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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