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High Tea is a beloved British pastime, enjoyed by one-and-all back in Blighty for many years, writes Charlie Holding.
The Domain Bahrain, located in the Diplomatic Area, is enticing visitors with the chance to sample the delights of this quintessentially British event daily from the splendour of the 36th floor.
The history of high tea is a fascinating one. Legend has it that in 1840 Anna Stanhope, Duchess of Bedford, began feeling hungry every afternoon between her light lunch and lighter dinner.
To avoid pangs of hunger, she requested tea and assorted baked goods each day from her servants. Eventually the duchess invited her friends to join her and the tradition of afternoon tea became a social occasion.
Traditionally, there is a difference between ‘high tea’ and ‘afternoon tea’ but somehow over the years the difference has become lost. The only discernible difference is that for purists, a high tea is actually served from 5pm to 7pm and afternoon tea from 3pm to 5pm.
The Domain’s marketing and communications manager, Majed Al Alawi, said: “We serve high tea every day from 3-6pm and so far it’s proved very popular with ladies that lunch.
“We’re aiming this at a more distinguished crowd. A lot of people who visit the Domain are in their 20s and do so for our lively night entertainment but we want to show we are versatile and we can be more laid-back and mature too.
“It’s a place you can come to relax, enjoy breathtaking views and enjoy good conversation and a light bite to eat. You can even come and read a book while you enjoy a light snack and a drink.”
The Domain offers two distinct variations of High Tea. One is Deluxe High Tea, which is inclusive of tea, coffee or iced tea with two selected beverages for BD15 and the other is High Tea, for BD8.500 which is inclusive of tea, coffee or iced tea. Both include a selection of scones, sandwiches and sweet treats.
Some of the highlights from the menu include: classic and raisin scones with clotted cream, strawberry preserve and lemon curd, date cake and fruit cake.
There are also mini roast beef baguettes, Scottish smoked salmon brioche, rye gorgonzola and pita bread with spiced chicken.
Rounding off the sweet treats are summer pudding, raspberry trifle, coffee espresso Brule and orange blossom rice pudding.
For details, call 16000000 or email connect@thedomainhotels.com. You can follow them on facebook.com/thedomainhotels.com and Twitter @domainbahrain
