I discovered a gorgeous afternoon tea feast at a luxury Indian restaurant in Birmingham

Deemed one of England’s most quintessential traditions, afternoon tea has become more and more popular amid a rise in dining out options across the West Midlands.

And one upmarket Indian restaurant in Birmingham has elevated the trend with an incredible Asian twist to the charming custom originally introduced to the country by Victorian aristocracy.

How can you beat the pleasure of being served beautiful plates of finger sandwiches, delicious pastries and warm scones covered in jam and clotted cream decadently served on classic tiered trays, you may wonder.

But at Praza in Edgbaston dainty bites are spiced up and accompanied by plates of masala chips and larger sandwiches - both meat and vegetarian.

The stunning art deco style restaurant has reimagined its popular menu option, which is served on Sunday only, with its most luxurious afternoon tea yet.

So what makes the latest afternoon tea menu at Praza so special?

Let’s begin with the beverages.

As this is an Indian afternoon tea, you may be unsurprised that you can enjoy Indian masala chai - lovely, comforting, warm, milky tea with a touch of spice.

You can add as much sugar as you like - or not, if you’ve got a bit more of a savoury tooth yet.

Praza chai is definitely a good chai - fresh, warm and soothing.

You can spice up your drinks options further with a glass of craft gin from local producers Crazy Gin based in Wolverhampton.

The award winning team specialise in combining British and Indian flavours to create the ultimate gin treat.

Their signature drink is a Lassi gin and tonic - combining the traditionally non-alcoholic lassi beverage mixed with classic Indian spices and British gin for a crystal clear cocktail like no other.

It’s a gorgeously smooth and refreshing drink to enjoy with a subtle kick from the spice and alcohol. 

There’s also an option to add a touch of fizz too - with sparkling wine.

And now for the savoury bites.

A generous selection of goodies are served on two of the three tiered classic afternoon trays.

On the bottom my favourite was the deliciously crispy Dahi Puri Chaat filled with lusciously creamy spiced chickpeas topped with chutney and gram flour vermicelli. They looked beautiful and tasted just as good.

I also adored the Beetrot Tikki which made me feel like I was getting a good health kick as I bit into beetroot, potatoes and Indian whole spices.

This plate also featured a Punjabi Samosa with spiced potatoes and peas.

Before I move up to the next level, I must mention the side plate of dazzlingly golden fabulously fried Masala Chips coated with Indian spices - a wonderful alternative to scones and clotted cream. 

The chicken tikka mayo sandwich and veg mayo sandwich also served on side plates certainly ensured we weren’t going to go home hungry!

Next up on tiered plate two was the Paneer Kathi Roll (Indochinese) along with Tandoori Veg Momo (veg dumplings) and Veg Spring rolls - enough for one each.

Sweet treats at the Praza Indian afternoon tea

At the top of our afternoon tea tray was the Meetha Board with sugared delicacies delightfully completing our Indian afternoon tea feast.

The goodies featured Coconut Gulab Jamun (rose flavoured dumplings) and Gajar Ka Halwa Samosa (Indian carrot cake and cardamom samosa - plus cookies and Indian style mango yoghurt. 

My fave was the delicious dumplings and I loved the way the cookies weren’t over-sweet.

Anything else to know?

Although a chicken tikka sandwich was on offer most of the dishes are vegetarian and don’t contain egg. The servings come with one or two options of each delicacy.

This really is a feast of a menu and a lovely twist on the classic English meal - definitely worth a visit if your wondering what to do with you Saturday afternoon.

Praza is a sister restaurant of the award winning, renowned Indian restaurant and cocktail bar Pushkar on Broad Street in Birmingham which has recently undergone a £500,000 transformation - so no wonder it's so special!

For more information and to book go to: Praza by Pushkar