Afternoon tea for a cynical Brit

As a Brit away from home, I take tea and cake very seriously. Afternoon tea, in my opinion, consists of lace doilies, chandeliers, fine bone china and teeny, tiny cucumber sandwiches. All enjoyed whilst extending ones pinky finger, dah-ling

Ok, so I may be exaggerating just a little, but I really am serious about the tea and cake. Taking that into consideration, I was more than a little curious about visiting the Hummingbird Bakery for an afternoon tea, mainly because it’s an American-style bakery. My fears were allayed by its ethos that cakes taste best when made using home baking techniques. There is a kitchen onsite so everything is freshly made that day. 

They also take cake seriously and it shows.

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Let them eat cake

The first thing I noticed after being warmly welcomed to the Mall of the Emirates branch was the vast selection of goodies. There was everything from carrot cake (if you’re feeling healthy, of course) to decadent chocolate and an amazing, Instagram-worthy rainbow slice. If you’re watching portion sizes, the mini cupcakes and cookies are perfect. All shapes and sizes were on display and they looked fab.

What do you get?

The Tea Time for 2 costs AED49 and is available daily from 3pm – 6pm. It includes a good selection of sweet treats and two hot drinks. While there were no mini sandwiches (bah humbug!) the serving was generous and a few of the items were really well executed.

I’m not a fan of red velvet (controversial, I know) but the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie got my attention. I’m still not entirely sure what it is, but it had a delicious buttercream filling. It was pretty huge and though interesting, I wouldn’t say I’ve been converted. The cookie was more my thing; huge chocolate chunks and soft in the middle. Brownies were rich, and the mini cupcakes, light and fluffy. The star of the show though, had to be the Lemon Loaf. It was tangy, refreshing and much welcomed after my chocolate overdose.

Why it’s worth checking out

While I’m still a pedantic Brit, the Hummingbird Bakery’s Tea Time provides a perfect break from shopping and it’s a lovely place to catch up with a friend. It’s good, honest home baking and I can forgive the lack of mini sandwiches because the products are made fresh in-house every day.

Ignore the pessimists who say you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You can prove them wrong in style at the Hummingbird Bakery.