An afteroon tea of coconut and flower cakes in Midtown Manhattan.
Our experience
High tea is not a NYC forte — after quite a number of high tea experiences in NYC, we have yet to come across a venue that offers the lavish dessert spreads seen in Asia and Australia, or the cultivated creativity of desserts seen in London. We have been drumming our fingers for a long time waiting for a new high tea place to arrive in NYC, so when we heard that Sarisa had recently opened — and that it focused on showcasing Thai desserts instead of usual soporific English style cakes — we couldn’t wait to visit!
Sarisa Dessert Cafe is located a floor above street level at the edge of Midtown Manhattan, in a calming space filled with leafy plants and plush velvet seating. The menu features a wide selection of colourful Thai desserts, with a handful available only on certain days of the week. High tea itself is offered only on the weekends, and is priced at $65 for two (plus tax/tip). It commences with tea being served in a clear glass pot, with a blooming flower unfurling within.
Sarisa’s afternoon tea desserts were beautifully handcrafted and hued in a rainbow of colours. Presented on a striking brass tower, they resembled a cascading bouquet of flower cakes. On our visit, there were spoonfuls of coconut milk jelly and custard shaped into flowers, cushions of sticky rice, rosebud cakes of steamed tapioca, and an assortment of mung bean-filled mochi bites variously shaped as mini vegetables and tubular minion-like logs. We recommend eating beforehand as all of the morsels were desserts; there were no savoury components to Sarisa’s high tea. Taste-wise, the dessert bites were all largely mung bean or coconut-based, so about halfway through, our tastebuds started to become a little blurry. That said, Sarisa’s afternoon tea left us filled but light, quite unlike the lingering sugar coma that characterize the aftermath of most other high teas.
Our verdict
If you don’t have the budget for the (ridiculously) expensive afternoon teas offered by many Manhattan hotels, or you are seeking something a little less flashy and more intimate, we previously recommended checking out the afternoon teas at more petite dessert cafes, such as Prince Tea House or Cha An Teahouse. Add newcomer Sarisa to that short list. If Prince Tea House and Cha An Teahouse reflect a more modern East Asian/Japanese sensibility, Sarisa stands out for its Thai focus, where songs of coconut waft through its many flower-shaped dessert bites.
Dessert adventure checklist
- ☑ Dessert destination: Sarisa Thai Dessert Cafe, 243 East 53rd Street, 2nd Floor, Midtown Manhattan.
- ☑ Budget: $$-$$$.
- ☑ Sweet irresistibles: High Tea.
- ☑ Must-eat: Thai coconut desserts.
- ☑ The short and sweet story: An afternoon tea of coconut and flower cakes in Midtown Manhattan.
Dessert Correspondents 