Our 41st Spot:

Chelokababi Persian Cuisine

1236 S Wolfe Road Sunnyvale, CA 94086

www.chelokababi.com

It was cute cuz I got a few tags + messages about this place…but I already had reservations! I’m a Detective, I’m tellin you! Doesn’t look like much outside, but when you go inside- (open mouth emoji) you really can’t tell a book by its cover. It was busy tho, so I took a few pics at the end of our visit when people started clearing out… You’ll see those at the end.

I’ve never had a “Persian” Tea before. I always get excited to try new themes of tea. We do have a Persian friend who used to love to cook for us, and his food was always good! So if it was anything like that, we were in for a really good meal!

Another treat to this Tea was that we had a visitor all the way from England able to come!! So we got to listen to that sweet accent the whole afternoon hehe. Also a first: a co-ed Tea! Here’s how that went… Since this was a squeezed in Spot (they just starting serving Afternoon Tea this past September) (and you know we do our best to get in as soon as possible), I hadn’t the faintest idea who to take with me and who would be interested in Persian Tea. I put a question sticker on my IG Stories, asking who liked Persian food. One of my friends responded, so I thought of taking her + her bestie (also a friend of mine). When I told the Huz I was going to try a Persian Tea, he said he was interested in going to that one! Ay-yay-yay! Fine, let’s all go!! The girls happen to have their friend from England visiting at the time, so it was an honor to have her join the Tour! Our original girlfriend ended up not being able to make it (missed you babe)…so it was just Mrs. Mamoa, England love, the Huz and me!

[Disclaimer: These photos coming up will not do this place and their food any justice. There was a beautiful ambiance and breathtaking environment. However, the yellowy spotlight directly over my head, created a terrible shadow of my growing baby hairs over each shot. So, I had to take my photos so far so as to not highlight my hair growth, lol. I also decided too late to just use my iPhone instead of fuss with my DSLR settings, so I’ll throw the few of those I took in there too.]

I’m usually not a fan of small amount of tea options. BUT- they have such amazing choices for the 6 that they offer, there was no complaint from me at all! Since there were 4 of us, we each chose a different one so we could try lots.

Persian Tea (An elegant rich blend of Earl Grey, Ceylon, and oil of Bergamot) – So glad my girl chose this one, cuz (well first, how do you go to a Persian Tea without ordering their Persian tea??) this one ended up being my favorite from the table. A really delicious earl grey.

Flora Green (Luxury flowering infusion of Premium Green Tea, Jasmine, and Rose) – My choice. If I can remember back (gosh, from over 40 Teas!), I wanna say this is the first we’ve been served a flowering tea!? So pretty! This one was faint in flavor, but still good.

Saffron Tea (Organically grown Saffron, Rose bud, Jasmin blossoms and Osmanthus) – The most intriguing of the batch for sure. My notes said “light, beautiful, so good.”

Holiday Basket (Black tea with Rose buds, Peppermint, Safflower, dried orange, and cranberries) – This one smelled so minty! It was minty but also creamy. I love me a creamy tea! Made me think of sweet mint gum…in a good way.

So, a tier came out… And I was so happy (a little confused, but mostly happy), that there was more than one each per person!!?! That was so fun to see!! Wasn’t quite 2 for each of us, but at least you can have more than 1 of an item. I loved that. We made sure we all had at least one each to try, then divvied up the rest. (Again, this is the best pic I got. So imagine what the others looked like!? I have better video of this tier…make sure you’re following us on Instagram!)

Smoked Salmon Bites – These weren’t like your traditional smoked salmon you get at usual afternoon tea spots. It was like a ‘moussed’ salmon! ”Very dilly”, says England love. The carrot was super crunchy (P.S. I love heirloom carrots.) and bread was chewy.

[iPhone shot]

Kalbas (Mortadella lavash rolls with petite Persian pickles and tomato aioli) – Didn’t realize why I loved this one so much til just now, typing the description from their menu. I love Mortadella!! (my Italian roots are clapping!) But this one was a bit different. I knew there was some sort of cold cut or sliced meat, but couldn’t put my finger on which exactly. But the picklessss (I’m whining) MADE this for me. There was also a little heat in the back, which I appreciated. The flavors + textures just all worked so well together in this one. I wasn’t shy about saying I wanted a 2nd piece!! Hehe.

2nd course!! (three clapping emojis)

[iPhone shot]

Spinach Filo (Filo pastry filled with spinach and feta cheese served with cucumber yogurt) – How cute is it that we got a 2nd course of Savories!? This pastry was soo comforting!! Warm + crispy. Who doesn’t love spinach filling? And that yogurt sauce, completed this so nicely.

Our 3rd course! This is so so fun.

Raspberry Scone (served with apricot and cherry jams) – My famous saying: “I could drink that stuff with a straw!!” Their cherry preserves mannn! You’ll see. You’ll see…in the background…I’ll have my own 2nd helping of it, while I’m taking pictures of other stuff haha! But wait- the scone was a GOOD scone too, tho. Sliced nicely, so all their gorgeous jams could sit on top no prob. Ugh, I LOVED this course!!

What happened next was something that doesn’t happen at ALL Afternoon Tea’s, but what I appreciate So. Much. . . . They gave us new plates yall. (about to cry emoji) I looooved that they did this!!! It’s an extra step, sure. But, it makes all the difference in the world! In my opinion anyway. I had a nice clean (and stunning too, might I add) plate for the next sweets. ESPECIALLY, for a (air quotes) Content Creator like myself. The next items had a beautiful background for their photo shoot, tada!

2nd tier/4th course.

[iPhone shot]

House Made Persian Love Cake (Cake Yazdi) – Never had a Love Cake before…but I’m so happy I did. Cardamom rose yall, car-da-mom ROSE! A classic combination. Soo soo good, I wish I had one in front of me right now!!

Noon Chai (Fluffy and lightly sweet roll with chocolate, and fresh strawberries) – This little sandwich was so refreshing! I could’ve eaten about 10 of those!

Mini Apple (not marzipan! Lol) – I’m still including my picture of the cutest, tiniest apple because it had its full dedicated photo shoot!! Haha. Kind of an inside joke, but at one point we thought it was a marzipan apple!! Hahah…

Here were the Huz’s remarks: “…desserts were not decadent, I liked that. It was a simply laid out Tea. Reflected the cuisine of the culture well. Not complicated at all. Simplicity and quality. Well done.”

And finally, here are some shots of the interior…

Absolutely attractive right!? I was already thinking of what kind of intimate party I can have back there and who I’m inviting!! I loved so much that there was a dedicated section of the restaurant for their Afternoon Tea. It made it so special! The interior is something out of a storybook, and I admired every little detail- down to the vases they served our water in! And every table got a different vessel.

This is a family owned business and Tea is the mastermind of their Aunt! She did an amazing job selecting every piece to this very special tea service. I will let her tell you all about it when you come in! The customer service here was unmatched. I think that’s a good part of why we can’t wait to come back so much. Food was extraordinary for sure. But the treatment we got was so good, it made it hard to leave. That’s another thing- IT WAS A FULL TEA EXPERIENCE. I can’t remember the last time I had a service that was 3 hours long!!?! And that used to be my favorite part!! It was a slow and steady process of enjoying each item presented to you. That’s the reason I got to know Mrs. Mamoa and England love better! We were given TIME!!! Some of these Afternoon Tea Spots (i.e. here) will start kicking you out after an hour and a half these days! I loved the leisure Chelokababi gifted us. It was a welcome time away from our day-to-day and we enjoyed every single minute. Thank you, Chelokababi, thank you!! (Btw- I already placed you on my raTEAng, and yall are pretty high up on that list already. Wink wink!)

Follow us @parTEAwithmeBlog on Instagram | Threads | TikTok