The Tea Party

An afternoon tea is not something we try out often, but even in the city of indulgence, the high tea at choix patisserie and restaurant raises the bar

What daily meals constitute, well, your day? We bet there’s a hearty breakfast, a substantial lunch and a dinner of varying proportions on your list. In bright and sunny UAE, partaking in a proper afternoon tea isn’t — wouldn’t you guess — high on our priority list. Now, a few discerning places are seeking to change that status quo. In the last year, we’ve seen more and more high tea offerings in Dubai.

So we decided to enjoy our own high tea experience. Yet, as we tiptoed our way in high heels to Choix Patisserie and Restaurant at InterContinental Dubai Festival City, we were a tad nervous about this little teatime adventure. You’ve witnessed us gorging on substantial meals, plentiful brunch buffets and delicious desserts by the dozen over here, but to set aside large cravings and exercise the right amount of refrain for bites of tea time snacks calls for another sort of epicure.

The dining outlet, brainchild of multi-Michelin-starred French chef Pierre Gagnaire and his first patisserie in the Middle East, is a modern French concept, and even its ‘interiors’ are a work of art. Interiors in quotes because the patisserie is not really walled off by itself, but occupies a lounge area slightly offside, after the lobby area. It works because all the light that comes through the massive glass walls of one side of the hotel facing the Creek, beautifully offsets the white, yellow and purple shades of Choix’s décor. It all looks like the inside of a box of pretty macaroons somehow, and we’re sure that was the intended effect. A large off-white semicircular counter area displays their fine little offerings to perfection. Comfortable looking chairs and sofas litter the lounge, up for the taking and letting you people-watch occupants of the hotel walking around, or just enjoy the sea view on the other side.

Chef Gaganire, no doubt, created the place to let people get a taste of French culinary excellence, and nothing epitomises that better than their famous pastries, éclairs, tarts, macaroons and coffees. While Choix offers all meals with hot and cold dishes, what their Afternoon Tea promises is a succinct bite of the menu offerings in its entirety, letting you taste a bit of everything, without have to consume larger portions. That, we think, in itself is a very French approach to food and eating, non?

So, it’s time to sit up, pop out that little finger, and start sipping from one the UAE’s finest high tea offerings. As expected, the menu has a mix of sweet and savoury items, promising not to overwhelm with either category. It’s all nicely arranged — as we hoped for — on a perfect looking high tea stand. The tiny assorted finger sandwiches are a slightly timid opener, but that’s probably a good thing. Balik Salmon and Jacob’s Cream bites give way to nicely done Cucumber Ricotta triangles, and our pick of the lot — Pesto Croque Monsieur — a perfectly grilled meat and cheese (in this case, some hearty pesto) sandwich. The standard comfort food variety Egg & Mayonnaise is as expected, but an unexpected bite comes from the Quail Egg and Caviar. We wish it were more than bite-sized too.

The famous Sultana Scones are an infusion of sweetness, paired with clotted cream and a bitter mixed orange and strawberry jam, which we love. The selection of Choix Patisseries that round off the afternoon tea could vary from day to day, but we sampled the Éclair au Fruit de la Passion, featuring passion fruit; candied fruit tarts; a short bread with lemon curd and candied lemon topping; and of course, macaroons.

You need the actual tea to temper all that sweet stuff and there’s over 12 varieties, mostly blends, to choose from. We tipped for the “Choix Blend”, the signature house blend of green tea with mango, guava and rose petals. Quite a concoction! And we were busy trying to identify each ingredient in the flavour. We also recommend Sabah Dubai, a white tea, pomegranate and orange peel blend; and Jasmine Haze, with green tea and jasmine blossom.

All in all, an afternoon tea that is best recommended once in a way, as an alternative to our usual routine of heavy meals, and of course, to indulge your sweet tooth.

• Food and Dining