While finishing up Leg 3 last year, there was a cute place that opened up in Union City that I wanted to take my daughter to. We had the brilliant idea of having her Guest Write for this Spot and she had so much fun doing it, even taking some photos of her own. (you can read her review of K On The Go here) For Leg 4, I knew I wanted to invite her again! I had a place in mind, but they had closed their tea service momentarily. (Actually, they’re bringing it back so I will still take her!) When I heard about the Hello Kitty Cafe opening in the Bay Area, obviously I was going to take her. Now, she wasn’t THAT familiar with Sanrio or Hello Kitty…but she knew enough. Her first introduction was when she was 3 and I couldn’t wait for her first Sanrio experience!! They were still open then and we took her to our local mall. She picked out some trinkets and stationery, and we allowed her to pay for them herself. Of course, the Mommarazzi I was, took all the pictures!!

You’re in for a treat with this post because my Babygirl is back and you get to enjoy a 14-year-old’s perspective on this Spot! She took it very seriously and I love love LOVED watching her get into it. I’m sure people around us probably had silent opinions of ‘oh poor mom takes her daughter to afternoon tea and the kid is on her phone the entire time…’ That’s okay, cuz I knew what she was doing and we had a blast in between notetaking. We have the kind of relationship where we can just look at each other and know what the other person is thinking! I can’t wait for you all to read her stuff!! (honestly I can’t wait to read it either…cuz it will be my first time as I input her notes here!)

Hello Kitty Cafe

2855 Stevens Creek Boulevard Suite 2280 Santa Clara, CA 95050

www.sanrio.com

I just love that shade of pink. The neon signs and all the details were so cute, you already get excited upon seeing from a distance.

DAUGHTER – When I saw the outside I was like awww oky very cute, but in my head I was like “are they compensating for smth?” But the inside is even cuter and I was trying not to nerd out over the kpop playing! And everyone in there was so nice and took care of us.

So the front part is the cafe’s storefront. Then there’s a room, called the Bow Room (ugh so cute), to the side where someone walks you in when your reservation is ready. There’s about 10 tables in there, nice and exclusive. I didn’t include photos for this, cuz I want your first encounter to be in-person!

Strawberries + Cocoa Cream – They had an Arrival Appetizer! You guys know I love those. And it just so happens that strawberries and chocolate have been my jamm lately. It was really thick only chocolate-scented whipped cream, but the strawberries were at least very fresh + ripe.

DAUGHTER – I thought it was good and simple. idk if it was just me but I couldn’t taste the cream too much, which I didn’t mind bc I don’t like things way too sweet.

Honeyed Pear – All I could taste was: burnt. I don’t know if it was just steeped too long or what. I reluctantly drank it for the rest of my tea service. I love a good pear tea! I make a good pear tea. This wasn’t it. I thought about changing my tea. They offered a ‘creamy and floral blend’ which yall know is my JAM, but I really wanted to check out their translation of pear. Even still at the end of our visit, I thought about ordering a cup of that one to-go. I really wanted to give them a chance to redeem the tea part.

Mango Iced Tea – This is what my daughter ordered. (I didn’t take a picture) I thought it was very nice and refreshing! If possible, it reminded me of a lollipop from Sanrio!! That tasted like Childhood. I kept thinking I should’ve ordered one for myself…

DAUGHTER – Really really really good! I was kinda thinking like “will the mango be overpowered by the tea or will the tea be overpowered by the mango?” (dang, she’s good huh guys? [this is Mom btw]) But honestly it was really well balanced and ngl I was really surprised with how things were from the start.

Cutest tier, but not so practical. I had to like cling arms with one of the side frames to get to my scone…

Cucumber Sandwich – I understand the concept (Hello Kitty cutout) but eh. It would’ve been more noticeable if they used something for at least her eyes. Cucumbers were crunchy (which I like), cream was okay, and the bread was dry.

DAUGHTER –  I haven’t been to as many places as my mom. But I feel like with most places if you’ve had a cucumber sandwich once, you’ve had them all and that was the case with this one. I mean yes we were busy taking notes and taking pictures so we didn’t try it as soon as it came out, but the bread was a bit stale and the moisture of the cucumber was gone so I wasn’t really impressed. But it was just an ordinary cucumber sandwich so I was hoping that things would get better.

Egg Salad – Mm that’s fun! Crunchy waffle, nice sesame flavor. The egg was more like a soft scrambled texture, which was different but welcome. I loved the bit of spiciness at the end.

DAUGHTER – IT WAS REALLY GOOD!! The waffle cup thing was holding up everything really well, and the egg salad inside was really good! I would remember the salad but it wasn’t too different for me to set it apart from others, but overall I would take like 10. (me too baby, those were slammin huh!?)

Beet Hummus Pita – I think I would have liked a pita CRACKER instead. Good flavor of hummus, slight bitter of radish, always a fan of beet.

DAUGHTER – It was so cute and I was hoping it would be my favorite thing but it kinda threw me off… The filling thing was oky, but the bread at the bottom was like: are u moist or are u toasted a bit? Like it was giving “I was sitting out on the counter”. (raise hand emoji)

Chicken Salad Croissant – That croissant was wonderful, slight sweetness to it. The chicken tasted homemade which is A+ in my book. Could have used more in it tho. I thought this kinda had an Asian flare…

DAUGHTER – The croissant was good! It tasted like butter, but I couldn’t taste the chicken filling. I would get little hints, but it was like 90% croissant and 10% filling.

Seasonal Scone – Just okay. Definitely needed some preserves…but even then, it was only aiight. The glaze drizzle kinda helped, but not by much.

DAUGHTER – The scone by itself I liked, but it wasn’t mind blowing. It was just a scone and I didn’t try it with any jam or anything bc I feel like it shouldn’t need anything to be liked. (Mom: wow good one, girl) I mean adding smth when it’s already good could be a plus, but if it needs it then what’s the point? Now it’s just a jelly sandwich u run out with before u have to go and start ur day!

Apple Pie Tart – Before I could finish my bite- give me more! Perfect crumble topping, nicely sweetened gooey apples, just a pinch of cinnamon, and yummy pastry.

DAUGHTER – In general, I don’t really like apple pie things. But this was pretty good! It had a chewy gummy thing going for it.

Strawberry Shortcake – Soggy Bottom. The pastry had a nice sweetness to it tho. And again the cream was just so airy (like the chocolate whipped cream), you just knew you were gonna have gas after haha. Also, second strawberry item on the menu. I feel like they could have ventured out some for this one. Maybe a blueberry shortcake?

DAUGHTER – Again too sweet for my liking. But it was really fun the way the filling on the inside bursted. The outside felt a bit fragile but pretty good, just a little too sweet for me.

Raspberry Macaron – That was nice. I don’t even like raspberry that much. But there was a nice chew to the shell and fresh fruit.

DAUGHTER –  I’m not a fan of raspberry, but this wasn’t bad. It wasn’t too sweet and overpowering, it was pretty good.

Hello Kitty Mini Cake – Very almond forward. Eh.

DAUGHTER – I’m not a fan of overly sweet things and me personally, I found it overly sweet. So much to where I twitched my head a bit (a tick of mine when things are too sweet). For others this might be the thing that they liked, but not for me. My overall thought….breathtaking. (Seinfeld reference iykyk)

It was cute. A lot of cuteness. If you have an Inner Child that was obsessed with Sanrio + Hello Kitty like I did and you want to go for the nostalgia or bring your kid to share something you loved with them- go for it. But for the price that I paid (yes, out my own pocket), I think it’s a One-and-Done type of Tea. I hardly ever bring up cost in my posts, but I think I’m still having some sticker shock side effects. For my daughter + I (party of 2) with mandatory gratuity (and they even had the nerve to ask for “Additional Tip”), it was $178.00. And I don’t think it was worth it. Sure, there were some standout items. I adored the egg waffle tart, apple pie, and macaron…but they weren’t good enough to bring me back. The rest of the items were below mediocre and there were not enough savories. I will say however that the customer service was remarkable! So if you go, you’ll at least be well attended to. I had the most amazing time with my daughter so it wasn’t a waste. We usually can make any environment a fun one! The memory of watching her work and do what I do will be treasured for sure.

DAUGHTER – My final thoughts of the place: Meh… Some things were good but not enough to come back or remember. Just a cute little spot but the tea food was meh. It was really fun to have a little date with my Mom!!! And everything we ate or saw, we wouldn’t have to say much. All we had to do was look at each other’s eyes and know exactly what we thought lol.

For more Guest Writer pieces written by my Daughter:

Spot #42 :: K On The Go

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Our 57th Spot:

Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel

2825 Sand Hill Road Menlo Park, CA 94025

www.rosewoodhotels.com

[incredible shot taken by Kika]

We walked in and immediately felt the tranquility. There was this beautiful scent that made you feel like you were on a tropical vacation. Where’s my sunscreen and swimsuit?! We later found out it was from this single candle in their giftshop. We all wanted one! Happy for my sweet girl “Wife of Filipino”/one of the Bellas, who got to take one home!! Can’t say I’ve ever had afternoon tea in a library…but I was thrilled to add that to my list of tea experiences!

Cedarberg Rooibos – I was feeling something comforting today, so I went with my preferred naturally caffeine-free tea base. This was very flavorful! I know my way around a rooibos, and this was a good one. I appreciated the size of the teacups too…it was Goldilocks-sized: just right. I usually don’t go through that many cups of tea during a spot visit, but I had a good 4 or 5 of these!

Rolled Jasmine – This was steeped too long. A good 2-minutes will do ya. While the flavor was really good, it was also really intense. My girlfriend had to doctor hers up with some honey and dilute it with the extra hot water left at the table. (I liked that touch btw, so we didn’t have to always ask for hot water)

Masala Chai – This was on their online menu, but not offered on the in-person menu. Nothing a little question can’t fix tho, so my girl was still able to order it. Nice spice, more cinnamon than anything else.

Smoked Trout Caviar Cream Puff (beet crème fraîche, horseradish)* – Just so everybody knows, if I see “caviar” I’m gonna have some! The bite-sized portions were cute, tho I coulda had a dozen of these no prob! Adored the pops of caviar (of course), the dill was so so faint, the beet was kind of in the back, and a nice salty flavor of the trout. Horseradish was not overpowering at all (I like for it to make me cry and stop breathing for a sec haha)…my friend compared it to ‘like salt bringing out the flavor of something’.

*not included in tea service, additional item on menu

Cucumber (citrus labne, mint, pain de mie) – Spongy bread, really good citrus, light mint, crunchy cucumbers.

Smoked Salmon (cream cheese, dill, pickled red onion, rye) – It was a multigrain bread with rye. I don’t know that I’ve ever had salmon and rye together…but it’s genius!! I’ve had like 57 smoked salmon sandwiches on this Tour; this one is definitely a standout. And that pickled red onion was a nice surprise pop of flavor.

Okay at this point in the tea service, I had decided that I would come back just for the bread alone. “Can I get some loaves up in here to-go please?!”

Dungeness Crab (hass avocado, wheat) – “Dungeness” caught my eye, first thing. It was A LOT of crab, and thank goodness. Ugh, I loved the stringy texture of crab. The a-little-bit-more-than hint of spicy was really welcome. Again, really good bread. It could have used some salt tho…

Coronation Chicken (golden raisin, cilantro, walnut & currant) – This one had so much flavor, like almost too much flavor. Loved the crunch, but it was a lot going on. The tartness was good, but it got overwhelming.

[photo by Kika]

When we first walked in, we kept smelling something caramelized. We got excited thinking there was going to be something brûléed. In my whole time during this Tour, this was the first ever Tableside Torching!!! That was so cool.

Happy the sweets were on a tier!

Traditional Scone – Classic, well done. High quality fixings.

Cocoa Nib Scone – This one didn’t need anything!

Petite S’mores – IS THAT A BISCOFF??!! Dood, they put the best biscuit of all time as the base for their smore. Gooiest, freshly-torched marshmallow. Decadent chocolate.

Honey & Peach Cake – This was just okay for me. Nothing wrong with it, I think it just got lost in the shuffle of all the other amazing desserts.

Chocolate Canalé – I didn’t like this one that much…but the moist center was fun.

Strawberry & Elderflower Panna Cotta – Table Favorite. It’s a GOOD ONE. And the strawberry bits and preserves just worked seamlessly with it. My girl was only trying to have a little bit…but kept picking it back up until she finished it hehe!

Cacao Pâte de Fruits – Fun to chew and feel the bits of sugar crunching between your teeth.

Plum & Raspberry Fruit Tart – Okay (takes deep breath), I wanna cry thinking about this one again because it’s really close to being the BEST SWEET of the entire California Tea House Tour mmkay! The crispiest chocolatey pastry, filling was divine (I don’t even use that word), crunchy not-too-sour plum.

[photo by Kika]

Dandelion European Drinking Chocolate – And because this was a collab with San Francisco’s Dandelion Chocolate, we of course had to order a cup of this. First sip was pure melted marshmallow. Nice thick slightest bitter hot chocolate. Loved it.

We had an incredible LEISURE time. I think we easily spent 3 hours there. With the patio in the back and the shops, it felt like a full Weekend Getaway. We’re only sorry we didn’t book spa treatments!! So much fun with my girls. A couple that have been Regulars on the Tour, a couple I haven’t seen in a bit, and one that I’ve not seen for a long while. I am so grateful to each of them for spending this time with me and getting me out my head. No one knew the wiser…that I had been bawling my eyes out the days prior, completely emotionally exhausted from a serious doctor’s appointment I had the day before. They each took care of me in their own caring ways, and I couldn’t feel more grateful and loved. Thanks Girls.

The staff there was genuinely kind as well. We never felt rushed and they took excellent care of us. All while displaying big smiles. I loved our server. Even the Torch Guy! Everyone was so gracious to us. Listen- food was great, tea was great, sweets were great, venue was great, staff was great, company was great…nothing to complain about. Which is just what I needed. I’m excited to add Rosewood to our raTEAng. I suspect they’ll be high on the list! Please make your reservations to visit and then tell us how much you loved it!

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