Dim Sum Library launches interactive Chinese-inspired afternoon tea in Covent Garden

Dim Sum Library, the Cantonese restaurant on Long Acre in Covent Garden, will launch a new afternoon tea called Tea Tales this week. Priced at £25 per person, the experience combines dim sum, premium Chinese teas and an interactive element in which diners roll a Lucky Dice to determine which of five Chinese teas they will be served, alongside a corresponding pairing. The launch aims to offer an alternative to traditional afternoon tea in the city.

The restaurant’s new concept blends Cantonese cuisine, Chinese tea culture and storytelling. Upon arrival, guests rolling the dice will be served one of five teas: jasmine pearls, shu (ripe) pu-erh, osmanthus flowers, Iron Buddha (Tie Guan Yin) oolong or chrysanthemum. Each is accompanied by background information on its origins and history, and can be served in one of four ways: as a cocktail, mocktail, bubble tea or traditional hot tea. Diners can also win prizes, including house chilli oil, peppercorn oil and Hong Kong iced tea.

The food menu, presented on a birdcage stand, features several of the restaurant’s signature dishes, including a Wagyu Beef Puff with black pepper, a Crystal Har Gau dumpling, Wild Mushroom and Beetroot Dumplings, a Baked Barbecued Pork Puff, Yu Xiang Crispy Pork Dumplings and Crispy Fried Purple Cabbage Rolls. Classic Cantonese egg tarts are served as the sweet course.

The drinks list has been built around the five featured teas, each reinterpreted across three formats. The cocktails are the Jasmine Jungle, the Emperor’s Amber, the Osmanthus Dragon, an Oolong Sour and a Hama Sunset, with non-alcoholic mocktail options including Jasmine Lychee, Salted Pu-erh, Osmanthus Peach, Hong Kong Iced Tea and Hibiscus Sour. The bubble tea selection comprises Dragon Breeze, Strawberry Bloom, Amber Peach, Mango Pearl and Matcha Cloud.

Each of the five teas has historical significance in Chinese culture. Jasmine pearls is a floral green tea whose scenting tradition dates back more than 1,000 years to the Song Dynasty, when fresh jasmine blossoms were layered with tea leaves to absorb their aroma. Shu (ripe) pu-erh, a fermented version, is historically associated with Yunnan and the ancient Tea Horse Road. Osmanthus flowers, known for their honeyed sweetness, are linked to the Mid-Autumn Festival, while Iron Buddha oolong is regarded as one of China’s most celebrated teas. Chrysanthemum, meanwhile, has a history reaching back to the Tang Dynasty.

The £25 price includes unlimited hot tea, with cocktails available at £15, bubble teas at £10 and mocktails at £9.50. A minimum of two diners is required for a booking. 

Food Desk

The Tea Tales afternoon tea is available on Monday to Friday at Dim Sum Library, 136 Long Acre, London WC2E 9AA. For further information or to book a table, visit the restaurant’s website here.