prim and proper eats at jin patisserie

after the 5th "shit," "fuck," or "mofo" that exits my mouth before the morning is even over, i know it's about time to remind myself of my manners. what better way to practice being a proper lady than having proper afternoon tea at jin patisserie on abbot kinney.

with my black board eats coupon in hand and the opportunity to chillax with a friend during a mid week afternoon, i donned my granny dress and took my filthy, cuss spewing mouth to jin patisserie. please do not be wary that the space is rather small and very serene, nor should you be surprised by the sudden urge to cross your legs, keep your elbows off the table, and whisper like a proper lady/gentleman. i know once i stepped through that entrance, the forceful feeling of behaving myself was rather strong.

since the bbe coupon was such a deal giving us a 30% discount on the afternoon tea which is normally priced at $19, my friend and i also decided to share a lunch set as well. first up was the tea set which has not changed much from my visit two years ago. the afternoon tea ($19) was comprised of two scones, petite egg salad finger sandwiches, a mushroom quiche, and an assortment of four petite chocolates and cakes. though lovely items to nibble on as we sipped our pot of aromatic vietnam note de lotus tea, the savory items did not have much of a presence and was totally eclipsed by the sweets on the plate. overall, this tea set was not memorable at all. now it makes sense that the nice impression i had of jin patisserie had nothing to do with the food, but more from the setting and the tea that i sipped. if it wasn't for the bbe discount, i might have whined a bit.

the duck proscuitto brie sandwich lunch set ($15.50) was anticlimactic as well. the duck meat tasted strangely like ham and did not have the somewhat "gamey" taste of properly prepared duck that honored it's natural quacky flavor. i was also distracted by the overpowering brie cheese presence which competed strongly with the proscuitto making it a duel between ham and cheese. where be the duck in this fight? after finishing my half, i was convinced that jin patisserie's strength does not lie in their savory items at all. oh poo (see, at least i didn't say shit).

the lunch special was quickly followed with a passion fruit infused mascarpone cake with fresh mango which came with the lunch set. the cake was light and mildly sweet and was a perfect compliment to our earthy tea.

i picked up two of their macarons right before we left, the vanilla and the sea salt caramel ($1.30 each). i thought they were petite domes of sugar and felt a little diabetic after inhaling the two. next time, i would say "pass" to these.

although my objective that afternoon was to remind myself of what it means to be a proper lady, i would be a liar to say i did not have high expectations of the tea set as well. i guess my memory did serve me correctly and this experience reminded me that their savory items are not their strong suit. i think jin patisserie is a wonderful place to eat dessert, sip tea, and chat with your girl friends about things that makes us chicks. but if you're looking for a delicious savory meal to boot, i think you may feel slightly disappointed like me.

Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 399-8801

www.jinpatisserie.com

price: $$
verdict: it's aight