KEN HUNTS FOOD: Afternoon Tea @ Farquhar Mansion, Farquhar Street, Georgetown, Penang.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Afternoon Tea @ Farquhar Mansion, Farquhar Street, Georgetown, Penang.

The new posh fine-dining establishment along Farquhar Street rolls out a new Afternoon Tea set recently. The Afternoon Tea set is priced at Rm 98++ for two or Rm 138++ for three respectively. Diners will be served with a traditional three-tier English Afternoon Tea stand filled with both home-made savories and sweets. Not only does Farquhar Mansion strive to score well in taste, food quality but it seeks to please your visual sense and the entire dining experience as well. A tea cart will be pushed by the well-trained server and diners get to choose their preferred tea as well as to listen to the server's erudite explanation.

Afternoon Tea Set:

Price: Rm 98++ for Two/ Rm 138++ for Three.

Availability: 3 pm to 5 pm (Last Call at 4 pm). Daily, except on Mondays. Limited to 10 sets daily and at least one-day in advance reservation is required.

Many Thanks to Farquhar Mansion for hosting us.

The restaurant uses a world-renowned brand for their Tea- Ronnefeldt, which synonymous for premium quality Tea. There are a total of seven different flavors available- Jasmine, Sweet Berries, Cream Orange, Refreshing Mint, Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Fruity White.

If you are a fan of Coffee, go for their Pour-Over Coffee. Farquhar Mansion's house blend consists of different Arabica Coffee Beans; diners get to witness the entire pour-over process; from Wetting, Dissolution to Diffusion. The entire dining room was imbued with a wonderful aroma as we listened carefully to the skilled server's explanation. A very unique Afternoon Tea experience indeed.

First-tier: Tomato Bruschetta, Tuna Ciabatta Arugula, Wild Mushroom Savory Pie and Deep Fried Codfish Ball with Orange Aioli.

There were four different types of savories and Deep Fried Codfish Balls left us the deepest impression. Crispy, meaty but the refreshing Orange Aioli sort of cuts through the greasiness and introduced a tangy and fruity flavor. The Bruschetta was not shabby either, though the Baguette was slightly thinner to my liking but the fine spread of Basil Pesto with Feta Cheese offers a garlicky and herbaceous aroma to it.

Second-tier: English Scones with home-made Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam, Pain Au Chocolat and Madeleine.

The Chef attempts to defy the conventional way of baking English Scones- Buttermilk is used instead. The result is a moist, less-crumbly and denser Scones. The real draw here is the home-made Clotted Cream, almost on par with the one I had before, if not better. Pain Au Chocolat has the correct flavors but the Chocolate could be softer and we were expecting a melt-in-your-mouth sensation but it did not happen. In fact, it required a bite.

Third-tier: Panna Cotta, Cheese Block, Opera Cake and Chocolate Truffles.

We were very pleased with the top tier- the sweets, were impressive. We started with Panna Cotta, a creamily smooth Italian dessert with a well-balanced sweetness and some crunch from the crushed Oreo. The Cheese Block was another ingenious creation, it was cheesy with a velvety smooth texture. The twist is the tiny Macaron; eat both together and the sweetness of the Macaron will be balanced by the savory Cheese Cake; while the Macaron adds a crunch to the texture. Absolutely lovely.