To finish, there was some of Zhao’s pretty cakes. I opted for a traditionally Chinese green bean cake — not sickly sweet, slightly dense, but a most enjoyable end to my meal and unlike anything I’ve had before.
The most striking part of this tea service was my king of peony tea which was presented in a delicate glass bowl. As the flower unfurls in the bowl, small spoonfuls of the tea are added to a thin glass tea cup and enjoyed sip for sip. Zhao adds a touch of sugar to an otherwise very healthy tea which, I learn from the little card Zhao presents with each tea, is made from the national flower of China.
Before I realised, three hours of contented chatter had passed. This is not your run-of-the-mill tea or dumpling stop. It really is the kind of place you’d want to bring your mom, your girlfriend or even your sweetheart for hours-long conversation over unrushed sips of tea and yummy morsels of Chinese delicacies. And then, you’ll want to come back again and again and again.
• Tea & Antique is open from 9am to 8pm Tuesdays to Sundays.
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This new Chinese tea garden is Bedfordview’s best-kept secret
Tea & Antique serves up tasty plates of food and Chinese cakes but the emphasis really falls on the exquisite teas presented with flair and finesse
Image: Sanet Oberholzer
It’s delightful discovering a new place that soon becomes a favourite stop for a bite to eat — or perhaps a good cup of tea. At the moment, that place for me is Tea & Antique, a Chinese tea garden in Bedfordview.
You’d be forgiven if you have not yet heard of this charming spot. Located on Park Street, it’s out of sight for most Joburgers and opened without much fan-fair in December last year.
A small, family-run establishment, you’ll likely be greeted by the elegantly dressed Nini Zhao when you first enter through the gate, looking to take your seat either inside among a collection of Chinese antiques or outside under the trees. The smiling lady at the front of house, Zhao is the mastermind behind the establishment who produces the dainty Chinese cakes on display.
She's been living in South Africa for six years and put much time and thought into creating this tea house: from finding the perfect spot to curating crockery and tea sets that she patiently imported from China.
Image: Sanet Oberholzer
Image: Sanet Oberholzer
To start — it’s time for tea. Zhao serves up cold and hot teas — each one brewed at a particular temperature to bring out the best of the tea leaves. For a refreshing sip, Zhao offers cold jasmine green tea, osmanthus black tea or lemon black tea.
She also serves hot white teas, black teas and green teas. We went for a hot Tieguanyin tea, an oolong tea Zhao prepares with water that’s been heated to exactly 95 °C.
The tea is served on a tray with small tea cups and all the equipment needed to prepare the fresh brew at your table. It’s a bit of a theatrical performance as Zhao pours water from the pour-over kettle into a cup and strainer holding the tea leaves and swiftly decants this light-gold liquid into a glass tea jug from which we fill our small tea cups. With each brew the taste improves as the tea takes on a different flavour profile the more the leaves relax and are allowed to steep.
Image: Sanet Oberholzer
Image: Sanet Oberholzer
Zhao’s husband, Jonsen Wong, is the lover and collector of the antiques on display around the restaurant. He also heads up the kitchen where he’s in charge of a small menu of dim sum, soup and main meals such as stewed beef and oxtail with rice.
The menu is big enough that you have to eat your way through it in more than one sitting. We had a go at the shao mai, fried pork dumplings and, on Zhao’s recommendation, the sticky pork-filled ChaShao buns which weren’t on the menu but were utterly delicious — as promised. There were also slurps of soulful beef noodle soup with a cheeky bite of chilli Zhao says is typical to her home province of Shanxi.
Without a doubt, I had to try a salted egg bun made with salted duck egg yolks and custard powder which oozes from the sweet, lightly steamed buns as you bite into them. It’s almost dessert-like and every bite a pleasure to eat.
Image: Sanet Oberholzer
To finish, there was some of Zhao’s pretty cakes. I opted for a traditionally Chinese green bean cake — not sickly sweet, slightly dense, but a most enjoyable end to my meal and unlike anything I’ve had before.
The most striking part of this tea service was my king of peony tea which was presented in a delicate glass bowl. As the flower unfurls in the bowl, small spoonfuls of the tea are added to a thin glass tea cup and enjoyed sip for sip. Zhao adds a touch of sugar to an otherwise very healthy tea which, I learn from the little card Zhao presents with each tea, is made from the national flower of China.
Before I realised, three hours of contented chatter had passed. This is not your run-of-the-mill tea or dumpling stop. It really is the kind of place you’d want to bring your mom, your girlfriend or even your sweetheart for hours-long conversation over unrushed sips of tea and yummy morsels of Chinese delicacies. And then, you’ll want to come back again and again and again.
• Tea & Antique is open from 9am to 8pm Tuesdays to Sundays.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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