Invite – click here.

The team at Kibou invited us back again to try their new afternoon tea with a twist!

I say twist as this is not your every day afternoon tea. This is afternoon tea Kibou style. Imagine scones replaced with sushi, English tea replaced with Japanese tea, and many Japanese style treats to accompany it. It is a very exciting take on the classic afternoon tea experience that I have been looking forward to for some time.

As we have explored several times in previous reviews, Kibou is an incredibly pleasant place to be. Its contemporary style perfectly balances traditional Japanese culture with modern aesthetics. It’s truly unique in the city and offers an experience well suited for formal and casual occasions alike.

We started off with some water and wasabi peas while we studied the menu. Wasabi is a type of Japanese horseradish that I am particularly fond of, mostly due to its salty taste and bold flavour.

The menu gives you a choice between “classic” and “vegetarian” afternoon tea with the classic coming to £23pp and the vegetarian coming to £19pp.

You then get a choice of the following teas…

• Sencha, green tea

• Hojicha, a smokey roasted green tea

• Genmaicha, green tea with toasted brown rice.

• Imperial Jasmine

• Earl Grey or English Breakfast

You also get further choices, with the option to swap your tea for matcha tea (£29/25v), champagne (£36/32v), sake (£38/34v) or cocktails (£34/30v).

After sampling some of the best sake of my life at the Kibou grand opening, both Sean and I decided to give it a try hoping to relive our previous experience.

The sake came out first and was presented in a ceramic jug. I am not entirely sure if this is the same stuff I had at the grand opening but it was just as nice. My experience with sake has historically been quite ropey, even while travelling across Japan. I have often found it sharp and very harsh on the pallet but the sake here is so smooth, it is like drinking scented flora water. It’s beautiful.

I also noticed a ‘sake flight’ available for £21. This is a selection of 4 sakes (30ml each – bartender’s choice) and a great way of exploring sake for first time or for someone looking to learn a bit more.

And finally, the centre piece!

• Prawn hosomaki

• Prawn tempura california roll with wasabi mayo

• Salmon tataki with mango salsa

• Sea bream nigiri

The staff are always excellent at Kibou. Not only are they friendly, approachable, and attentive but they are knowledgeable on what they serve. They were comfortably able to answer any questions we had and knew everything from the top of their head. They recommended that we had the mochi ice cream first, which is something I would have likely had last. This is because it would melt by the time we got round to it – good shout guys!

The California roll was superb. Both Sean and I agreed that this was the highlight of the sushi. I found the prawn hosomaki uninspiring and flat, which was a shame. Though I did enjoy the fact that they ate thinner rolls, which gave the prawn a bigger percentage of the bite, giving it a more prawn based flavour. The sea bream nigri was fantastic and a fish I would like to see served more often.

It is not often that we get a chance to have Kirin Ichiban served on tap, so we both took advantage of this. It is one of my favourite beers and it’s light, crispy and delicate flavour perfectly compliments the sushi.

On top was a choice of two beautifully presented tartlets. These were simply incredible, not only in flavour but in texture. Served in a handy bite sized portion, you can pick them up by hand and bite through their crusty exterior to reveal a lovely soft and creamy centre. Both were fantastic but my favourite has to be the yuza cheesecake.

Last, but by no means least, was the custard doriyaki, a Japanese confectionery which consists of a light pancake-like pattie with a custard centre. This came served with a strawberry compote, a thick fruity dip.

Kibou’s afternoon tea is such a unique experience for Cambridge. I can really see this being popular for numerous occasions or even for a light lunch. Highlights for me were the California roll, sea bream, and mochi ice cream. The sake of also some of the best I have ever had on both my visits.

Would I order this again? Absolutely, though my recommendation may depend on your appetite. The food was mostly excellent but both Sean and I left feeling like we could have eaten significantly more. In fact, Sean ordered a hot dog half hour later. I would visit with the idea that this is a light lunch in mind.

Check out our previous review here.

Thanks for reading!