HIGH ON ARTEASTRY AT ELEMENT BY WESTIN

Like the name implies, ARTEASTRY stands for Art, Tea and Pastry. This creative take on afternoon tea has taken KL by storm thanks to Element Kuala Lumpur, one of the city’s newest hotels.

Available TRACE restaurant & bar every weekend (Saturday & Sunday) from 1.00pm to 5.00pm, you’d find breathtaking views of the city to tease your senses once you arrive at level 40 of the tallest eco-friendly Hotel in KL.

The modern and minimalist all-day dining restaurant is the perfect backdrop for the ARTEASTRY experience, a convivial weekend gathering to be enjoyed with family and friends. 

Once you have selected your choice of fine tea (from four varieties available), a contemporary bento box accentuated with synthetic turf and elongated slate trays bearing dainty savoury morsels will be brought to your table.

The tempting array included Waffle with Salmon and Crème Fraiche, Apple & Duck in Savoury Cones, Chicken Sliders in Mini Croissants with Tomato Relish, Tomato and Basil Macarons, Confit Portobello Mushroom & Swiss Cheese Bruschetta.

Also in the line-up were light and fluffy Scones, Earl Grey infused and Raisin studded, accompanied by Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam. We found most of the delicious items on-point except for the savoury macarons. I’m all for such inventiveness but the macarons had sadly softened by the time we got around to devouring them.

Luckily the minor hiccup was soon forgotten when the chefs trotted out their artistic dessert presentation. It was rather theatrical but fun-filled and made quite a splash with everyone.

Billed as “The Red Splash”, a white chocolate sphere of Framboise a la Mascarpone is placed onto a large sheet of waxed food-grade paper (printed to mimic newsprint). Then the chefs unleashed their creative streaks loose; splashing, dotting and painting an edible work of art on the table with freestyle droplets and strokes of Raspberry Confit, Mango Purée and melted Chocolate.

Clusters of Meringue Shards along with Vanilla, Chocolate and Chlorophyll Soil, Sponge Fingers, Mascarpone, Fresh Berries, Edible Flowers and Mango Chutney were used to decorate the creative swirls and streaks. For the finale, we were invited to pick up the white chocolate sphere and drop it in the middle of the art piece and create a delectable mess in the centre.

The overall effect might appear terribly chaotic but surprisingly, the various combinations of flavours and ingredients worked well together once we spooned up the different items to sample.

Priced at RM78 nett per set for 2 persons, the ARTEASTRY afternoon tea is highly recommended as a unique and great value experience. Reservations are advisable since its popularity has spread by word of mouth and gone viral in social media.

For reservations, please call TRACE, tel: 03-2771 3351. Address: Level 40, Element by Westin Hotel, Jalan Binjai, Kuala Lumpur.