Yugen Tea Bar

Overview

If your idea of high tea is all white table cloths, frilly pink serviettes and pretty cakes with extravagant icing, then Yugen Tea Bar is here to challenge you. Located in a dimly lit, dark and metallic space in South Yarra, Yugen is just about as far from a traditional high tea experience you're likely to find. The team here includes culinary director Stephen Nairn, head tea sommelier Thibaut Chuzeville and pastry chef John Demetrios, so you know you're in good hands.

Its afternoon high tea offering comes in two courses, the first being savoury and the second being sweet. Savoury options might include puffed forbidden rice with shaved wagyu; parmesan gougere with chives and kombu; spring roll tarts with bonito cream; wagyu pastrami with dill pickles; yellowfin tuna with mayonnaise and avocado with goats chevre.

When it comes to sweets, the serving includes a vanilla slice, a matcha and yuzu macaron, a passionfruit bubble tea tart, carrot cake, an orange profiterole, and, of course — fresh scones with cream and jam.

Yugen boasts a crew of tea sommeliers who'll guide you through the tea options with skill and knowledge. Highlights include the Yugen Dark, which is a blend of Shou Peur and black tea with hints of chocolate and is best enjoyed with milk. Elsewhere, the roasted Japanese Hojicha green tea is low in caffeine and has hints of nuts and biscuits.

The high tea options can come with either a flute of champagne or sparkling or a non-alcoholic option. Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find a la carte sandwiches such as the pastrami sandwich with wagyu pastrami and sauerkraut, a yellowfin tuna sandwich with mayonnaise and chives and an egg salad sandwich with seeded mustard.  A la carte sweets are available, too, as well as gin cocktails and whiskies.

But if you're after more booze and bigger bites, be sure to head downstairs to Yugen Dining — home to incredible cocktails and some of the best Japanese food in Melbourne.

Images: Sean McDonald