Scones & ‘Spresso martinis in Sunlight Chambers.
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”
Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady, 1881
And you’d have to agree. I’d gone a little cold to the concept of afternoon tea for a while, quite possibly from having every single offering in Newcastle over the past few years. That and well, there’s only so many ways to improve scones and sandwiches isn’t there? And as per cozzie livs in 2024, it feels like a stretch to spend £60 on it. But finding a moment of calm, to solely sit and do nothing than eat cake seems more appealing than ever. For me, it’s lost a bit of its exclusivity and shine, but then again, it’s just so… gluttonous.
Afternoon tea at Hibou Blanc (13 High Bridge, NE1 1UW) makes a lot of sense. It’s a grand old gaff, Grade II. There’s not many like it in the city centre, especially outside of hotels like Malmaison et al, which… yawn.
You’ll pay £28pp which seems to be the norm for everywhere these days. Keep in mind you’ll need another £6 for a glass of fizz if that’s your bag. Plenty of people are instead smashing in the pornstar martinis with theirs, as is correct.
It’s a lot of food to be fair, we ended up taking some home. Flour and sugar heavy as always, but in short, as is Hibou Blanc, all of a very decent quality.
Tea is from Birchall and does the job, or cocktails are £6 on Saturday afternoons between 12-3 which is highly convenient.
On your bottom tier, it’s nice to have additional savoury options and Hibou Blanc usually does a good sausage roll. There’s a wee mushroom quiche too as well, both of which have pleasingly short and light pastry. Maybe some chutney or something would lift it. Like the apricot chutney in the ham sandwich which has got a nicely spiced twang to it. Otherwise, egg mayo and cress, and tuna mayo, are pretty forgettable. Fresh enough, though.
Scones are fine if not likely to make anyone’s end-of-year favourites list. They strike that nice blend of fluffy and crumbly. Cream first, then jam.
It’s all worth the entry price until the cake layer. Some are clearly made well in advance which is a shame. I could barely finish the dry chocolate orange madeleine which has all the bounce of a bath sponge. Save the glaze, and just cook them à la minute instead.
Thankfully the pastry on a delicate brûlée tart is as snappy as it should be, and a blackberry cheesecake is rich in all the right kind of ways. Pretty, too.
We’ve been to Hibou Blanc a couple of times recently and if pressed, I’d sooner have three courses from the set menu for £25 than afternoon tea. But it’s among one of the better city centre ones, and the allure of decent, cheap cocktails will likely tip the balance for most people.
They’ve run a couple of promotions for half-price afternoon tea recently, and if this has convinced you at all, then it’s currently back on Fridays and Saturdays throughout February from 12-3pm.
Contact: hiboublanc.co.uk
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