October 2016 70 www.womanthismonth.com LIFESTYLE | food chicken was an interesting nod to more local cuisine alongside the cucumber sandwiches and smoked salmon on rye bread. To be honest, much as I’m happy to sample any number of sandwiches, for me afternoon tea is all about the cakes. And, on that score, Furn did not disappoint. I had been greedily eyeing a delightful butterfly cake with vanilla cream and strawberry jam, the deliciously light sponge and rich filling immediately transported me back to my mum’s kitchen – and trust me, praise doesn’t come much higher than that. The cake tray also contained blueberry tart, a red velvet slice and chocolate choux buns with keshta cream. Almost full to bursting, I felt I must at least try one more, purely in the interests of research you understand. The blueberry confection was worth the sacrifice with the added bonus of being able to, almost, count it as one of my five a day. One might expect that to be the end of this afternoon indulgence but, no sooner had the cake plates been cleared than the waiter was heading our way again – this time with apple strudel and scones served with clotted cream and homemade jam. Pure English afternoon heaven on a plate, but they did put an end to my shopping for the day. Afternoon tea and high tea at Furn are both priced at a very reasonable BD20++ for two which includes, of course, a pot of tea from the extensive tea menu. I’ll definitely going back, I didn’t quite manage to eat all the cakes. I’m a firm believer that there are two things a girl can never have enough of – shoes and cake. So, when I heard The Westin’s new bistro and bakery, Furn, was serving afternoon tea, the chance to indulge both my taste buds and an ever-present desire for retail therapy, was simply too good to miss. Served in a purpose-built area of the atrium outside the hotel, the atmosphere is very much traditional with light pouring from above and comfortable garden-like seating. Plates containing a cornucopia of delights are brought to the table and suspended in a kind of bird cage contraption on metal poles resembling shepherd’s crooks. This sounds odd but actually looks really quaint and pretty, so much so that I want one for my garden, and it allows you to remove a plate at a time without cluttering up the table. There are two set menus, high tea and English afternoon tea, and we were lucky enough to try a selection from both. The quail’s egg salad on a bite-size English muffin with mustard cress looked almost too cute to eat – though that didn’t stop my companions who dived in enthusiastically. I went for beef basturma with thyme and onion confit on brioche. The tasty, seasoned, air-dried beef was perfectly complemented by the sweetness of the onion confit and the saffron pita pocket filled with pistachio Liz O’Reilly finds the newly launched afternoon tea at this downtown venue a welcome break from a hard day’s shopping. THE WESTIN BAHRAIN CITY CENTRE Tea for Two
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