After months of full-force preparation for my examination, I can finally be back to writing about the things I love - food & eating!
To celebrate that, KS brought me to a Japanese-style high tea at Kissaten @ Jaya One. I always know Kissaten for its Teriyaki Pork Burger and Char Siew Pizza, but never did I know they do serve high tea too. So, being a fan of all things called high tea, I had to try it, which turned out to be a worthy experience.
For only RM 58++, this entitles two person to a variety of Japanese-infused sweet and savoury treats, accompanied by a choice of two beverages (coffee, tea or milk-based drink). For this price, it seems pretty reasonable.
The bottom tray (clockwise): Tamago Sushi Sandwich, Salmon Sushi Sandwich, Smoked Duck with Bacon, Pork Belly Bruschetta, Tsukune Meat Balls with Teriyaki Sauce & Tuna Tart.
The upper tray: Poppy Passion Jelly, Rosella Jelly, Mocha Butter Cupcake, Japanese Cheese Cake, Coffee Panna Cotta, Green Tea Parfait & Eggmushi.
Time to taste!
I started off with the mini Tuna Tart. The buttery tart shell is filled with a lot of tuna mayonnaise, which is very light in taste. What I liked about the tuna mayonnaise is that although it has been mashed and combined, you can still feel some chunkiness in the tuna mix and hence, the natural sweetness & juiciness of the tuna meat. It just makes you feel like you're eating some real, fresh food.
While I was eating the Salmon Sushi Sandwich, which I find has nothing much to shout about, I was distracted by KS who keeps telling me how nice the Tsukune Meat Balls are. Tried it myself and I totally agree - it was really good. Looked ordinary and a little unappealingly dry, these handmade meat balls are very juicy with a lovely, crispy crust on the outside. Drizzled with their sweet BBQ-like teriyaki sauce, they make a lovely yummy snack.
While I was eating the Salmon Sushi Sandwich, which I find has nothing much to shout about, I was distracted by KS who keeps telling me how nice the Tsukune Meat Balls are. Tried it myself and I totally agree - it was really good. Looked ordinary and a little unappealingly dry, these handmade meat balls are very juicy with a lovely, crispy crust on the outside. Drizzled with their sweet BBQ-like teriyaki sauce, they make a lovely yummy snack.
The Tamago Sushi Sandwich, like the salmon sandwich, was also mediocre. I think it could be partly because we started off with the more flavourful treats first, which sort of spoiled our expectations for the remaining ones.
For the Smoked Duck with Melon, unfortunately, we have a pretty weird feeling to it - not because it tasted bad. Something seems to be missing, but we just can't pinpoint what it is. Somehow, the smoked duck just didn't really blend well with the sweet honeydew and the overall combination was a bit too wet. They are good on its own though, but definitely not as a pair.
Then comes the Pork Belly Bruschetta - thinly sliced pork belly dressed with a fragrant sesame-based sauce topped on a toasted sliced baguette. Oh, I love the complexity of the flavours in the sauce - a bit of saltiness and acidity, with a final kick of the nuttiness.
I think the most interesting piece of the whole afternoon tea set that will catch almost anyone's attention would be these cute and adorable savoury egg custard served in eggshells. Eggmushi, they call it - well, technically, you can't call them chawanmushi when they are not steamed in a tea bowl. They may be tiny and have very simple ingredients (only egg and mushrooms) but they are bursting with flavours. Although the texture was far from silky, every spoon of the juicy egg custard was so good. Wish there were more of it.
I think the most interesting piece of the whole afternoon tea set that will catch almost anyone's attention would be these cute and adorable savoury egg custard served in eggshells. Eggmushi, they call it - well, technically, you can't call them chawanmushi when they are not steamed in a tea bowl. They may be tiny and have very simple ingredients (only egg and mushrooms) but they are bursting with flavours. Although the texture was far from silky, every spoon of the juicy egg custard was so good. Wish there were more of it.
After finishing a series of savoury treats, we started off the sweet treats with the refreshing Poppy Passion Jellies and Rosella Jellies. Served on mini cupcake cases, these tiny jellies generally are not very sweet while the fragrance of the ingredients they have put into (the passion fruit and rose petals) gave a nice palate cleansing effect. For me, between the two, that hint of tanginess in the passion fruit jelly was my favourite.
Green Tea Butter Cupcake - I love this piece of dessert the most. From the top, it looks like any ordinary butter cake, but as you eat into the cupcake, you'll discover the hidden green-coloured portion, which has been combined with green tea. A good butter cupcake, I must say.
If you're a big fan of green tea, then you should not miss the Green Tea Parfait. This smooth, creamy dessert is heavily flavoured with a lot of green tea powder and hence, there is a slight hint of bitterness. But I liked it, very much. It's like a concentrated dose of green tea essence, spoon after spoon.
Another dessert is the Coffee Panna Cotta topped with some crumbles. As opposed to the intense flavour of the green tea parfait, this is slightly less outstanding due to the mild coffee flavour. It is still nice, though.
Then, lastly is the Japanese Cheese Cake. I'm not sure if it was because I was already full to the brim, but the taste of the cheese in my mouth somehow turned me off completely. However, judging from KS expression after he had his first bite of the cheesecake, I was pretty sure it was good. Definitely very cheesy.
Another dessert is the Coffee Panna Cotta topped with some crumbles. As opposed to the intense flavour of the green tea parfait, this is slightly less outstanding due to the mild coffee flavour. It is still nice, though.
Then, lastly is the Japanese Cheese Cake. I'm not sure if it was because I was already full to the brim, but the taste of the cheese in my mouth somehow turned me off completely. However, judging from KS expression after he had his first bite of the cheesecake, I was pretty sure it was good. Definitely very cheesy.
For drinks, I went with a hot cup of Matcha Au Lait - a light milk flavoured with green tea powder. I quite love this green tea milk as it is not too creamy or powdery and very gentle on the taste-buds (and my digestion). Plus, there is a hint of sweetness that is just not too overbearing. Some may find it a bit diluted, but for me, it was just nice.
KS ordered coffee instead. I barely had much of the drink as KS was very quick in finishing the coffee. Based on just one sip, the coffee is not too bad - quite bitter at first sip but soon leaves, in my opinion, a nice nutty aftertaste.
Overall, I will give my thumbs up for this Japanese high tea at Kissaten because they looked fantastically appealing and tasted great. Well, at least, they did a real good job in brushing away my post-exam blues.
Kissaten
L12A-1-1, Palm Square
Jaya One
Jalan Universiti
46200 Petaling Jaya
