Afternoon tea at the Fairmont Battery Wharf is what I would consider, a modern take of what the age-old version of afternoon tea. Their dining room is streamlined and modern, evoking a luxury yacht with cozy touches like comfortable leather sofas and chairs, a fireplace toward the back, and floor to ceiling windows looking out to the majestic wharf. It’s more of a handsome place rather than a feminine or frilly dining room.
The food has a modern take to it and service is friendly and not uptight. The diners there were a mix of tourists and locals who were catching up with friends, and ranged to about their 20s and above.
We decided upon having the Captain William Sturgis Tea ($49 per person) that starts off with our own glasses (or full 187mL bottles) of NV Chandon Brut Classic Champagne and lobster crostini mixed in creamy cannellini purée. The crostini were delectable to pair with the Champagne; sweet, firm lobster meat and it wasn’t weighed down by the bean purée.
I was curious about tea infused cocktails in their “Untraditional Signature Tea” section (I rarely see them in New York City menus) and ordered the The Princess ($8). This concoction is based on one of the hotel’s wellness tea blends, High Antioxidant (blend of matcha and Kenyan green tea), Four Roses bourbon, habañero infused rum, and bitter lemon soda. It’s a bright, lemon-y, not too sweet cocktail that has a spicy bite. The peppery heat manages to make the drink refreshing.
The bar sent out a preview cocktail for us that’s based on their High Antioxidant tea blend, cucumber juice, and gin. This is a drink for someone who loves gin’s floral, slightly juniper-y notes with the refreshing cucumber. The tea added enough depth to the cocktail without being bitter from the matcha.
Our teas arrived shortly. I’m mostly a traditionalist when it comes to tea and preferred the Organic Genmicha Akaike, a nutty, nicely bodied, green tea that’s mixed with toasted rice. My fellow diners had a sweet, fruity Kea Lani Orange Pineapple herbal tea with notes of dried pineapple and orange peel (and it does taste better with a touch of honey) and Energy wellness tea, a refreshing blend of yerba mate, mint and a hint of lemon.
When our towers of holiday inspired treats arrived, we’re pretty astounded by the options to eat. The eggnog Christmas scone and traditional raisin scone were delicious. Warm, fresh baked, not too sweet, nicely crumbly scones were great with the lemon curd and Devonshire cream.
The savory tea sandwiches of ham & Vermont brie with caramelized apples, roasted turkey with cranberry mayonnaise, roasted red peppers, and cheddar cheese, Deviled egg salad rounds, and truffled white bean hummus caponata, pine nut crunch crostini, were probably the most interesting assortment I’ve eaten in a long while. The roasted turkey sandwich embodied the holiday season but the roasted red peppers made it interesting. The ham and Vermont brie with caramelized apples were my next favorite tea sandwich as there’s a balance between the sweet and savory.
The final tier was filled with “Christmas ball” cookies, are cookies that has many names that you might what you’ve know as the Russian tea cake, Mexican wedding cookies, Swedish tea cakes, Italian butter Nut, Snowdrop, Viennese Sugar Ball and other names. It’s a well made, buttery cookie. There’s also chocolate puddings topped with cranberry sauce and topped with an almond paste cookie. The latter was fine. I’m not too fond of this particular combination of sweet chocolate pudding and tart cranberries. However, the soft, chewy, almond-y cookie was tasty.
As the sun set, the wharf takes on a romantic view with the moon light glowing and reflecting on the water. While we’re sipping our teas and staring out at this beautiful view, we’re completely content but I had to head out since I had a dinner appointment.
To view more photos of these visit, please view the slideshow below (or CLICK HERE):
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Information:
Fairmont Battery Wharf
Website
3 Battery Wharf
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: (617) 994-9000
beautiful! will be going there this month for one of my gf’s birthday..so, is it really one tier display per person? that’s so much good foodies!
The tier is for two people. There’s two tiers since I ate with more than one friend.