High Tea @ Jess' Restaurant

Now that I've finally started trying out the spots I didn't get a chance to visit, it was time to get to Jess' Restaurant out in Kerrisdale.  I've heard varying opinions about that place, but as usual, I have to check it out myself to make my own assessment.  Joining me on this food adventure is another fabulous foodie, Ophilia, who I met at Chef Kristian's pop-up dinner in Squamish.  The first thing that struck us when we walked into the place was its glizty Vegas-like decor and vibe -  a bit different for Kerrisdale.  We considered doing the lunch menu, but ultimately decided on the 3-Tier High Tea.

Naturally, the whole experience started with our choice of tea.  Since I enjoy fruitier and more floral teas, I went for the Marco Polo which was a black tea with a fruity and flowery taste.  Sounded exactly up my alley!  That it was and it came with a big ornate pot of hot water as well as a sachet rest on the side.  So all of the accessories were pretty, how about the food?

We started on the bottom tier of savoury items first that consisted of Salmon Gravlax Canape (house-made blini, horseradish mascarpone and deep fried capers), Egg Toast (toasted brioche, 63° egg yolk, chives and marinated ikura), and Jumbo Seared Scallop (deep fried capers, crouton and lemon zest).  This was a great start as the salmon was buttery and the blini was soft without being too delicate.  That egg toast was the bomb.  Brioche was crispy and buttery while the egg yolks had a great mouth feel and were so custardy.  Although the scallop was hardly jumbo, it was perfectly seared and caramelized.  Beautifully delicate inside and sweet.

Our next tier consisted of a Corn Cheese Financier, Butter Scone, Maple Pecan Scone, Berry Compote and Crème Fraîche.  I really enjoyed the savoury financier as there was a sweet smoky outer crust giving way to a balanced moist cheesy sweet cake.  The butter scone ate more like a biscuit (looked like one too) with a crispy buttery crust  and fluffy centre.  Not as sweet as the name would suggest, the maple pecan scone was appealingly firm on the outside with intermittent pieces of walnut.

The top tier was all the sweets sporting a Strawberry Choux, Earl Grey Mousse Cake, Salted Vanilla Macaron and Matcha Chocolate.  The strawberry choux ate as good as it looked.  Delicately crispy with semi-sweet cream, this was appealingly light.  I thought the mousse cake was excellent being airy and just sweet enough.  Good hit of earl grey without being overwhelming while the lavender was in the background.  We weren't fans of the macaron as it was a bit too large and then there was far too much filling and being overly sweet.  Texturally, it was on point though with a crispy shell and chewy interior.  Ending off things was the delicious matcha chocolate.  It was creamy and smooth with a good hit of matcha without being too bitter.  As you can see, all the treats were relatively small and quaint.  Even though that might not satisfy those with big appetites, you have to remember high tea is supposed to be delicate and not in huge portions.  The quality and execution on nearly on the items was really good, so we enjoyed it.  Now we have to see if the lunch/dinner menu stacks up.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared
- Almost everything was spot on
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Price is par for the course, but some might not find it a good value
- Still not sure about the Vegas glitz