Afternoon Tea at Brothers And Sisters

I came across this place while looking at the list of James Beard award nominees and while I was craving for cakes. To my surprise (delight?), Brothers & Sisters offers "afternoon tea" every day from 4-5:30 PM. The menu is not incredibly specific beyond "light fare" and even one of the teas offered is not shown.

The restaurant/lounge is located inside The Line hotel in DC (that one hotel in Adams Morgan with pillows on the steps). The host desk is off to the side, so it seems a common mistake for patrons to go to the front desk / check in instead. The area is definitely very casual, a hang out for hotel patrons (or even locals). The lighting is a bit too dim for my liking, but I suppose that's the case with a lot of lounges.

• Cost: $40 for the afternoon tea set (includes a cake), $10-$12/cake
• Reservations needed? Highly recommend it!
• Dietary restrictions? I'm unsure if they'll accommodate as it seems that the desserts are pre-set, but I would call to see if they can adjust for you.
• Would I go back to this place? For the cakes, absolutely!

Service was one of the better ones I've experienced for tea, though I think the staff is overwhelmed that I'm not entirely sure the explanation/description for the items in my tray are correct. I was definitely not waiting for hot water refill or tap water refill. The hotel is also dog friendly, and I was lucky enough to be sitting across from a cute corgi.

The rare tea they have for my visit was darjeeling, and that was what I asked for.

My savory menu:





The sandwich was cucumber with cream cheese and chive, topped with fish eggs.
Two slices of green apple with a brie in the middle.
Takoyaki hushpuppies (these are denser than the takoyaki I'm used to... and a whole lot more pickled ginger!).
Sesame bread (very soft) with what I think is some sort of curry dipping sauce.
Soba with avocado, grapefruit, and spicy dressing (this dish was actually too spicy for me).
The duck wonton was my favorite out of the savory bunch.

My sweet menu:






Chocolate chip cookie with matcha nut brittle (this was my favorite)
Flourless chocolate cake with vanilla cream (it tastes like the milk foam you get on bubble tea these days, absolutely yum)
Scone with nuts
Marble cake
Chocolate ganache cookie (this one was way too sweet for me, but it's super soft!).
* Please note that the descriptions may be inaccurate as I don't have enough to go off beyond what I was told

Extra:



As I said, I was here for the cakes, so in addition to my tea set, I ordered The Next Vacation cake, and this was absolutely delicious. The person waiting my table said that it's like lemon cake, but I think it's a matcha-base cake with fruit cream (the cream between the layers taste like lemon rinds and it has plenty of berries). There's definitely some sort of lemon cream and matcha crumble at the top. Some of the pink bits may be ruby chocolate or white chocolate infused with berry. The fruits at the top are probably held by some sort of gelatin and probably brushed with lemon or lime (I can definitely taste some sort of citrus). The cake was also decorated with ladyfinger like cookies (different shape, same texture). The white cream is the same cream I got with my flourless chocolate cake.

I don't have many complaints about this place food-wise. It's definitely more casual than what I'm used to (you get to choose your own teacup, but no saucer). One of my pet peeves is the usage of the teapot where it takes some effort to get the strainer out. I don't like oversteeped tea (too bitter), so this is one of the things I look for in tea services. This is also the second place I've been to in two weeks that does not serve cream and jam with their tea service.

I'd like to go back and try their light fare / plates and more cakes next time; I've heard very good things about their knife cut noodles.

Visit date: June 2, 2019