My boyfriend and I decided to unwind after a convention over afternoon tea at Perry's, care of a coupon I got from Deal Grocer. We had already eaten a couple hours prior but with roughly 5 hours of walking during a convention, I thought it best that we have an early light dinner so that we wouldn't need to eat the rest of the day.
The restaurant was a short walk away from McKinley Hill proper and was easy to find. The decor upon stepping in was classy and relatively simple, but gave an air of elegance and comfort which was incredibly inviting given that we had been walking in the rain. A waiter approached us and we were seated at a table by the door. We gave the coupon for a high tea set for 2 and were given a choice of drinks from their menu. Though a couple of tea options were out and there was a bit of confusion with the waiter (as my guess is that he was still new and needed to get used to the flow), my boyfriend ordered a cold Yerba Mate tea due to curiosity for what it was and I ordered a Flat White coffee as I predicted that it would go well with the tea.
It didn't take very long for them to serve our food which consisted of (right tray on the photo from top to bottom) wagyu burger sliders, fish fillet on toast topped with basil tomato confit, tostada pomodoro, and a grilled corn empanada with side sauces of harissa sauce and yogurt sauce, and for dessert (tray on the left), scones with earl gray butter, white chocolate brownies of some kind, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate oatmeal cookies. We waited a little longer though for our drinks as we didn't like the idea of having tea without them, but after they were both served, we dug in to both food and drink.
My Flat White had a strong coffee flavor but was no less creamy and delicious. For personal preference of a sweet hit, I added one spoon of brown sugar for a light caramel taste, but they served both brown or white sugar that you can use depending on your preference. My boyfriend's Yerba Mate tea was an clear yellow tea, served with a sugar syrup so you could add sweetness based on your preference. My boyfriend poured the entire bottle in it so it was essentially a fancier variant of iced tea with an earthier first taste but a sugary hit as he liked it.
For the food items, we went in order of how we learned to have high tea: savory first, scones next and dessert last. The first we got and easiest to pick-up was the tostada pomodoro. It was a welcoming rich hit of tomato with an herby depth on top of a nice bit of lightly crunchy toast. Though a simple dish, the flavors set a promising tone for the rest of the meal. Next, we had the fish fillet on toast with a basil tomato confit. Though it sounds like the flavors of this one and the pomodoro would be similar, it went in a different direction due to the fish. The fish was nicely cooked and succulent to the bite, while the light tomato and basil offered an acidic end note that left you satisfied. With the food being this good so far, we couldn't wait to try the empanadas. We first tried the empanadas with just the harissa and while I felt my tongue was on fire, my boyfriend found it lightly spicy. We both agreed though that it was tasty as the corn and ground beef filling worked well with the crunchy empanada crust, but I especially found it good with the yogurt sauce that killed the fire. Finally, we had the wagyu beef sliders. It was the most straight forward and most simple of the 4 dishes in terms of flavor as it was a clean hit of meat with juices running from the burger itself, while the bun offered a bit of sweetness. As strange as this may sound given my fire comments, I added a bit of the harissa to my burger that acted as a sort of spicy herby ketchup and gave more flavor dimension to the dish.
Next, we moved on to the scones. They were cute, fluffy but nicely crisp on the outside while offering little resistance when bitten. When paired with the earl gray butter, it became a delight. The taste of the earl gray tea is prominent in the scone but the end note is still a nice, satisfying buttery flavor. As the flavor of these scones are more simple, they serve as a good transition from the spicy, meaty and savory treats to the sweeter side of the meal while also cleansing the palette.
Finally we, have the dessert. The first was a brownie of some kind that confused my boyfriend at first bite. Due to his strange reaction, I paid closer attention to the flavor and found what confused him. The top part of the brownie was moist, dense, dark and had a nice light chocolate flavor while the bottom was a little more dry with a white chocolate taste. This particular treat would be best paired with coffee, for which I was happy that I had mine. The cookies were less confusing as they tasted unquestionably good and homemade. The texture was chewy with a bit of a crunch and while they were not too sweet, there was a prominent chocolate flavor for both. The main difference was the light salt flavor and texture of the oatmeal was there for the oatmeal cookies while the chocolate cookies were much smoother and chocolate-forward in the flavor.
Overall, the meal was well-balanced, well-executed and nothing short of amazing. Through the meal, we were talking about how we hope the place would continue to do what they do, and how they show such promise, so here's to hoping that they do.
Would I go back? Most definitely. I would love nothing more than to try their mains sometime.
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