Afternoon Tea Archives

In Afternoon Tea

Harry Potter Inspired School of Magic Afternoon Tea at Trump Champagne Lounge

September 15, 2019

School of Magic Afternoon Tea is back again this year at Trump Champagne Lounge in celebration of the iconic Harry Potter series. This is their second year offering up the School of Magic Afternoon Tea theme, so you’ll be able to experience a new set of savoury and sweet creations crafted by Pastry Chef Fumiko. Whimsical items like Deathly Hallow Ganache Cake to Butter Bubble Beer are on the menu. Chef Fumiko and her staff worked hard creating all these fun treats.

The School of Magic Afternoon Tea set is $65 per person and available as of Monday, September 15, 2019. There is also a $118 option served in cage with a glass of sparkling wine and a limited edition dessert box.

Tea Selections

The menu has a selection of black teas, Red Teas, Green Tea and Herbal Teas. There are sugar sticks and cream on the table to mix it however you like.

Scones

There are 3 different scones that are part of the set:

Philisopher’s Scone (Red Velvet)
Jelly Bean Scone
Matcha Scone

These are served with homemade clotted cream, lemon curd, strawberry and rhubarb jam. Very fun scone options that you won’t find anywhere else.

Sweets

Do you start off with sweets or savouries? If you are a sweet tooth, you’ll definitely start with all the delectable sweets.

Golden Snitch Chocolate Truffle

There is also salted caramel inside as well. This was definitely one of the sweeter items in the set.

Butter Bubble Beer

This unique twist on butter beer has bubble tea pearls and non-alcoholic butter scotch. Its definitely not like the Butter Beer at Universal Studios, but it was like butterscotch and soda with pearls.

Deathly Hallows Valrhona Dark Chocolate Ganache Cake

This was delicious and had a good balance of sweetness. Definitely one of our favourite sweets. Loved the texture of the ganache cake and the nuts.

Harry’s Favourite Treacle Tart

This has vanilla Chantilly with chocolate garnish. It wasn’t too heavy at all nor was it too sweet. Just the perfect balance.

Cauldron Mousse

This has ube mousse with mascarpone whipped cream. Yet again good balance of sweetness and ube flavour in this treat. Plus it looks really cute.

Muggles Book of Magic

The detail of the book and sorting hat is stunning! It is made mostly with baumkuchen cake, a German pastry. Very delicious.

Hogwarts’ Acceptance Letter Sugar Cookie and Harry Potter Sugar Cookie

These look very cute and gave it the Harry Potter vibes but the icing on the sugar cookie is hard and a tad thick.

Magic Wand

This is a chocolate covered cookie stick. Imagine Pocky but tastier. We did feel like the candies and sprinkles did takeaway from the overall taste.

Savoury

To balance out the sweets, savoury treats are an important part of the set. I personally love savouries, so bring it on.

Pretzel & Cheese Broomstick

The cute broom stick is made with Havarti cheese and Chives. Very creative. Wouldn’t have thought it would look great but it does.

British Sausage Roll

You can eat the sausage roll in a bite or 2. Very simple.

Smoked Chicken Tea Sandwich

This was essentially a chicken salad sandwich. Pretty standard.

Steak and Guinness Pie

This is definitely more Irish, but this is a similar item sold at Universal Studios at the Leaky Cauldron inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter area. It’s a 2 bite pie that works for in an afternoon tea set.

Mrs. Sprout’s Pasty

This is a British style crispy pocket with seasonal vegetables. Crisp on the outside and stuffed with the delicious vegetables.

Ron’s Chicken Leg

They use a lemon honey garlic spice on the leg and it tasted home made and comforting. I would definitely recommend eating this right away as it will go cold and won’t be as enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the School of Magic Afternoon Tea is very visually appealing and it great for any Harry Potter fan. There is a lot of creativity that goes into each item to reflect that theme and it’s not your cookie cutter cucumber sandwich and scones. They really put the effort in making this a fun experience.

As for the tastes of the sweets and savouries, items are hit and miss. We would recommend starting with the savouries first as they should be eaten warmer.

Address:
1161 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.trumphotels.com/vancouver/the-trump-champagne-lounge

In Afternoon Tea

Picnic Inspired Afternoon Tea in Vancouver’s Trump Champagne Lounge

July 15, 2019

I have been very impressed by the Afternoon Tea sets created by Fumiko Moreton at The Trump Champagne Lounge . Every time they come up with a new tea set, I am just in awe at how creative they can get. I’ve been to a lot of afternoon teas in Vancouver and you can definitely return here without getting bored.

For their Picnic Inspired Afternoon Tea set, instead of the usual 3 tiered tower, it is served on a custom made picnic bench that holds all the sweet and savoury treats.

The Summer Picnic Afternoon Tea set is $65 per person and available as of Monday, July 22nd, 2019.

Tea Selections

The menu has a selection of black teas, Red Teas, Green Tea and Herbal Teas. There are sugar sticks and cream on the table to mix it however you like.

Scones

The Scones that come with the set are:

Peach Pie Crumble Scone
Chopped Chili and Sweet Corn Pinwheel Scone
Matcha Scone

The scones are accompanied with homemade clotted cream, lemon curd, and a strawberry & rhubarb jam.

I like the variety of scones with different flavours. My favourite was the chopped chili and sweet corn pinwheel scone. It doesn’t go with the condiments as it is good on its own.

Savoury Selections

My favourites are always the savouries in an afternoon tea set.

Cucumber Lemon Tea Sandwich
Deep Fried Oyster with tartare sauce
Watermelon and feta salad
Seven Layer Dip with Tortilla Chips
Chicken Karaage Skewer

My favourites were the Cucumber Lemon Tea Sandwich, Chicken Karaage Skewer and the deep fried oyster.

Flamingo Meringue Pop and Pineapple Cookie Pop

Sweet Desserts

The items here will satisfy your sweet tooth and I love how creative each item is. You won’t find these is any other afternoon set in town.

BC Fruits ‘Sandwich’ Cake
Pina Colada Mousse
Carrot Cake Slider
Fresh Cream Eclair ‘Dog’
Clam Shell Meringue Macaron with Pearl
Flamingo Meringue Pop
Pineapple Cookie Pop

I was really impressed by these items. Fumiko Moreton is so talented, I’m always in awe. The BC Fruit ‘Sandwich’ Cake reminded me of a Japanese Roll Cake and it was just perfect. The Carrot Cake Slider was good and moist, plus I love how it was transformed into a slider. The Clam Shell Meringue Macaron had a great mouthfeel and texture too.

Caged Afternoon Tea

If you want to be a little bit over the top, you can get the Picnic Afternoon Tea served in a cage with a glass of champagne, and a special dessert box for $118. A bit pricey, but good for those who really want to impress.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed the Summer Picnic theme for their afternoon tea. All the items were crafted well and worked with the picnic theme.

For $65 per person, it’s not a bad price at all and it’s unique compared to the other afternoon tea sets in Vancouver. I highly recommend it!

Address:
1161 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.trumphotels.com/vancouver/the-trump-champagne-lounge

In Afternoon Tea

Carnival Afternoon Tea in Downtown Vancouver

May 21, 2019

Fumiko Moreton has created another whimsical afternoon set that is sure to impress. Located inside the Trump Champagne Lounge, you can get the Carnival Afternoon tea set from May 20 – July 21, 2019 at 12 – 4pm for $65 per person.

We’ve gotten feedback on how we should not be supporting Trump Hotel due to it’s association but we believe in the talents of their local staff who are crafting some incredible eats. It’s about good food, not politics.

The Carnival Afternoon tea set comes with a collection of savouries, sweets, and tea. The bigger wheel pictured serves 3 people while the smaller one serves 2 people. Who knew dining with one more extra person would make a big difference.

Tea Selections

You can choose from a bunch of black tea, red teas, rooibos, green tea or herbal teas as part of your afternoon tea set. I love my black teas.

Scones

The basket of scones contains Funfetti Scone, Mini Pretzel, and Matcha Scone. It is served with clotted cream, lemon curd and strawberry & rhubarb jam. I really enjoyed the funfetti scone with the clotted cream.

Savouries

Savouries are my favourite in an afternoon tea set. You’ll find fun items like corn dogs, egg salad sandwiches, baked oysters, poutine and mini ‘ice cream’ cones as these savoury items. Of all these, the corn dog was my absolute favourite as it has an Arabiki-style Sausage and sriracha ketchup.

Smoked Salmon and Dill Mini ‘Ice Cream’ Cone

Sweets

For the sweet tooth, there is chocolate banana crepe, raspberry lemonade jello, chocolate sundae cupcake, cinnamon sugar churros, salted caramel popcorn cream puff, and cotton candy pop. Of the bunch, the salted caramel popcorn cream puff surprised me the most. Good balance of flavours.

Carnival Afternoon Tea in Cage

If you’re feeling boujee, you can get the Carnival Afternoon Tea served in a cage with a glass of champagne and a dessert box with macarons for $118 per person.

Final Thoughts

Overall, their limited edition afternoon sets are beautifully crafted and have a fun seasonal theme. The price is decent and the food isn’t your cookie cutter afternoon tea sets that you see at some places around town. The items are aesthetically pleasing as well as leaving your taste buds wanting more.

Address:
161 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.trumphotels.com/vancouver/the-trump-champagne-lounge

In Afternoon Tea

La Petite Cuillere: Brunch and High Tea in Mount Pleasant

June 18, 2018

La Petite Cuillere in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood has undergone a little transformation after the change of ownership. Owner Cathy Lai and Chef Frankie partnered back in November 2017 to focus on quality ingredients, cooking from scratch, rotating menu and better tea and food pairings. They recently launched a new menu with brunch being served daily from 10am – 2:30pm.

Interior

Since the ownership changeover, there have been some changes to the interior. The seating is more extravagant and fancy. If you have a particular seat in mind, it’s best to reserve and ask for that spot. They can accommodate parties up to 23 people and private events of up to 45 people.

These two east are extra fancy and so boujee.

I like how they kept the tea cups as a focus at the back of the cafe. I’m even impressed that it’s colour coordinated too.

Afternoon Tea

We started with the afternoon tea, which is always a stunner. You get all the sweets and savouries, plus a pot of tea. Our beautiful tower came with:

Cupcake
Tea Cake
Macaron
Scone with preserves and Devonshire cream
Crème Brule
Soup of the day
Darjeeling Roasted Chicken Tartlet with Cranberry Chutney
Lapsang Tea Egg Salad Croissant
Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Quiche
Spring Salad with Green Tea Goddess Dressing

The flavours change daily, so you never know what flavours of items it will be. Always best to call ahead and let them know of any dietary restrictions. They can also make a vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free versions too.

Of the set we had, I felt that the savoury items were stronger than the sweet ones, but that is also my personal preference too. The quiche and croissant were my favourite.

For my pot of team, I went with Earl Grey. It’s classic for any afternoon tea and goes well by itself or with milk and sugar.

Chai Tea French Toast

The Chai Tea French Toast is topped with candied hazelnuts, blueberry compote, and chamomile mascarpone cream. A twist on a classic with 4 layers of french toast. The Chai isn’t too strong and pairs nicely with the blueberry compote.

Vegan Buckwheat Waffles

The waffles is topped with dark chocolate salted caramel, earl grey butter, and raspberry compote. It’s good to have vegan options for brunch but felt this was a bit lacking compared to the other dishes on the menu.

Croque Madame

This has darjeeling béchamel, leek jam, swiss cheese, ham, and egg. It was interesting to see how they incorporated tea into the béchamel. Can’t go wrong with a sandwich covered in cheese and sauce.

Smoked Salmon Hash

It has crispy potatoes, lentils, dill, soft boiled tea egg, and a Ceylon lemon aioli. This was a fun dish and I liked the smoked salmon and the egg.

Breakfast Quiche

Despite its look, I enjoyed it. It has creamed oolong spinach, mushroom, squash, caramelized onion, and mozzarella.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the brunch and afternoon tea items were ok. None of the dishes stood out too much, but its still a fun place to hang out with friends and enjoy some tea and treats while catch up on life.

Address:
55 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.lapetitecuillere.ca/

In Afternoon Tea

Neverland Tea Salon: High Tea in Vancouver

January 24, 2018

Neverland Tea Salon is located in Kitsilano and is a popular cafe serving up high tea. They take inspiration from Peter Pan, thus the name Neverland. What stands out is their variety of high teas that can cater towards vegans and those who are gluten and diary free. Good for groups of people with dietary restrictions, so they can dine together. We made a reservation ahead of time to ensure a spot.

Interior

There are a few things that remind you of Peter Pan in the dining area, like a big quote.

The details of the tea cups, chairs and utensils give it a nice look.

Demi Tea

Two of us got the Demi Tea set which includes 6 items (3 savouries, 2 sweets, and 1 scone). It also comes with up to 2 pots of tea for $25 per person.

English Breakfast

I got the English Breakfast and added some honey and milk to my cup of tea. A classic.

Savouries

Tarragon chicken salad with candied walnuts, salt-roasted pears & pickled grapes.

Lemon-herb mascarpone, cucumber and arugula.

Thai red curry egg salad with mango chutney, cucumber and red pepper.

Sweets

New York vanilla cheesecake on red velvet blondie base.

Cinnamon crumble date square.

Citrus scone with cream and house-made strawberry jam.

Tiger Lily Jasmine

For my second pots of tea, I got the Tiger Lily Jasmine as a good way to end the meal.

Final Thoughts

The scone was delicious and so were the sweets. I felt like the savouries were a bit of a let down as they weren’t as interesting, but the Thai Red curry egg sandwich has a good depth of flavour. What’s good about Neverland Tea Salon is their varieties of high tea. You can get different sizes of the high tea and there are vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. Good to get a group together that has varying dietary options.

We Rate Neverland Tea Salon:

Address:
3066 W Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
http://neverlandtea.com/

In Afternoon Tea

Tracycakes Bakery Cafe: High Tea in Langley

April 21, 2017

Tracycakes Bakery Cafe in Langley is located in a cute little heritage home. This place about 30 – 40 minutes away from Vancouver depending on traffic. We were invited to give their high tea a try.

I was pretty excited since I love high tea and it’s not that often I visit Langley.

Interior

The interior is very cute like you’re dining in someone’s living room. since it is a heritage home, you are sitting in someone’s home.

Everything here is on point and very cozy. Fresh tulips on the table too.

Tea

They serve Mighty Leaf Teas as well as some other blends. I went with the Breakfast Americana, which is a blend of English breakfast black tea.

The saucers are all really cute and each one is a little different.

Add some milk and sugar to your tea.

Signature High Tea

Their signature high tea includes:

Assorted finger sandwiches on the first tier
Freshly baked scones on the second tier
Our house-made Devonshire cream
Artisanal preserves
Assorted dainties and babycakes on the third tier
Seasonal sliced fresh fruit
Your choice of loose leaf teas or Artisan roasted coffees

Sandwiches

The first tier had the assorted sandwiches with a cheesy palmier pastry. All the other sandwiches were really delicious, my favourite was surprisingly the tomato and pesto. The cheesy palmier pastry was also amazing as well.

Scones

On the second tier were their pineapple scones topped with powdered sugar. You can spread their jam and house-made Devonshire cream all over it.

The pineapple scone was very flakey. I cut it in half and spread the Devonshire cream and jam on it.

The third and final tier has their dainties and babycakes. There are brownies, eclairs, cookies, fruit and the little cupcakes.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a great high tea experience and the price is pretty good compared to some of the other places in Vancouver. If you live further away from the city, Tracycakes is a great place to go to. The atmosphere is nice and the staff are friendly too.

We Rate Tracycakes:

Address:
21594 48 Avenue, Langley, BC

Website:
http://tracycakesonline.com/

In Afternoon Tea

La Petite Cuillere: High Tea and Afternoon Tea in Vancouver

September 2, 2014

La Petite Cuillere Tea House is located in the Mount Pleasant area. They serve up all day brunch, high tea and afternoon tea sets. I came here with my coworkers for a team social with all 8 of us. Looking at a few of the High Tea places in town, this was definitely the cheapest.

We came here because it fit into our budget and it was very close to our office. Plus, a few others recommended we come here.

The interior is quite nice and it has a few tables and cupboards filled with saucers and cups. You also get a good view of the outside. If you have groups of 4 or more, you’ll want to make a reservation so they have everything ready ahead of time, especially for people with allergies.

The English Tea Menu has 3 main selections:

La petite cuillère Tea ($12.75 per person)
Two miniature sweets and one of our signature cupcakes. Served with your choice of tea.
The “Afternoon Tea” ($24.50 per person)
Full service of three miniature sweets, three finger sandwiches, two miniature scones, mini loaf, tea biscuit, fruit preserves, and Devonshire cream. Served on a traditional three tier stand with your choice of tea.
The “High Tea” ($13.75 per person)
A selection of two miniature sweets, two finger sandwiches, one miniature scone, fruit preserves, and Devonshire cream. Served on authentic English bone china with your choice of tea.

You can add $2 to the price if you want their premium selection instead of the standard.

We all ordered The “Afternoon Tea” and waited patiently as if arrived. While we waited, we loved looking at their little plates and cutlery.

They have a large selection of tea and i went with the Ti Kuan Yin Oolong. This tea is a semi-fermented Oolong tea, has long been one of China’s most popular teas. It has an aroma reminiscent of a Merseault wine with a creamy sweet flavour and some floral notes to it. The brew finishes with its famous cooked sugar taste.

I love asian tea! I’ve grown up with it and I can’t seem to like any other types of teas.

When the three tier stand arrived everyone started whipping out their phones to take pictures. Who wouldn’t right? It’s quite a sight when you see all the tiers appearing on the table.

The 3 finger sandwiches are on the first tier and there was a croissant sandwich, a asparagus and salmon sandwich and a veggie roll. The 3 items were decent.

On the second tier, you have the two miniature scones, mini loaf, and tea biscuit. You use the Devonshire cream and the fruit preserves from the first tier for the scones.

The third tier is the dessert. Macaron, cheesecake and a raspberry tart.

Every last item was enjoyable. Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom.

For $24.50 for their largest set, it is definitely affordable compared to some other places in town. The service is great and there is a cozy atmosphere. As for the quality of the items you get as part of the Afternoon Tea are decent. It’s not the best but you do get what you pay for. Nonetheless, I did have a great experience dining here.

We Rate La Petite Cuillere Tea House:

Address:
55 Kingsway Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.lapetitecuillere.ca/

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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