Afternoon Tea at Hihou Japanese Bar Lounge

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Hihou is the bar situated above Nama Nama. It gives the feel of the sibling who appears so effortlessly cool with their seductive aura that piques your curiosity and arouses the adventurous sleuth in you. Not that you'd be chasing many taxis or tailing suspicious figures across town, but the drinks are enough of a tour themselves, and now they're holding afternoon tea too.

Once a limited time only event held as part of Melbourne's Look. Stop. Shop. in July, the sessions are now held regularly on the last Saturday of each month. We were lucky enough to secure our spots for the August event.

The last day of winter 2013 is a pleasantly warm one and we are seated by the balcony where fresh breezes sail lazily about. We are presented with folded menus detailing the upcoming treats and a selection of teas on offer: peach appeals to me, vaguely sweet but gentle enough to not distract from the calibre of the edible contestants.


First up, are a tonkatsu sandwich, potato mochi and pork and prawn rice balls. Each delectable, but I like the sandwich best with the swish of wasabi.


Round two is a bento box of sweets with matcha biscuits, chocolate fudge 'lamington', apple tart and coffee mochi. The fudge is wonderfully rich; I'd take this over a cake and jam interior any day but the coffee mochi takes the crown this time - it is very soft and slightly chewy, but not too dense so we do not end up looking like cows chewing grass. A delightful punch of the beverage Melbourne takes so seriously makes me extra happy.


The final round consists of green tea sponge cake with cream cheese and red bean and donuts with yuzu filling. The crisp, fragrant crust holding the tart, citrus interior is a clear winner. There are some things in life that should stay and some that should go; thankfully they both belong in the former category.

Afternoon tea usually pokes a much bigger hole through your wallet;here it's just $25. With only one held a month and limited places, you'd best book early as spots fill faster than you're reading this article.

#afternoon_tea
#bars
#cbd
#cocktail_bars
#food_wine
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