Looking for a place that will satisfy your hedonistic soul and send your senses in extasy? We believe afternoon tea is often the right balance between indulgence and style. You might even want to lift your pinky while slowly sipping tea out of the cuppa. At Farquhar Mansion high tea, you’ll get enough privacy for some nutty ideas, as long as you don’t disturb other guests. Maybe you’ll feel like in a fairy tale while you’ll eat off the “Cinderella pumpkin” afternoon tea stand.
Atmosphere
Ian and I enjoyed our afternoon tea at the original Farquhar Mansion. Its theme could be described as lavish colonial with a more formal feel. Flooring sets the mood in earthy tones and square patterns continue through the dark wooden wall décor.
Nevertheless, the focus stays on the golden velvet chairs and matching drapes. It feels good to sit on soft plush dining chairs and listen to the classic covers while sipping from the elegant teacup with the golden handle. With dimmed lights, it feels even a little secluded.
Tea Selection
The tea selection is quite modest, but still offers classics that will lift you and those that are caffeine-free. Whatever tea you choose, you’ll get it in the big teapot. Yes, the size of the teapot made us very happy and so did promise for more hot water if we wish to dilute the steeping tea. Our choice of the day came down to the Jasmine Gold, a flavored green tea. It had a strong jasmine aroma that transferred into refined floral flavor based on green tea.
Ronnefeldt Tea
The represented brand is Ronnefeldt, which is a premium quality German tea brand founded in the early 19th century. For almost 200 years, they deliver handpicked tea leaves of the highest quality from long term suppliers.
Scones at Farquhar Mansion High Tea
I think scones are a great indicator of how good the afternoon tea will be. To clarify, just across the road at E&O High Tea, we had probably the best scones ever. Bars are set high, but Farquhar Mansion High Tea is not a joke either.
Fruit scones here are perfect! Initially, the high-rise dough makes them irresistible and it only gets better from here on. In essence, crisp crust feels close to crunchy biscuits while the inside is tender and warm. Well, what can we say, it’s a joy to munch on them even without the toppings. Although we got some salted whipped cream and mixed berry jam next to our mixed fruit scones. Amount of salt in cream indicated that the chef at Farquhar Mansion isn’t afraid of taking risks and knows that salt brings best out of everything, even sweet jam.
We must admit that at our Farquhar Mansion high tea, we finally found a serious competitor to E&O scones. Admittedly, I was happier with the two different scones and two jams across the street at the heritage E&O hotel but wouldn’t mind having those anytime, either.
Savories at our Farquhar Mansion High Tea
Below, you’ll find a short description of individual morsels, but before we go into that, you should know that they sent us in the seventh heaven. With that being said, be aware of some severe temptation.
Potato Blinis
Small potato pancake is old Russian comfort food that is delicious even as a plain pancake. But like always toppings improve everything, especially if they are presented with traditional origins in mind. The cherry on top must be the caviar, which used to be eaten only by royalty about 200 years ago. The first bite of our afternoon tea at Farquhar Mansion surely made us feel out of the ordinary. As special as tender potato blinis fried on truffle oil with cured salmon and salmon roe on top.
Duck Confit Tart
Golden leaf garnish could be seen as a crown for this scrumptious tart. A sweet and sour tamarind jam next to the slow-cooked duck surely is a winning combination. Along with the crunchy phyllo dough and broccoli crumbs, it surely deserves the gold medal. Reason being the flavourful synergy of buttery base spiced with fruitiness which spins around umami.
Butter Bread
This two-bite butter bread is an exciting treat that allows you some freestyle consumption. If you want, you can divide the steamed cherry tomato with pesto into one bite while leaving the other half for later. That will leave you with sweet poached prawn and cheese sphere still intact. You can also go crazy on cutlery and make each bite different. This way, you’ll be able to see how the smooth cheese runs down the prawns once the sphere gets burst.
Fungi Forest
Eyeballing the mushroom gratin made us think of nature. Let’s say the puff pastry appears as a forest’s ground, which is full of mushrooms and truffles. We loved the abundant topping of mushrooms that were garnished with the fresh sprout. The green sprout can send an image of the forest’s canopy and it provided some refreshing taste. This moreish piece held the cream really well between the small chunks of the mushroom mix. Would it be too far to compare that to the soft forest grounds that are like a sponge?
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Farquhar Mansion High Tea Sweets
Each of us got four stunning looking sweets on the top of the Cinderella pumpkin tray. The fifth one rested below, right next to scones and contributed the popping red color that was part of each tray. We must admit, the chef nailed the presentation!
Choux Au Craquelin AKA Cream Puff
Craquelin stands for the red cracked cookie that covers the puff entirely and adds another layer of texture to it. It is also an impeccable contrast to the shiny and smooth chocolate mousse on top of the cream puff. Rich mousse is also a great match to the creamy filling with the coffee taste.
Rhubarb Cheesecake
Together rhubarb and raspberry sauce make this cheesecake light as feathers. Surely the cheese cream on its own is fluffy, but the acidity adds that extra lightness that fools the mind. Also, the juices from fresh berries fit in the same box for toning down the fat. On top of the cake, we got some crumb crust for crunchiness, while the base dough was softer. Can this Farquhar Mansion High Tea Review get even better?
Caramelize Banana Mascarpone Tart
Yes, it can. Timidly wrapped in chocolate and covered with macaron, this tart looked nothing like expected. Nonetheless, it delivered the promised banana thrill with a chocolate finish. Besides the milk chocolate ring, the dark chocolate fudge enhanced the chocolate aftertaste. Worth mentioning is the hidden surprise this mouth-watering treat held in its center; roasted hazelnut.
Passion Fruit Shooter
Flavors in this glass can be described as heavenly. First is the sweet passion fruit sauce that will leave you excited. Yet the silky Crème Brulee will leave your taste buds at peace. This might be the most uncomplicated dessert so far, but we loved it through and through.
Lychee Rose Mousse
We left this one to be our last bite at Farquhar Mansion for its aromatics. We betted that it will leave our breath refreshed with rose helping us face the end of this enjoyable tea time. Now we can confirm the right decision and share with you that this light mousse is heavenly. Both rose and lychee were easily detectable through the chocolate cookie at the bottom of it.
Is This the Best High Tea in Penang?
Who wouldn’t love this sophisticated afternoon tea set? It had everything from luxury items to the comforting flavors that we couldn’t get enough of. Food-wise Farquhar Mansion high tea definitely fits on the list of the best high teas in Penang. Nevertheless, the tea selection could be more extensive and some stronger light wouldn’t hurt. Other than that, it was a delightful experience.
If you are looking for the best high tea in Penang, don’t miss out on our article and find out which is the best afternoon tea in Penang in our opinion.
Conclusion
Penang has an impeccable offer of afternoon teas, and we love it. However, Farquhar Mansion High Tea certainly is one of the best high teas here around, and you should give them a visit. Especially if you are more into ‘Haute de cuisine’. Are there any downs? Well yeah, ambiance could be a bit more bright if you ask me.
Farquhar Mansion High Tea Review Card
- ATMOSPHERE – 8.2/108.2/10
- SERVICE – 9.8/109.8/10
- TEA SELECTION – 7.9/107.9/10
- PRESENTATION – 9.4/109.4/10
- BITES – 9.5/109.5/10
- VALUE – 9.8/109.8/10
Price and Location
From Tuesday to Sunday you can treat yourself to Farquhar Mansion high tea at a price of about 15 USD per person. This afternoon tea time frame stands in between 3 pm until 5 pm. Accordingly to the best afternoon teas, we advise you to book in advance. Here is a link to a location for easier navigation.
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