High Tea Archives - Foodology

In Cafe

Neverland Tea Salon: The Mad Hatter High Tea

February 2, 2020

Neverland Tea Salon is a cafe in Kitsilano which serves up exceptional high tea service. For the month of February, they have introduced their Mad Hatter High Tea, which comes in regular, vegetarian, gluten-free/dairy-free, and vegan. I love these options as customers with dietary restrictions don’t have to feel limited in what they can indulge in.

With the Mad Hatter theme from Alice and Wonderland, guests are transported into a world of the unknown. The high tea is $38 per person, but with a glass of bubbly, it’s $48 per person. Not a bad price point since it’s a generous portion.

Interior

They have transformed the space with themes from the movie with clocks and decks of cards everywhere. Each table has their fun and unique centerpiece. If you look around, there is something interesting on the walls, on the table and other items dangling from the ceiling. They really put a lot of effort into this theme.

Regular Menu

Vegetarian Menu

Gluten-free/Dairy- Free Menu

Vegan Menu

Mad Hatter’s Teas

There are 3 tea recommendations for this theme – Queen of Hearts (black), Cheshire Chai (Rooibos), and A Very Berry Un-Birthday (Black).

We tried all 3 and each one is very different. Queen of Hearts is a black tea with hint of cinnamon. The Cheshire Chai is strong are aeromatic with spices, which is great with milk and sugar. The very verry un-birthday is another black tea with hint of berry. We really liked the Cheshire Chai a lot.

Pro-tip: Ask for warm milk instead of regular milk as it help retain the heat for your tea.

Amuse-bouche

The Amuse-bouche for this high tea is a chilled watermelon beet soup in a small jar labeled ‘drink me’. Doesn’t this remind you of the beverage Alice had before she went to Wonderland?

This was a very healthy start to the high tea. You have the hint of sweetness from the watermelon and the earthy taste of the beet juice.

Savoury

It’s all about the savouries to start and its located on the bottom tier. My favourites were the Steel head smoked salmon pinwheel, Roasted veggie croque monsieur, and the Smoked paprika crab salad roll. Very good portion sizes of all the savoury items.

Smoked paprika crab salad roll with red peppers, onions, chives and green goddess aioli

Coronation chicken salad on focaccia with green onions, cilantro, red pepper, mango chutney and Assam tea infused apricots

Roasted veggie croque monsieur with zucchini, kale, red
peppers and havarti cheese

Plant-based burger sliders with pesto aioli, arugula,
tomato on black pepper ‘squid ink’ brioche

Steel head smoked salmon pinwheel with asparagus and lemon herbed cream cheese

Scones

The top tier has the citrus scone with Devonshire cream and house-made jam. This was a very generous portion and did fill us up.

Sweets

The sweets are in the middle tier and it can’t be missed. By the time we got to the sweets tier, we were already pretty full. My friend packed hers to go, but I carried on and ate them all.

My favourites were the Chocolate ganache tart and the Strawberry mousse dome.

Vanilla cheesecake on a chocolate crumble base

Strawberry mousse dome with Tinkerbell’s Kiss tea ganache and milk chocolate pearls

Chocolate ganache tart with macaron shells and whipped
cream cheese

Mocha sponge cake on a brownie base with chocolate glaze

Final Thoughts

Overall, for the price, you really get full. It’s not pretentious in anyway and it feels very comfortable. We had a great experience and will be back again in the future for their high teas. The Mad Matter High Tea is fun and whimsical. They let you dress up if you feel like it.

Address:
3066 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://neverlandtea.com/

In Cafe

TWG Tea: Mid-Autumn Tea Service

September 27, 2017

Mid Autumn Festival is upon us on October 6th, 2017 and I absolutely love spending the time with family and friends. One iconic treat from this festival are the mooncakes. This year, TWG Tea narrates the story of the constellation with the Lotus Jade Tea Mooncake Collection, a rich and enduring assortment of patisseries set to inspire and intrigue any epicurean this mid-autumn festival. They have their handcrafted tea-infused traditional and snowskin mooncakes.

TWG Tea Traditional Mooncakes

These luxurious mooncakes are great if you want something unique and to impress your guests. These definitely aren’t your ordinary mooncakes and is really for a special occasion.

Daydream: Wrapped in a baked bold red crust, this surprising TWG Tea mooncake features a blueberry inflected white lotus paste complemented by a unique almond and blueberry purée heart infused with Red Balloon Tea.

Cerise: Encased in a golden crust, this exclusive TWG Tea mooncake boasts a white chocolate & crunchy coconut heart with Amarena cherry surrounded by a brown lotus paste infused with Pu-erh 2000.

Sunset: Wrapped in a golden baked crust, this exclusive TWG Tea mooncake showcases an aromatic Matcha almond paste centre cradled by a red bean paste scattered with melon seeds.

Constellation: This iconic signature of the mid-autumn festival holds within a golden crust a smooth and elegant Singapore Breakfast Tea infused brown lotus filling, a scattering of roasted melon seeds and an embedded salted egg yolk heart. A timeless favourite.

TWG Tea Snowskin Mooncakes

If you’re looking for an icy treat that is outside of the traditional mooncakes, this will get your sweet tooth going. This is definitely more modern.

Moonlight: Decked in jade green snowskin, this mooncake features a lustrous Lotus Jade Tea infused mousseline which cradles a white chocolate heart filled with a sweet Nashi pear marmalade.

Blossom: Emanating the warm glow of a lantern, this brilliant orange snowskin mooncake conceals a Geisha Blossom Tea infused mousseline contrasted by tangy apricot marmalade encased in a white chocolate heart.

Pure: An ethereal satin white snowskin mooncake encases a smooth dark chocolate mousse inflected with the fruity and flowery notes of 1837 White Tea, revealing a heart of tangy blackcurrant marmalade and white chocolate.

Illumination: Concealed in a black snowskin, this exquisite mooncake reveals a brilliant composition of a light, nutty praline infused with 1837 Black Tea and an oriental burst of glowing orange marmalade in a white chocolate heart.

Mid-Autumn Tea Service

If you aren’t looking for gift sets, they have a special mid-autumn tea service for $58 per person with a minimum of 2 people. You get your choice of hot or cold TWG tea, a selection of canapes and your choice of moon cake.

If you’re ever had their teas before, they are very high quality and has good depth to the flavours. You can always ask them to recommend you a tea based off the mooncake you chose or what teas you usually enjoy.

Such a fancy way to be served mooncakes. Cut and served in small sections.

The canapes pictured here are a bit different, but you’ll get:

Miso maple sablefish infused with caramel tea
Chinese pork tamale infused with Lotus Jade tea
Laksa lobster bisque infused with Earl Grey Pu-Erh
Japanese savoury pancake with green onion and cabbage infused with Lung Ching
Imperial Lapsang Souchong infused chicken cone

All there canapes here are pretty damn delicious.

Final Thoughts

My favourites among the collections are – Constellation mooncake and the moonlight snowskin mooncake. The mooncakes are pricey, so they are very luxurious and premium. Good for those who you want to impress.

Address:
1070 W Georgia St, Vancouver

Website:
https://vansingdg.com/

In Dessert

Wild Sweets: Cocoa Bean To Chocolate Afternoon Tea

April 17, 2017

Wild Sweets just introduced their Cocoa Bean To Chocolate Afternoon Tea experience at their retail store in Richmond. The session lasts approximately 75 to 90-minutes and each guest is served a multi-course set menu of about 13 chocolate-based items for $39.99.

Chocolate Tea

You start off with their chocolate tea infusion made with whole cocoa beans and can potentially be aromatized with fresh elements like citrus zest. Their chocolate tea is delicious and quite unique.

Cucumber

Each bite is very interactive, so you get to play with your food and design how you want it to look like.

This dish has Cocoa nibs bread, Goat cheese gelée, Pickled cucumber, Puffed peas crunch, and Mint oil.

Biscuit

The biscuit has Tuscany ham, Jarlsberg cheese, cocoa nibs & Kalamata dried figs. It is also served with Mustard oil, pickled red onions and Crème fraîche. The biscuit was pretty dry.

Coco-Air

This has Dark chocolate & hazelnut praliné ‘Air’, Foamed Chantilly cream and Puffed rice crunch. I loved this item! I love porous the item is and the texture was awesome.

Egg Salad

Put this item together with Cocoa nibs bread, Sous Vide egg shavings, crispy shallots, Salsa Verde and Chives oil. It was so cute and reminded me of a mini breakfast sandwich.

Interlude

The vials has a Citrus chocolate consommé with the Lemon Vodka and Semi-candied Kalamata olives. On the left, you have Olive Madeleine.

This definitely wasn’t for me.

Tomato

This has Cocoa nibs bread, Grape tomato confit, Pesto pulled Mozzarella, and 2 pieces of Crispy back bacon. It was delicious especially the back bacon.

Cream Puff

This has Textured pâte à choux, Crispy praliné , Orange caramel compote, Milk chocolate Chantilly, and Orange zest oil. It was absolutely delicious.

Cheese and Fruit

On the bottom, you have Biscuit sablé, Pear panna cotta, Pear vanilla bean confit, and a Crunchy cheese chip. It was ok, but that cheese chip was delicious.

Merveilleux

You will find Crispy meringue, Dark chocolate thin, White chocolate Chantilly, Caramel banana, and Almond banana crunch. A nice combination of textures.

Tarte

On the plate was a Almond streusel cookie, Créme brûlèe, Baked apple shavings, French Brandy mist and Apple chips crunch.

Scone

You will find a Chocolate & dried cherry scone, Red fruit confit, Crème fraîche Chantilly, Kirsch mist, and Lemon zest oil. This was delicious as well.

Truffe du jour’ in vintage origin dark hot chocolate

This was a nice way of ending the meal.

Chocolates

A great way of ending the 13 course session with chocolates.

Final Thoughts

It was a fun interactive meal if you are looking for something different than the regular afternoon tea. The items I had will probably be different based on seasonality. For $39.99, it’s a good price and you’ll be full by the end of it.

We Rate Wild Sweets:

Address:
2145 – 12191 Hammersmith Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://dcduby.com/

In Afternoon Tea

Patisserie Für Elise: Afternoon Tea in Downtown Vancouver

January 5, 2014

Patisserie Für Elise is a pastry shop and tea salon in Downtown Vancouver. It’s quite a cute location since its located in a house instead of a larger building. You know once you lay your eyes on this place, you just are curious to take a peak inside.

I came here with some of my bridesmaids to catch up, since it’s hard to get us together since half of them are on the east coast.

I heard of Patisserie Fur Elise a few years ago at the Vancouver Bakers Market before they opened up their shop. It is great to see the owners dream become reality with their new store.

When you enter, the first floor is their retail space with a few pastries, teas and little trinkets to buy.

There’s macarons on the left and pastries on the left.

There’s tea sets too.

On the second floor, the tea salon is located there. There’s one main room and another room in the back.

They do all their baking on the first floor in the kitchen and they set up all the tea sets in this area.

It costs $30 per person for a 2 hour seating and you get the following:

Your selection of tea
a layer of savory items
scones
Chef’s choice starter
a layer of sweet items

The items do vary, so its hard to say what exactly you get since they like to switch it up. I found the items listed on their website to be less accurate. The menu that you get here is pretty accurate.

On the right page, you have all the teas to choose from.

Shortly after, our tea sets arrived.

A little while later, out pots arrived. You get a little timer and you can wait for the time to count down.

You have a bird to strain out the tea leaves. You pour your tea through this, but we found that some tea leaves did not get caught.

I ordered China Jasmine Premium tea and I found that it needed more than a minute to steep. My other friends got the Blue Earl Grey tea and they didn’t need to steep for very long, unless you want it strong.

Our settings didn’t come with milk and sugar, so we had to ask them for it. Usually it comes with it already on the table, but we found this strange.

After about 40 minutes since we got here, we got our tea set. It seemed a bit long for them to put it together especially when are can only have a 2 hour seating. Nonetheless, we dug in and chatted about life.

Chef’s Choice starter is a blueberry panna cotta it was really good! The panna cotta had a lot of yummy vanilla beans and the blueberry compote on top just paired perfectly. There is also a little gold leaf on top.

We began with the bottom layer of scones and savouries.

Prosciutto brie and fresh basil sandwich
Cucumber dill finger sandwich
Asparagus and mushroom quiche
Scone with cheddar and pancetta
Scone with almond streusel

Cucumber dill finger sandwich was simple but very good. The position on the cucumber threw us off, so we just moved it to the other side and began eating away. I really liked the creaminess of the center.

Asparagus and mushroom quiche was a tad small, so it was hard to really taste the depth of flavour.

Prosciutto, brie and fresh basil croissant sandwich was my weakness. I can’t resist prosciutto and brie. The croissant wasn’t crunchy, but it was a bit limp. It would be nice if it had more of a crunch to it.

Scone with Almond Strusel is best with their housemade jam. We asked them for some clotted cream and it makes the scone much enjoyable.

Scone with cheddar and pancetta was good. Every time I bite into some pancetta, I would be in heaven. I really like meat.

Next, we devoured into the sweet tier.

Maple Pecan Daisy Tartlet
Tiramisu
Mini Fur Elise
Honey madeleine
Macaron

Maple Pecan Daisy Tartlet was very cute and not too sweet. The texture of the pecan with the maple was nice.

Tiramisu was bit size and had some chocolate balls on top.

Mini Fur Elise was like a strawberry mousse. It was really good and hidden inside is a slice of strawberry. Good flavours and this was my favourite dessert.

Honey madeleine was topped with powdered sugar. My friends liked it, but I didn’t really enjoy it.

The macarons were were tough and chewy. They looked pretty, but no one liked them. Very disappointing since we were looking forward to devouring these.

Some of us couldn’t finish, so they gave us boxes to pack up our goodies. We wanted to pack our items ourselves since we knew the service would take a while to help us pack it. Even when we asked for the boxes, it took them a while to get them too.

Overall, the ambiance is very nice and perfect for high tea or any special occasion. The food items included in the afternoon tea was decent and will fill you up. Unfortunately, the service was slow was annoying. There is definitely room for improvement.

We Rate Patisserie Für Elise:

Address:
847 Hamilton street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.patisseriefurelise.com/

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