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It appears that afternoon tea is becoming all the rage with Japanese restaurants at the moment. It was only a short while ago that I was invited to Kibou to try theirs and now Sushi & Salad are now offering a similar experience.
It is no secret that Sushi & Salad has always been one of my favourite restaurants, so I was very excited to explore their take and see how it differs from not only other Japanese restaurants but the classic afternoon tea we all know and love.
As you may already be aware from my previous 3 reviews, the restaurant is small and intimate with lots of character and individuality. Speaking with the owners (Juliana and William) in the past, they made it very clear that they kept it small on purpose to maintain its personality. Everything from the wallpaper to the ornaments are hand picked and authentic. Essentially, everything is beautiful.
Afternoon tea needs to be booked 48 hours in advance and comes to £50.
The centre piece is presented in a rather fetching 3 tiered stand that comes with several drink options.
• Prosecco
• House sake
• One of their signature cocktails
• Matcha tea
You can also get Asahi beer on tap but this is not included in the deal 😉
The set includes a small selection of sushi, sashimi, hirata buns, tamagoyaki sando (egg sandwich), fruit sando (cucumber sandwich), katsu sando (katsu sandwich), Japanese sweets and yes, don’t panic, you still get scones with cream and jam.
The bottom tier
I’ll start with the bread and butter of every afternoon tea – the sandwiches or sando.
Sando is the Japanese take on sandwiches. I immediately fell in love with their katsu sandwich which is made of crispy bread crumb chicken. It works perfectly with the soft white bread that is complimented perfectly with the katsu sauce.
You still get the more British style cucumber and egg sandwiches also but with Sushi & Salads own unique take. Not as exciting for a foodie perhaps but they were still well prepared and it also means you can bring grandma along 😂
One of the highlights of the afternoon tea experience was the hirata bun pork belly (also known as the bao buns). These are steamed dough, almost like a cloud made from dumplings. ☁️
The pork belly adds a sticky, sweet, and delicious pop in the middle and the accompanying garnish gives it a satisfying crunch in the middle. I can’t recommend these enough! The flavour, the presentation, the unusual yet slightly intriguing texture…Perfect!
The middle tier
The middle level comes with a modest selection of sushi and sashimi. I was impressed by the cucumber wrapped salmon and roe rolls that turned out to be my favourite of the afternoon. The cucumber and roe both offered contrasting textures that worked perfectly in unison.
It’s also worth mentioning that there is a very generous ratio of salmon..in other words, the entire thing is salmon! Rice was entirely absent. This allowed Sushi & Salad to proudly showcase the quality of their salmon with its robust flavour and freshness.
The sashimi was excellent. The salmon was my favourite but I was also quite taken by the avocado. This is something I am not usually a fan of but it was incredibly ripe and vibrant.
The top tier
The top tier came with a selection of Japanese sweets and macarons. I was quite taken by the rather charming presentation with a bed of sticks, which is another example of the character and detail you can expect from Sushi & Salad. Everything here was delicious, though I will admit in my frenzied haste to demolish them all, I may have forgotten to take notes (this probably says more than writing ever could). 😂
Scones
We ended our afternoon tea experience with some scones that were accompanied with clotted cream and jam. I really enjoyed the wooden box they came in that really complimented the theme of our experience.
The scones were a decent size and you could tell everything was done to a high quality. They were the perfect send off to a lovely afternoon and reinforced their nod to the classic afternoon tea experience. Like with the cucumber and egg sandwiches, this makes the afternoon tea experience accessible to people who fancy something new but aren’t sure if they are ready to venue too far.
Conclusion
Sushi & Salad’s afternoon tea experience offers a delightful twist on the classic British tradition. Everything this was done to a high quality standard and the service, as always, was impeccable, giving us the perfect send off to a truly enjoyable afternoon.
From the initial visual surprise of the smoky presentation, to the restaurant’s unique interpretation of afternoon tea with a Japanese influence, the entire experience is a testament to Sushi & Salad’s commitment to both quality and playful innovation.
This balanced approach is particularly appealing for those who may be hesitant to stray too far from the traditional afternoon tea format but are intrigued by the Japanese novelty. There is something on every tier that is traditional so people can visit and sample new things while not having you worry about missing out.
Sushi & Salad’s afternoon tea is a must-try for anyone seeking a memorable and expertly crafted experience.
Thanks for reading!
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