[Hong Kong] Sevva

Sevva

Add: 25/F, Prince’s Bldg, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2537 1388
Hours: [afternoon tea] Mon-Fri 2:30-6pm, Sat 3-6pm
Website: www.sevva.hk
Price: Marie Antoinette’s Crave 260 HKD, afternoon tea set for 2 people 520 HKD +10%
Visited: Aug 2011

I had only one thing on my mind as I walked into Sevva – to try its famous Marie Antoinette’s Crave. I’ve seen pictures of this dramatic pink cotton candy / pistachio chiffon cake before my trip, and there’s no way I’d leave Hong Kong without trying a piece of it.

As they don’t take reservations, we came 15 minutes before afternoon tea service started, and there was already a line of people waiting to be seated. The hostess, with her nose in the sky, eventually led us at a dark inner corner instead of the window seats because “some media were coming in to film that area”. Guess what, the media never came.

But let’s try to shift focus to Ms B’s Sweets, a cake shop owned by Bonnie Gokson (former communication director of Chanel Asia Pacific), whose reputation in the world of branding and fashion has helped Sevva gain lots of attention. On display were sugary caprices such as Ginger Cheesecake, Chocolate Fudge Cake with Marmalade, the Original Crunch Cake, Apple Pie with Shaved Cheddar and – drumroll please – Marie Antoinette’s Crave.

Satin-smooth icing, jewel-toned berries, pastel colors…

Marie Antoinette’s Crave (260 HKD) took 40 minutes to come, but its dramatic presentation made it all worthwhile. What it is – a pistachio chiffon cake filled with raspberries, rose petal jam and finished with edible pearlettes, macarons, fresh cream and pink cotton candy fluff….. very Marie Antoinette indeed. Truth be told, this small piece of cake really doesn’t justify the 260 HKD price tag especially considering its mediocre taste, but the concept is so picture-worthy that I just had to order it.

We also tried a set of Sevva’s afternoon tea (520 HKD/2 people). No sense of aesthetics could be spotted on the sloppily plated three-tier tower, and the food – even the famed caramel crunch cake – failed to make an impression.

Now just look at the fresh green vertical garden, the comfy-looking sofas, and the light streaming in from the windows…all of which we didn’t get to enjoy  because the hostess stuck us in a dark corner. I wouldn’t have minded it so much if not for her snobby attitude, which, apparently, is very common among waitstaffs at Sevva.

I won’t be back for Sevva’s afternoon tea (mediocre food plus snobby service, no thanks), but I will consider coming for its 360-degree balcony in the evening. I heard this spot really sparkles in the dark, with stunning views of Central and Admiralty, the harbour, and the Kowloon skyline in the backdrop.