Vancouver has a new, limited time only Asian afternoon tea that will go easy on your wallet but NOT on taste. According to 1931 Gallery Bistro at the Vancouver Art Gallery, it’s ” a contemporary afternoon tea offering inspired by
Growing Freedom – The instructions of Yoko Ono / The Art of John & Yoko“

There are no scones and sandwiches and trust me, you won’t miss them at all! Instead, feast on steak bites, slurp on soba noodles, and enjoy a black sesame mousse.

Menu

Savoury

QUAIL EGG BENNY
Smoked Steelhead Salmon, Lemon Ricotta

TUNA POKE
Ahi Tuna, Pineapple Salsa, Edamame, Cilantro

CHILLED RAMEN SHOOTER
Buckwheat Soba, Ginger, Wasabi

KIMCHI DONBURI
Black Rice, Cucumber, Yuzu Tobiko

SESAME SOY STEAK
Tender Beef Hanger, Sweet Soy, Scallions

Sweets

MATCHA MACARON
Ground Almonds, Matcha Ganache

YUZU TART
Butter Crust Shell, Swiss Meringue

MANGO ROLL CAKE
Black Chiffon Cake, Blackberry, Vanilla, Mango Ganache

BLACK SESAME MOUSSE
Sesame Crust Base, Mango Mousse Center

MOCHI
Coconut milk, Matcha Powder, Mochiko

DAIFUKU
Mochi, Dark Chocolate Ganache

Savoury items

I really enjoyed the savoury items because when do you ever have a quail egg benny, tuna poke, soba noodles, kimchi donburi and sesame soy steak at an afternoon tea?!

The soba noodles had a refreshing kick of wasabi and dashi broth. The quail egg benny had the most gorgeous runny yolk while the steak was tender and medium-rare. The kimchi donburi has purple rice and tobiko which gave a lovely chewy and “popping” texture. The tuna poke was a one-bite wonder with fresh tuna and an umami-filled dressing.

Sweets

The best bite goes to the matcha macaron because it hasd gorgeous feet and the signature chewiness in a macaron.

The black sesame mousse was light and has a slightly tart mango centre to cut the richness of all the offerings.

The mochi has a strong coconut milk flavour which is common for its purpose of binding the mochiko flour. The matcha powder offered its colour to the mochi and not flavour.

The yuzu tart had a beautiful thin crust but the yuzu flavour wasn’t prominent enough. This can be due to all the bites having strong flavours. So make sure to drink the sencha tea in between bites!

The mango roll had a springy sponge cake and strong mango flavour!

The chocolate daifuku was my least favourite because the mochi was slightly dried (assuming it was pre-made ahead of time) and the mochi wrapper was a bit thick compared to the filling but still good!

Overal thoughts

Yes, I would go again. It’s a no-brainer because the food and price were satisfying! This set is for two people ($80) but I saw they can offer it for 1 person. Also, you can switch out sencha tea for coffee- just add $2. Please make a reservation and it’s available on the weekend from 10AM -4PM. Some people have it for brunch which totally works!

This afternoon tea set is available until the Yoko Ono exhibition ends (~ May 2022).