Our 31st Spot:

The RoyalTea Garden

163 West Neal Street Pleasanton, CA 94566

http://www.royalteagarden.com

Early during the Pandemic, daydreaming about tea party food, I found out that one of my favorite Tea Spots closed. I was so sad! I mean this Tea Spot, The English Rose Tea Room, had remained on my number 1 spot in my raTEAngs for twenty-one spots!!?! That means something. There were many times I visited, not just the part 2, that I didn’t even blog about. There were a hundred teas to try, good quality teas. And everything I ever ate from there was spectacular. So naturally, when I heard a new tea room was there in its place…I was intrigued.

It was the first spot I scheduled on my new Tour. (I know I know, we’ve already visited iChina, Four Seasons, and St. Regis… But don’t forget: iChina was a date, Four Seasons was a surprise, and St. Regis was leftover from the previous list. So this really was the first!!) They had some big shoes to fill. Not that they never stood a chance…I know enough to be fair. I asked my Assistant 😉 (remember the girl from iChina, this will be her Blog nickname!), her daughter-in-law’s sister (a new friend + sweetest girl ever), and some other new friends (who I love!) that I haven’t seen in a while since they moved, to come with! This was also the first time I’d be having tea with ones who’s never seen me at a “working tea”!? So, I was a little nervous about that. I didn’t want them to think I wasn’t enjoying myself as well or part of the conversation. But they were simply the best! They let me do my thing and had a ball themselves! So much laughter at this tea!! I even got quite a few quotes from them, so they were totally helpful too. I have to take a moment here to thank my husband… I didn’t put this is the last post, but- a really cool thing that happened from taking my family to Muir’s, was that I was able to get their honest feedback for how it was to watch me or be with me while I was working. The Huz says that it was neat to see how I could take my photos + notes, and then seamlessly transition into the conversation with them. So knowing this, put me more at ease about having tea with new ones! (sigh!) And *shout out* to my Regulars for sharing me and understanding/allowing me to experience tea with my new friends until their turn again. (three gratitude emojis here)

Our reservation was at 3p. We were hauling booty to make it there on time! We got there with 5-minutes to spare. Walked up to the door…and there was kind of a crowd outside. No one was inside. One of the girls from this party said we should go inside to let them know we were here, cuz she said she waited a good 10-minutes before anyone came out to see her. The door was unlocked, so I walked inside. I was met with a frantic girl, saying they weren’t ready but that they would call us when they were. I asked if I could take a few pics of the interior and she let me. By the time I got back outside, there were another 2 parties that showed up. With us, that made four groups of people congregated at their front door. Not cute. Their door is right on the sidewalk too, so we were probably also violating some penal code haha (shrugs) I don’t know!? I should’ve looked at my clock by the time they let us in, but I believe it was after 3p. “I don’t like that Raymond.” (if you’ve watched Everybody Loves Raymond you’ll know what that’s about)

I was taking it all in. Relying on my photographic memory of The English Rose. (again, NOT COMPARING) Just wanted to see what was different… I liked it! Not as crowded, not as much vintage floral. The decor was more minimal: the same green striped walls, but with these huge big flowers on the wall. Pretty! They walked us to our table, and I was excited to get the one all the way in the back in its own special nook. (I always wanted to sit there at The English Rose) (You guys are all probably like: “If she talks about The English Rose one more time…” huh!? Haha, sorry.) Cute minimal tablescape. What I didn’t like: our scone was already sitting there. Ew. Who knows for how long. Aand, one of my friends didn’t even get one. (of course I asked for one for her)

Upon being seated, our server offered us an arrival tea. Pear & Cinnamon, she says. I don’t think I’ve talked about it much on here, but when I created my tea line- I love me a PEAR TEA!! (if yall don’t know about pear tea, get on board) So of course, I welcomed some! Eh. Bland and luke warm, very mild cinnamon flavor, no pear whatsoever. After we settled in, she got us their tea menus. Looked very familiar. (I’m gonna say it, get ready) Looked a lot like The English Rose’s (haha), there were def some tea names and flavors that I remembered. [And because I’m a detective, when I got home I looked and did a side-by-side. Yes, most of the same tea offerings. And I’m only saying this cuz for those of us who miss The English Rose so dearly- at least you can get some of their tea flavors again if you wish.] This was a good thing, because The English Rose had some SLAMMIN TEAS. So at least that.

Okay tho, so for what I didn’t like. (ugh) They only allowed THREE pots of teas for our table of 6. Isn’t this a TEA party yall?? Shouldn’t we get to have tea? The tea that we want to have with our tea party food? I’m just checking. (rolling my eyes) Yeah, another I-Don’t-Like-That-Raymond moment. That meant, that, 2 of the girls that I took with me (cuz I would’ve had whatever so that they got to choose), wouldn’t get to try the teas that they wanted to try!! And that wasn’t fair. Granted, they allow you to ask for another pot(s) later in the tea service (which wouldn’t’ve mattered anyway…more on that later). BUT, you don’t get to have the tea you want initially…after dangling those hundred tea flavors on their menu in front of you first. AND, they didn’t tell us this from the get. So we all took a moment to narrow down our choices, only to find out when she came back that we better get our act together and compromise on just THREE while she’s standing there waiting. We did Creme Brulee, Marvelous Mango, and Earl Grey.

Creme Brulee – I know I had had this one before. A great cup of tea. More on the sweet side. But if you’re a creamy tea lover (like I am), you’ll like this one. The caramel and sugar are highlighted.

Marvelous Mango – I hadn’t had this one yet, but was hearing so much about it. The Table Favorite for sure. Here’s what my girls were saying: “Not too sweet, not overwhelming” … “fruit teas have the tendency to be like a liquid fruit, but this one tastes like a mango just got boiled in there”. They also said it reminded them of their favorite mango boba. When I finally had some, it was nice! Smelled and tasted like a body lotion, but not in a bad way.

Earl Grey – Didn’t get to try this one. But they said that it was “simple”, “worked well with the savories”, and “perfect for breakfast with the scone”.

You guys- (I’m really not trying to be mean) this is how forgettable this food was… I forgot to add a picture of the tier!? I’m here a month and a half later, updating this post, only because I was creating + scheduling posts for our social media aand lo + behold: no tier! So here it is:

[Oh, I forgot to put my Disclaimer… So- I was sitting in the furthest + darkest corner of the tea room, so these pictures aren’t great. I like to use natural light and I don’t fuss or filter anything when I post on here. She keeps it real mmkay. Maaaybe add some brightness sometimes, but that’s it. So just know, that these are the best I could get. Not my best work, but they’ll have to do.]

Scone – [Btw, they didn’t leave a menu or have one posted on their website AND I don’t memorize when they do a rundown of what’s on the tiers…so I don’t have the official names or titles of these food items.] Too fluffy and cakey. Didn’t break open good, not sturdy enough for the fixings. It will crumble. Not very flavorful either. Oh and I hated that fixings carousel they put the cream, preserves + lemon curd in! It was flimsy.

Cucumber Sandwich – Crunchy + thick cucumbers, I liked. House bread (meaning it wasn’t a quality bread or anything fancy) and way too much cream.

Egg Salad Sandwich – Not much flavor, very homemade, did like the pepper tho.

Turkey – My friend goes “oh the burrito”. Haha! Not cute guys, come on! Her sister said “such a millennial thing to make it a burrito!” It was dry and needs more flavor.

Smoked Salmon – I had to take a poll at the table if I should try to bite this in half or not. It’s a one-biter, or the thing will fall apart. And if you have a small mouth like me, it will take some time and maneuvering things around in there before you could swallow it all. (awkward emoji) So good tho! Flavors all worked wonderfully together and the crackers made that thing. Fun crunch + texture. (I know you were waiting for me to use that word) (at least I’ve stopped talking about The English Rose ha!)

Tomato Tart Thing – Had nice pastry. I didn’t like how the tomato jerky didn’t bite well. Like, you have to bite down hard and saw it with your chompers for a while before it breaks apart. Again, too much cream.

Beef Wellington – I remembered the name of this one! Before I even tried it, I could hear the table talking about the strength of the ‘horseradish’ or ‘wasabi’ they were saying. The pastry was dry. It was too much sauce and too strong. I couldn’t taste beef or mushroom or anything. Just all sauce.

At this point in our tea, we were offered another pot. The girls wanted more of the Mango, and my Assistant wanted something different and asked me to choose. I spotted their Peaches and Cream and asked for a consensus. A resounding yes, so that’s what we ordered.

Peaches and Cream – Smells so good! “You can smell the peach but taste the cream,” one of my girls said. It was a great choice and I am glad we tried it. I had that one for the rest of our visit.

Macaron – It was okay. It was lemon that day.

Cream Puff – Eh. Mine was hollow.

Raspberry Mousse (I’m guessing) – “It looks like brain matter!” one of them said! Yuck. This was NOT aesthetically pleasing, at all, by far. Much too sweet, tasted like medicine, reminded me of Kool-Aid. I could only tolerate a taste.

Mini Chocolate Cupcake – This was nice for the last bite. Again, dry box cake. But the frosting and crispy sprinkles were nice, just a lot of it.

I took the leftovers (cuz I had a lot of it) home to my family. And even the Huz says: “Did they give you anything to cut the flavors…? Cuz- everything is creamy!?” So I wasn’t the only one! I was sitting there waiting to be wowed and got nothing. You can tell when I have short notes about a food, I am over it and just want to get through this post.

Why I mentioned it didn’t matter if they offered us additional flavors of tea to try later in the service… They kicked us out!! They came around after an hour and a half, looked at their watch, and told us it was time to go cuz they had to clean. We were the last seating! I’m not saying to let us stay well into 5 or 6 o’clock or anything…but dang, can we go pee first?! Haha. I came out the bathroom and all my friends were gone. One with my backpack and one with my leftovers. WHY not offer us EACH a tea flavor? WHY offer us a new flavor to try mid-tea service? IF you’re just gonna kick us out and not even give us enough time to enjoy it anyway?? Frantic to seat us and frantic to get us out. Not what a relaxing tea time is about, RoyalTea.

After we left, we took some pictures right outside of their side gate. Someone came out and asked me about my card I left. (I don’t mention anything about the Tour when I make reservations, and leave a card about our Tour when we pay at the end.) It was the owner, she wanted to know more about the Tour. She was nice. Now, I was told a lot of experience, travel, and thought went into the tea and food here. And in my history with afternoon tea (owning a successful tea company and catering), it didn’t come off that way. I’ve been doing this Tour for a long time and have visited tea houses with less experience, no international experience, but was presented with amazing flavorful teas and food that is top notch. It’s hard to write a post that isn’t exactly positive, after meeting with the owners who are perfectly nice. However, as I always promise, I will give you my FULL and HONEST opinion whenever I visit a place. Hopefully the owners can appreciate constructive criticism and if they are moved to– make changes for the better. If they are confident about what they are offering, then keep it that way. I am just one person who is allowed an opinion. Don’t come for me because I know how to be honest, just sayin… [Real quick Story Time: One time this guy didn’t like what I said and came for me across all our social media accounts. Like this dood LOOKED UP my government name and found me on facebook to message me his complaint about what I said about their Tea Spot.] Don’t do that. That is not necessary, people. If you’re so bothered, that means you are defensive about something. Defensive people know they have things they got to work on. So just work on it and move on. Thank you for listening to my TED Talk. Hahahah! But really- there are thousands of people that read this Blog (a thousand lost followers on Instagram but we’re back on there so we’re starting from scratch again! Follow us!), and it is out of my control what they choose to take or not. I love when I get messages from you that say you took a suggestion and were happy you did! And then I get some who not really argue but insist that a place I didn’t like is one they frequent. IT’S OKAY! There is room for all of us! I am just one person who visits tea rooms in the Bay Area and writes about it. As my last IG post on how I like to eat my scones says: DO YOU BOO!

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Spot #28 Revisit:

Muir’s Tea Room

330 S Main Street Sebastopol, CA 95472

https://www.muirstearoomandcafe.com/

Before Pandemic, we would go on a small trip every spring break. I would always ask my husband or kids where they would want to go and what they would want to do. We love to do Reno or Sonoma. It had been waaay toooo long since I had been to Tea (this was before I restarted this Blog and current Tour), and I realized that after doing this for almost 10 years- we have never been to Tea together, the 4 of us!? So I chose this year. And instead of doing one big thing, we opted for enjoying lots of little things. After a week of eating out and mini outings, we ended with a bang and Mom took everyone to Tea. Not just any Tea, but my all-time favorite Tea Spot! (read my original review of Muir’s here) I wasn’t nervous to bring them…but maybe was a tiny bit apprehensive. I mean, we were using our spring break on something I liked. And I’m not usually one to insert my wants…I’m always asking everyone else!! But it was so cute. Before leaving for our hour and a half road trip, my husband yells through the house “What do I wear to Tea?!” Hahah. That softened my anxiety right up!

Another cool thing to mention: when I got back on Instagram, Muir’s followed us! I was such a fangirl about it too. The owner’s daughter takes care of their social media, and her + I have been chatting through DM. Sweet girl. They told me to let them know when I was coming back, so essentially the Blog was invited! 😉 She even went out of her way to share what was around the Tea Room, since she knew my kids would be coming with. And then let me know our puppy was very welcome, since we booked to be seated outside. For those who know me well- I love eating outside!! It’s my favorite. And look how cute:

Of course as per usual, we got a very big welcome. One of the servers came out with such great energy, and got our table ready. (we came early; see, excited I told you) She was so sweet to my dog. (see if you notice our Nova in any photos!) We pulled up a chair next to our table, and she sat nicely next to us the entire time.

First thing she took care of were our tea orders. Lots of delicious choices. About 3-4 from each tea base, which was nice. Let me mention that prior to coming, I tried not to read anything from my previous post about them. I wanted it to be as new of an experience again as possible, and didn’t want to rely on what I already knew about them. So- I was with my 16-year-old son, almost 12-year-old daughter, husband of 20 years, and 4-year-old shih tzu puppy. My son chose first. He was on it! He’s also very loyal. We had told the kids when they were little that it was the RULE that they weren’t allowed to have caffeine til they were 18. (They thought this was EVERY kids’ rule, haha!) They have a bunch of rooibos teas to choose from at home, if they want to have a cuppa. So it was no surprise that he went straight to the column of rooibos’s. He chose their Raspberry Vanilla. Our daughter on the other hand, will live on the edge when we allow her! After commending him for choosing caffeine-free, we said that we’d allow them a caffeinated choice for today. Without hesitation, my daughter decided on a black!! Hahaha. She wanted their Raspberry Chocolate Mint. The Huz went for their Yorkshire Gold. He said he wanted a black, and some of the flavors listed were interesting to him. I, loving maple flavors and nut teas, chose their Maple Walnut. (seriously not even remembering that we ordered this last time!)

Raspberry Vanilla – The raspberry in this was right up front. Not too much vanilla flavor. My son seemed to like it, cuz he didn’t wanna try any of ours!? When I asked him just now, he says “I liked it. It was warm.” Ay-yay-yay! (rolling my eyes)

Raspberry Chocolate Mint – The chocolate smell was very apparent. More mint scented, than flavored. It was kind of flat to me…which was good tho, cuz then it wasn’t as caffeinated for her hehe.

Yorkshire Gold – Very bold! He says ‘had a good clean taste and balance of flavors’.

Maple Walnut – Verrry fragrant! I could taste the green tea base. That maple hits you right away, and then the walnut is in the back. But a perfect blend for sure. It all came back to me at first sip! I remembered we ordered it last time!

Shortly after, the tallest plate of greens were brought to the table. Ben Weatherstaff’s Organic Seasonal Garden Salad – They were NOT stingy with that salad! I’ve never seen a dish packed so high and so stuffed to the brim!? For good reason too, as this salad (yes, just a salad!) was so so good. The owner explained that a local farmer came to have tea one day, and now is their official produce guy! These leaves were so delicate, you guys. I loved the occasional bitterness of some of them, you could totally tell it was organic + fresh. The vinaigrette was so light, my husband said it was “well dressed”. Those cherry tomatoes were so sweet, I felt like I was having tomato candy! As a matter of fact, my daughter + I were fighting over them! She says, “I never enjoyed a salad so much!” I will add that it was also piled high with green onions. My longtime readers know I can’t do a green onion! Haha. However, with that said, they were the most beautifulest green onions!! And, my family ate theirs all up. So I’m certain they were fabulous as well.

I knew the towers were coming and I had to save room, so I asked if I could pack up the rest of my salad. I only ate half. But you better believe I did not forget a single frond of lettuce! (yes, I packed the green onions too…my family loved theirs!) And again, Muir’s outdid themselves with this display. You guys, I couldn’t choose which angle to include so you’re getting all of them!!

So sweet, even after our server explained all the items of our tea service, the owner still came back with a fresh new menu for us to look at + keep. Which I’m using now, to make sure I get all the titles right! I watched my husband + kids as they took it all in. I was so happy to be there with them, and so thrilled for them to enjoy what I love. My 16yo son said “I’m just here for the music!” An eclectic musician (he plays the drums + electric guitar, all learned by ear; tho it helps that I married a drummer!) and old soul, he was lovin all the good music playing in the background!

Mrs. Medlock’s Scone with “cream” and a bottle of preserves – Ugh, you guyys! (sighing emoji face) (also, can you hear my whine?) They just do their scones so RIGHT. It’s like they made em especially for me!! Haha. “Oh she’s coming! Make the scones EXACTLY how she likes em!!” And I didn’t even mention (for my new Readers especially) that this is a plant-based/vegan Tea Spot yall! Okay, so back to these scones… I don’t even know how to write it down!? I make this sound to my family all the time, where I kind of chew and suck between my teeth, to explain my favorite food texture of aaaall-tiiiiiime. Think of the chewiest bread or like fresh mochi or a bouncy Portuguese cake… So this scone has surprise occasional bites of that!! Nice crispy edges and fluffy insides. And it’s plain! Nothing to fight with the cream or preserves, just how I like. And the cute little personal jelly jar is a really nice touch. (cuz I mean, who doesn’t like new cute tiny things?)

Martha’s Traditional Cucumber Finger Sandwich – I looked. (cuz I had to be reminded how it was last time, cuz I didn’t remember it this way…) And last time we came, it was one big thick slice of cucumber. This time! Boyyy! They really know how to work a mandoline. There were like 4 or 5 slices of the thinnest setting of cucumber. SO crunchy. And you know me with my textures- so good this way! Bread was soft, cream was good = winner! Oh yeah, and lined with all those chives!! The family agreed we coulda had a whole tray of these things- each!

Susan Sowerby’s Minted Pea & Radish Tea Sandwich – Whatever herbs were in this made it so intriguing.

Ayah’s Coronation Chickpea Tea Sandwich with Mango Chutney – There was like a thousand island sauce of some sort in this, that I was not mad at. Nice crunchy bits, nutty, bread had a good bite to it.

Colin’s Spring Asparagus with Lemon Pepper Sauce in Puff Pastry – How could you not like anything in puff pastry?! So chewy and flakey. The veg was cooked to perfection. Meaning you weren’t scraping strings of asparagus through your teeth and looking unattractive trying to break that thing apart… (yeah I said it! Haha) You bit down, and it broke off nicely. 100 points! I couldn’t get on board with the sauce, but the fam liked it a lot. I don’t know, it kinda reminded me of Chinese food (which I wasn’t expecting) so it just confused my tastebuds a little. I still ate it all tho!! Hahaha!

Yorkshire Pudding Tart with Onion Gravy – My daughter was laying it on thick with how much she loved this one. I think she was hinting at dibs, if I didn’t want/finish mine! Hehe. Spongey pastry, light mushroom flavor, squishy texture. I think I left her a nibble!

Dickon’s Crispy Choclate Bunny – This was just what I needed. A good thing to add to a tea service. I was almost full, and needed just a little something sweet. The dark chocolate was the right amount of bitter and sweet. And the rice krispies inside were a fun surprise! It wasn’t bound together, they were kind of free flowing in there…so you bit into it and cereal just pops in your mouth!? So fun!

Mistress Mary’s Caraway Shortbread – I couldn’t possibly eat another thing. Oh yeah, I don’t usually waste tummy space with the fruit that’s put on the tiers. But these were just calling out to me! And it was really refreshing to have watermelon, grapes, blueberries, and blackberries in between bites of my savories. My dog liked em too! (just the watermelon + blueberries) Okay, so this shortbread… I was full, but I HAD to take a bite. Honestly, this was a big reason why we were down here!! Since September of 2018, I had been raving to my husband about Muir’s shortbread! (he loves him some shortbread) And I never took him back to try any. So this was almost 5 years in the making, long-awaited. I didn’t read the menu and took a bite. What are these?! Caraway seeds?? Dood, caraway seeds? Who puts caraway seeds in shortbread? MUIR’S! And when I tell you it’s the most incredible flavor of shortbread!!?! Yall have to come try for yourself. Don’t wait 5 years!! Trust.

Misselthwaite Manor West Yorkshire Rhubarb Layer Cake – I didn’t taste this til I got home. Me, having it: “Hm, I don’t know if I like it…” [Puts it away] [Opens it back up] [Takes another bite] [Puts it away and tells the fam they can have it] [Comes back to it later to try it again] [Proceeds to finish it all by herself] (covering eyes monkey emoji here) My husband said it was moist + dense, and he wasn’t wrong! That’s exactly how I would describe it. It was such a chewy sticky piece of cake and you just kept wanting more to understand it!? Obviously, from my behavior above. Honestly, I wish I had more now! Hahaha!

The customer service here is unmatched. If you want a good time having afternoon tea, come here. The owner came out several times- asking how we were doing, showing an interest in who we were, even bringing Nova dog treats. Even her daughter did too! And she was busy making all of this tasty, gorgeous food in the back!! It’s not just a business to them. You can tell they really care about their consumers + patrons. It was a full house that day, and they were short-staffed as 2 of their employees were exposed to covid (thank you for keeping us safe, Muir’s!). Sitting outside by the door, we saw everyone going in and everyone going out. And EVERYONE was in a happy + relaxed mood! I know this Spot isn’t exactly “Bay Area”…but wherever you are, make the trip. I promise it will be worth your while!

All Muir’s Tea Room related posts:

Spot #28 :: Muir’s Tea Room

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