The western savoury first course
The western savoury first course

This unique experience at an opulent tea room in Hyderabad transports you into The Regency Era

The Wild Teapot at The Leela let us fulfill our vintage dreams
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The Regency era may well be behind us but popular shows like Bridgerton offer a glimpse into the glamour of the times gone by. Elaborate tea parties serving the choicest delights on elegant tableware — the very picture tempts even the least sociable of us.

Opening up like a captivating novel, The Wild Teapot at The Leela Hyderabad let us fulfill our vintage dreams. Ornate chandeliers lit up a stunning handpainted Machilipatnam Chintz wall mural, while a display of freshly baked goods beckoned us for a sneak peak. Complete with place settings for an afternoon tea, the welcoming space spoke of elegance.

Spanning three courses with a choice of Western or Indian treats, the afternoon tea experience offers a selection of close to 10 varieties of loose leaf teas from Darjeeling, Assam and the Nilgiris.

Our first cup of tea, The moonshine, Darjeeling speciality first flush grown in Liza Hill, activated our senses with its delicate floral aroma.

From the savoury course, the Herb cream cheese sandwich with Cucumber carpaccio was a refreshing start to the afternoon. The Grilled panini with bocconcini and tomato had creamy, slightly tangy flavours and was grilled to a perfect crisp.

From the Indian savoury course, the Chicken tikka pain au suisse had the robust profile of the Chicken tikka enveloped in an incredibly flaky pastry, skilfully blending Indian flavours with French baking techniques.

The Gosht haleem in puff tartlets featuring incredibly rich haleem topped with birista threw in hints of caramelised goodness in every bite; Hyderabadis would approve.

The second course consisted of Palmiers and scones. While the Western platter had traditional Vanilla and Cranberry scones, the Indian platter had fennel and cardamom ones. Served with clotted cream and homemade berry compote, the mildly sweetened treats were flaky, and addictive.

Our second cup of tea was the Balasun, with notes of honeysuckle, ripe plums, and a touch of muscatel with a delicate finish. Sipping on it, we noticed elements of the handpainted mural that complemented the tea ware. While traditional at the outset, using Mughal-inspired florals and botanicals, few fun design elements like a stack of macarons hanging from a tree or imagery of Mughal-era women using mobile phones threw in elements of surprise to the piece.

The third and final course consisted of desserts, with four options starting with the refreshing Fresh fruit and Mango pastry cream eclair with light cream. What took the priz e was the Chocolate delicious — a handcrafted specialty by executive chef Devakumar. The light mousse-like texture with rich chocolatey flavours lingered on, long after our afternoon tea party ended.

INR 4,999++ for two. At Banjara Hills.

The western savoury first course
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