just one mouthful and since only one of each item is provided, there might be a few fights between friends over who gets to eat what (luckily Maura wasn’t feeling hungry that day… so I had the entire tea set to myself mwahaha)!

The FINDS afternoon tea easily ranks as one of my firm favourites in the city. It’s a tea set with a difference… but in the best possible way. I will most definitely be back.

SASSY GIVEAWAY: Congratulations to Kayla F, Angel Y and Kiwi K who all won a complimentary tea set at FINDS!

FINDS afternoon high tea set is available 3-5.30pm and costs $348.

FINDS Restaurant & Bar 1/F, The Luxe Manor, 39 Kimberly Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
2522 9318 www.finds.com.hk/

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