Knife Pleat - Costa Mesa

What does a one-Michelin-star tea look like?

Small. Little bites, lithe and light, delicate, exquisite.

There's not a single ingredient that doesn't get to sing, and everything serves a purpose, whether it primes your palate, tickles your taste buds, or just makes magic in your mouth. No nonsense, no fillers, just a concise three-tier and some sandwiches that prioritize top-notch quality over uncomfortable quantity.

Start by selecting a single tea from a carefully curated list. I went Grand Earl Grey and got the cleanest, truest earl grey I've ever had. It's a shockingly straightforward cup of bold and woody, strong and simple, with a less harsh finish no matter how long it steeps. It's undoubtedly elegant and gracefully self-assured, but it's my bestie's Jin Xuan Oolong that floats with floral and fruity notes, a breezy bouquet as beautiful as its drinker.

Start with the sandwiches before you fill up on everything else. The Maine Lobster Eclair is a brick of a baguette, an all-butter shell with a shattering crust. It's reminiscent of a Red Lobster cheddar biscuit...if Red Lobster were run by Michelin-starred chefs. The filling has the full, sweet succulence of a delicate lobster with some crunch from small bits of celery.

Gravlax Salmon is a slick and meaty fish, sweetened by a sheet of cream cheese with a lift of dill on an earthy rye-caraway bread. 

Bright Persian Cucumbers crunch across an herby cream cheese, and even the Radish & Watercress has some pop, with a dry and bitter radish to offset the thick slab of butter beneath. It is a masterful chef indeed who can make radishes remotely interesting.  

Take that Deviled Egg from the top tier, and bite into that creamy concoction. The yolky mix is seamless, a balance of density with uplifting herbs offset by a few pops from the dill smoked trout roe on top. 

The middle tier has more savories; meet the Green Circle Chicken Barquette which holds the best chicken salad my bestie has ever had. There's savory chicken, crunchy celery, some sweetness from the apple, and just enough curry to give it some grit without turning it into a heavy hitter. 

The Winter Crostini is a pile of cold roots: celeriac, carrot, butternut squash, and yellow beet, all beautifully cooked and topped with some tangy pomegranate to sweeten the deal.

My favorite is always the Sunchoke, a sweet, roasted root with a simple, buttery tart shell and a dollop of cream on top. 

Desserts are very dessert-y, but the lower amounts of sugar show restraint. There's a simple little Strawberry Cream Puff, with a cake so fluffy and light. There's a Lemon Cake a la Sansa Stark, and my favorite is this Cacao Pod of chocolate mousse with fragrant hazelnut and a tangy layer of passionfruit. I've never seen anything so beautiful or tasted anything so complete. The Financier has a lovely pistachio with a base of brown butter cake. My least favorite has to be the Rhubarb Tartelette. This vibrant setting sun is more like a very light jelly, and it strips the rhubarb of a lot of its tartness. It might make it more palate-pleasing and far less jarring, but it takes the barb out of the rhubarb.

Just around the edge of a flawless black sesame Macaron sits a Diamant Chocolat Sable, basically a rich chocolate cookie, a perfect ending accompaniment to any tea. 

It's a lovely tea service that ends entirely too soon. I loved every moment and cherished every bite, and I left fully satisfied but felt like I could always have one more. It's beautiful but it's not cheap, and it's something most people can rarely afford to replicate. Still, I think I'd choose it again, even over other great tea services that might cost half as much. Afternoon tea is already very elevated, so why not splurge on the very best?