AN ASIAN TWIST TO AN ENGLISH CUSTOM
Lady Nara’s afternoon tea set is a worthy stop
Afternoon tea tradition was originated in the early 19th century by Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford, who asked for a platter of afternoon refreshment be served in her boudoir. The high-flown gastronomic affair is taking Bangkok by storm two centuries later. Today a number of fine restaurants and tea lounges in the tropical city have come up with their imaginative renditions of the British repast, which includes Lady Nara cafe.
Lady Nara is a stylish one-year-old offshoot of Nara Thai Cuisine restaurant, and offering all-day dining Thai dishes with a worldly wise twist.
When it comes to teatime, the cafe aims to blend exquisite local bliss with the Western savoir faire. As the name suggests, its repertoire of dainties is feminine, graceful and authentic — not a mishmash of finger food paired with second-rate brews.
Here, afternoon tea is served in a birdcage-like, three-tier silver platter. One set is designed for two guests to share and showcases eight items (two pieces per item) accompanied by a pot of refillable English tea or house-brewed herbal tea.
According to the management, the eight-item combination is carefully thought out to complement, and not overpower, each other. Each item is crafted with focus on both refined original taste and mouthfeel.
Housemade scones, prepared to the owner’s highly-treasured family recipe, are a highlight. Current options of flavours include Thai tea, traditionally the most popular choice.
Now the vanilla-ish tea infused treat has given way to the exotic flavour of ma-toom (bale fruit).
The ma- toom scone, which impressively exhibits the characteristic crumbly texture and subtle buttery taste of the British delicacy, is permeated with candied bale fruit to lend an exciting Asian-style piquancy.
The scones are served with marcarpone-butter cream and pairing spread (Thai tea cream for the tea scone and bale fruit chutney for the ma-toom scone).
Other than the scones, truly worth praising are khanom khrok. This Thaistyled pan-baked custard are meticulously made in-house according to a classic recipe with fermented rice flour and fresh coconut milk to yield a cushiony soft, yet a bit gummy mouthfeel. The bite-sized, charred crust treats are served warm with sweet and savoury garnish.
Another old-fashioned local snack featured in the set is la tieng. It features spicy minced chicken delicately wrapped in golden egg nets.
To represent the Western classics, are vol-au-vent puff pastry with mushroom cream sauce; chocolate tartlet with ganash and strawberry; lemon cake mignardise with buttercream frosting; and gooey brownies.
A swan-shaped eclair with light coconut cream is another item combining Western bliss with a Thai finish.
Wrapping up the tea time euphoria is Lady Nara’s famous mango sticky rice. I guarantee that the three-bite portion offered as a part of the afternoon tea set is one of the best you’ll ever have.
The Lady Nara afternoon tea set for two is priced at 820 baht and available everyday, 10am-9pm. However, due to limited availability, reservations are recommended.
The cafe is at Open House, 6th floor of Central Embassy.Call 02-160-5637.