Review: Thai Afternoon Tea at Chaophraya Newcastle

Chaophraya Newcastle- Sunday 24th September 

Today we hit up one of our favourite dining spots in Newcastle for something a little different. Chaophraya invites you to Escape the City with their delectable Thai Afternoon Tea. We are huge fans of this wonderful restaurant which honestly hosts one of the best views in town as you dine. Right in the centre of Newcastle in Eldon Square shopping centre it looks right out onto Grey’s Monument- a sight I never tire of seeing. 

We have visited before for their A La Carte menu but I always love afternoon tea. It is available Sunday – Wednesday from 12-4pm. As we entered we were greeted by warm, welcoming staff who are truly top tier. Nothing is too much of an ask for them and they are super friendly. Sitting down at the table we were offered a choice of Still or Sparkling Water and brought over some of their delicious prawn crackers with sweet chilli sauce. 

There are two Afternoon Teas to choose from – The Classic or From the Garden. One traditional and one Vegetarian friendly. There are Vegan options available across this whole menu as well. We went for The Classic afternoon tea. From the Garden contained – Frangipane Cakes, Plant Based Chicken on rice paper, Summer Rolls, Vegetable Thai Tacos, Vegetable Spring Rolls and Sweetcorn Cakes – this truly sounded delicious. 

A glass of Prosecco is included in the cost of the Afternoon Tea – which is £35 per person. If you are not drinking you can choose a Coffee of your choice instead – they have Cappuccinos, Lattes and Americanos to pick from. There are other drinks available at an extra cost as well. The Thai Teas looked delicious – iced teas crafted with love and sweetened condensed milk served with whipped cream. Or if it’s a particularly special occasion you can add a bottle of Moët Imperial Brut Champagne for £40.

The Prosecco came and was beautifully crisp and cold and tasted delicious. From our menu we had to pick which cakes we wanted alongside our Bottomless Tea of choice. The cake options were Brownie, Carrot or Coffee and Walnut and the teas were English Breakfast, Green Tea with Jasmine Blossom and Earl Grey. It’s a very difficult choice and they all sound wonderful but we settled on the brownies and carrot cake. The Jasmine Tea arrived steaming hot and was so fresh. There was a short wait time of fifteen minutes which we were made aware as the food is made fresh. Just enough time to enjoy our drinks and prawn crackers and take in the view. 

When the Afternoon Tea arrived it was presented beautifully. A bird cage decorated with flowers and leaves with all of the delicious looking treats. First up we are all of the bottom layer which was filled with the hot food. It was served piping hot. The chicken satays were perfectly peanutty and cooked to perfection. The vegetable spring rolls were crispy and packed with flavour and combined with the sweet chilli sauce they were just delightful. 

The star of the show for me had to be the signature chicken Thai tacos. The red curry and coconut milk chicken mince was served on a soft rice flour taco with crispy shallots. It was a perfect combination of textures and tasted like nothing I had ever tried before. They certainly had a kick to them but nothing to unbearable. 

The cold savoury food was my least favourite I will say as I found the Summer Rolls a little difficult to eat. I am one of those people who does not like the taste of corriander and the mint was not finely chopped enough for me personally. I can imagine they’d be right up someone’s street but sadly not mine. The King Prawn Mango Salsa Pastry Canapés were tasty and the prawns were gigantic and super fresh. 

We both loved the sweet treats and the top layer was covered with a layer of lotus biscuit crumbs and raspberries. As if that wasn’t delicious enough the chocolate brownies were rich and decadent and the carrot cake had the most perfect levels of spice and sweetness and was so moreish. I could have ate another three pieces of the light sponge. 

All in all, it was the most wonderful experience. The service was brilliant and this will not be my last visit to Chaophraya!