The case for a lazy long and lovely afternoon tea at Lady and the Fox:
There is something quietly defiant about sitting down to a pot of hot tea in the middle of a sweltering Chiang Mai afternoon. Somehow it works. Somehow it helps. And if you are going to do it, Lady and the Fox has just given you a very good reason to do it there.
The LA-diner-vibed café on Atsadathon Road has been pulling in a loyal crowd since it opened — big portions, full flavours, relaxed atmosphere, sensible prices, the kind of place that works for a solo breakfast or a chaotic family lunch equally well. But lately it is the afternoon tea that people are talking about, and it deserves the attention.At the centre of it all is Ci, the owner, who has a pleasingly restless approach to the menu — tinkering, adjusting, following her interests wherever they lead. This keeps things from going stale, which is harder to maintain than it sounds. The famous pancakes remain a fixture and still have their devoted following. But right now, the afternoon tea is doing the talking.
The set is entirely homemade, which matters. Freshly baked scones with strawberry jam and lemon curd, a selection of sandwiches, soft cupcakes, petit gâteaux, macarons, properly crisp meringues, chocolate bonbons, rum balls and — the standout — a three-layered chocolate mousse. A pot of aromatic tea comes alongside, and the whole thing arrives looking good enough to photograph but, more importantly, good enough to eat.The sweet components shift with the seasons, so repeat visits are justified. For the less sweet-inclined, there is also a Cheese Plate — cheddar, brie, goat cheese and camembert with cold cuts, crackers, almonds and fruit — which pairs nicely with wine or champagne and asks nothing more of itself than to be a good cheese plate.
Both sets come in two sizes. Cancel your four o’clock. You have somewhere better to be.
Lady and the Fox – Brunch & Eatery, 69/2 Atsadathon Road, Pa Tan. Open daily, 7am–5pm. Tel: 085-552-7399
