{"id":318255,"date":"2026-05-16T02:46:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/318255\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T02:46:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:46:21","slug":"nudi-blue-brings-afternoon-tea-to-berkeley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/318255\/","title":{"rendered":"Nudi Blue brings afternoon tea to Berkeley"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first Bay Area high tea service I experienced was at a downtown San Francisco hotel. A friend of mine at the time was crazy about drinking tea with petit fours. When she wasn\u2019t making them at home, we scootered around the city to try them out. One particular bakery in the Fillmore specialized in those pretty little desserts. We also went to Lovejoy\u2019s, which was the preeminent place to sit down for an authentically British cream tea. Or as close as California gets to making scones served with preserves and Devon cream.<\/p>\n

More than 20 years later, Lovejoy\u2019s remains open for tea aficionados. In the intervening years, high tea culture hasn\u2019t become as trendy as brewery hangouts. It registers, falsely, as a series of snacks rather than as a complete meal.<\/p>\n

About six months before the pandemic, Leena Lim opened Malaya Tea Room in Alameda. Her restaurant outlasted Covid by packing up to-go boxes. Despite intermittent challenges, including a smashed window earlier this year, Lim\u2019s unique approach incorporates Southeast Asian flavors into traditional English tea sandwiches and desserts. This month, Malaya Tea Room\u2019s menu will feature an ube chiffon cupcake and a black rice pudding with coconut cream.<\/p>\n

Also in Alameda, apparently the high tea capital of the East Bay, Julie\u2019s Coffee & Tea Garden is hosting a series of afternoon teas from May to October. Julie\u2019s social posts include pictures of cupcakes, scones, deviled eggs, thumbprint cookies and cute crustless sandwiches.<\/p>\n

Nudi Blue is the second restaurant from partners Tanz Tussanaprasit and chef Jezreel Rojas. When Tanzie\u2019s Cafe opened in 2024, it wowed Berkeley brunch-goers with soft-scrambled lava eggs and Thai beignets. With Nudi Blue\u2019s dedicated tea service, its approach is just as original and ambitious. The template is the same as Lovejoy\u2019s\u2014teas paired with sweet and savory courses. But when the plates land at the table, they look and taste like clever reinterpretations or reinventions of the familiar standbys.<\/p>\n

A large staff bustles through the kitchen, the dining room and behind the front counter. The host offers an enthusiastic greeting before pointing out several glass containers filled with tea leaves. Loosely speaking, they fall into white and black tea categories that are \u201csingle origin, hand harvested teas from the mountains of Chiang Mai.\u201d When asked to do so, the tea sommelier will take the time to explain the qualities of each and every one.<\/p>\n

Diners then narrow down their choices to two. Per person, a full tea service is $65. There\u2019s also an option to order items a la carte. For me, the full tea service was too much food. The first mostly sweet course included pastries and tartlets. Served vertically, an Earl Grey NY Roll looked like it was inspired by a cinnamon roll but flavored instead with Earl Grey tea. A tiny croissant was topped with a creamy guava paste. And two tartlets were filled with citrus, pear and lychee. The colors and shapes looked like they\u2019d been inspired by the illustrations in children\u2019s books. My companion also enjoyed a smoked sturgeon half-moon croissant.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>PETIT PERFECT The second, mostly savory, course was a favorite. (Photo by J.S. Edalatpour)<\/p>\n

While other staff members brought pots of tea and regularly returned to refill them, Rojas served the elegant main courses to the table and then took the time to explain them. Nudi Blue retains the formality of a multi-course meal, but it\u2019s situated within the context of a casual Berkeley setting. Getting dressed up for afternoon tea is fun, but it\u2019s just as enjoyable in jeans and sneakers.<\/p>\n

The second, mostly savory, course was my favorite of the two. The scones\u2014one made with blueberry and peach, the second with beef and cheese\u2014were baked until the edges got crispy. Inside, the dough remained tender. All three tea sandwiches were miniature triumphs. Slivers of nicely cooked duck were slathered in a blueberry coulis and camembert.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Generous ribbons of brined ham and quinta cheese spilled out of a puffed pastry. And, finally, a lightly toasted shokupan, or milk bread, carried layers of cream cheese and a cucumber gel\u00e9e without getting soggy. The chef planted a cucumber slice on top in the shape of an icy green flag.<\/p>\n

Nudi Blue, open Mon, Thu and Fri 10am to 5pm, Sat & Sun 9am to 5pm, 2049 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley; IG: @nudi_blue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[Ed. note: This article\u2019s headline has been changed to reflect the \u2018afternoon tea\u2019 service offered at Nudi Blue.]<\/p>\n