Sathon welcomes Tease Tea Room, serving as a place for stylish midday catch-ups in the heart of Bangkok's bustling business district.
The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon offers diverse dining experiences and Tease Tea Room is one of them. Occupying its own private corner on the hotel's fourth floor, Tease's interiors reminds you of the fun, otherworldly tea party from Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. From the walls to ceiling, from the furniture to the teaware, everything is dreamlike in black and white, yet undeniably glamorous. Symmetric shapes and stripes add more dimensions and depth to the space, with an expansive window offering views of the cityscape.
But enough about the interiors, we are here for the tea party! Start with a drink to cool off from the afternoon sun (or rain). Freshly-made tableside, a fruity blend of passion fruit and mango tea with lemonade and pineapple juice, topped with green tea foam and plum powder, is refreshing and cleansed my palate, if only in preparation of things to come. Tease serves up an unexpected twist on the classic afternoon tea, featuring a selection of American pastries, with savoury bites. I ordered a pot of Cheeva, a green tea blend with the bright citrus flavour of a makrut lime leaf. The tea menu mainly comprises loose-leaf teas with catchy Thai names from Araksa Tea Garden, an organic tea garden in Chiang Mai.
Sweet and savoury small bites are delicately crafted and I begin with a freshly-baked Party pie. Swallowed in one bite, the earthy taste of sautéed mushrooms, with small dices of roasted leek, excited my mouth. A beetroot macaroon may not sound appetisting but the root veggie is juiced to lend its rich burgundy colour to the shells, while the savoury delight comes from foie gras mousse. King salmon crudo brings the taste of the sea through seasoned salmon and a creamy crab dip on top of flaky shortcrust pastry, with pomegranate seeds for a fruity zing. I quite like the salty burst of ikura as it pops in my mouth and was delighted with the garnish on top of the Green goddess crisp. Fresh asparagus, complemented by pickled reddish and savoury ikura fast became one of my favourite snacks.
It's not tea if there are no scones and Tease's scones are soft on the inside, crisp on the outside and come with clotted cream and housemade raspberry jam with dehydrated raspberry. The cute-looking Mango delice sphere is packed with the ripe mango flavour and aroma we love. The Matcha slice is, in fact, cube-shaped, while the Chocolate praline gives you a playful hint of what flavour awaits, as its milk chocolate shell is painted with dashes of pink and white, if only as a hint to the strawberry milkshake flavour inside. The Fleur de Noisette aptly translates to "hazelnut blossom" and is stuffed with the heavenly blend of chocolate, vanilla cream and salted caramel, with candied hazelnut.
Expect two versions of Panna cotta: the Jerusalem artichoke panna cotta being savoury. The bite-sized delight has a peppery flavour while the slices of dried kumquat shine through the most. Unfortunately, the caviar was outshined by other ingredients. The Tahitian vanilla panna cotta is also called the Egg and it needs to be seen to understand why. No spoilers here!
If you ever need a place to brighten a dull afternoon or quench your day-drinking thirst, Tease is it with alcohol-infused brews, such as the boozy iced teas that promise to be one of the tea room's drawing cards. Sundowners, anyone? Visit bit.ly/3URmyUv.
