Review: Time for tea at Aberdeen’s Café Bohème

Fairy lights? Check. Brussels sprouts? Check. Shopped till you’ve dropped? Check.

After all those festive preparations – and, let’s face it, a rather trying year for us all – there couldn’t be a better time to indulge in a pre-Christmas treat. As we headed down to Aberdeen’s Café Bohème, a gorgeous restaurant that pairs Scottish ingredients with French cooking techniques, we were more than ready to put our feet up and enjoy a spot of Afternoon Tea.

Located just off the city’s Union Street, Café Bohème’s décor is pitched perfectly for an Auld Alliance-style restaurant. With moody wooden panels, frosted windows, and a bar adorned with Moët & Chandon bottles, it felt reminiscent of a chic Parisian deli, complete with a roaring open fire to keep out the north-eastern chill.

The décor of Cafe Boheme is a beautiful mélange of French and Scottish style.

First, we ordered a couple of cocktails – we chose their Old Tom Raspberry Gin with lemon juice and sparkling wine which was a cheek-pinching, lip-smacking way to kickstart proceedings. Shortly after, we were presented with a roast butternut squash velouté which was beautifully rich and creamy with coconut notes and just the right hit of chilli to tantalise the taste buds.

Old Tom Raspberry Gin with lemon juice and Sparkling Wine.

The waiting staff were impeccable – they were friendly and professional, and the Covid restrictions in place were far from overbearing. (Apart from hand sanitiser and masks, it felt like stepping into a Parisian-style haven that was far removed from any pandemic chatter). Asked if we were ready to start on the main event, a beautiful stack of sweet and savoury treats appeared in a matter of minutes, and it did not disappoint.

The roast butternut squash velouté was beautifully rich and warming.

From hot smoked sea trout rillette that was both smooth and crunchy in texture to the rich and garlicky Toulouse sausage en croûte, each of the savoury items were packed with intense flavour. Of course, it wouldn’t be a French-style restaurant without fantastic cheese, and we were delighted with both the braised ox cheek and Comté croque monsieur and grilled brie, mushroom and spinach French toastie which could have come straight out of a French deli off the Champs-Élysées. They were easily the stars of the show.

The sweets were presented daintily and beautifully, and none of them felt overly rich as they do in so many Afternoon Tea experiences. The plum and vanilla tart tatin was a personal favourite, with its melt-in-the-mouth flaky pastry and sweet and sour notes. My plus one particularly enjoyed the chocolate torte with orange and cardamom ganache which had just enough spice for it to feel Christmassy. As recommended by our server, we saved the lemon meringue pie until last, and we were glad we did. Again, with the right balance of smooth meringue and crunchy pastry, sweetness and tart lemon curd, the chefs had achieved a wonderful balance of flavours and textures throughout.

The lemon meringue pie was the perfect way to finish a fantastic Afternoon Tea experience.

All too often, a long walk or a long nap is required after an overly indulgent Afternoon Tea, and finishing the lot is a near impossible task. But for the first time we felt we had found a place that had pitched it just right. Goldilocks would be impressed.

Café Bohème is offering a Festive Afternoon Tea for £25 per person throughout December, Monday – Sunday (12pm – 3pm). To find out more, visit their website.