Knife Pleat, a Michelin-starred French restaurant in Costa Mesa, California, offers an exquisite Afternoon Tea experience every Saturday from 11:30 AM to 1:45 PM. Priced at $115 per person, the service includes a selection of savoury bites, delicate pastries, and a variety of fine teas.
Savoury Selection
The savoury offerings feature an array of meticulously crafted bites:
Persian cucumber with fine-herb cream cheese on pullman bread
Radish and watercress with watercress butter
Carrot buckwheat tartlette with parsley
Deviled egg with dill and smoked trout roe
Gravlax salmon with cream cheese, capers, and dill on rye-caraway bread
Maine lobster éclair with lobster aioli, celery, tarragon, and espelette
Green Circle chicken barquette with free-range chicken, celery, apple, and curry
Spring pea with English and snap peas and herbs
Pastry Delights
The pastry selection includes:
Lemon cake with sugar glaze
Rhubarb tartelette with diplomat cream, rhubarb, pecans, and almonds
Cacao pod with chocolate mousse, passion fruit, and hazelnut
Parisian macaron in assorted flavours
Diamant chocolat sablé with Grand Cru Guanaja chocolate
Financier with brown butter cake and Sicilian pistachio
Strawberry cream puff with strawberry and crémeux
Tea Selection
Guests can choose from a curated selection of teas by LA Mill du Thé, including:
Chamomile
Japan Sencha Special
Organic Rooibos Bourbon
Gen Mai Cha
Organic White Ambrosia
Phoenix Jasmine Pearls
Grand Earl Grey
English Breakfast
Enhancements
For an elevated experience, guests may add a caviar service to their Afternoon Tea, featuring options like Tsar Nicoulai Golden Osetra, Tsar Nicoulai Golden Reserve, or the exclusive Chef Esnault Crown Jewel. The caviar service includes pomme gaufrette, toasted brioche, and oeufs brouillés with chives.
Booking Information
Availability: Saturdays, 11:30 AM – 1:45 PM
Price: $115 per person
Reservations: Required in advance
Location: Knife Pleat, South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Suite 3001, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Contact: (714) 266-3388
Please note that Knife Pleat cannot accommodate gluten and dairy allergies.
Reviews

Afternoon tea includes a quartet of finger sandwiches, five types of pastries, and your own pot of tea. The beet-cured salmon sandwich was a highlight, and the chocolate cremeux on the Louis XV pastry was as smooth as ever.

Knife Pleat’s Afternoon Tea is an exquisite display of this time-honored English tradition. The scones were the best I've had in my life, and the visit is worth it alone for these.

Booked a reservation with a vegetarian request, but upon arrival, they couldn't accommodate any substitutions. The manager's response was disappointing and unprofessional.

Every bite was delicate and exquisite. The Maine Lobster Éclair was a standout, and the Grand Earl Grey tea was the cleanest, truest I've ever had.

Even at $115 per person, it actually is worth it. The setting is lovely, the service impeccable, the food memorable, and the presentation meticulous.
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