This time, I DO remember how I heard about this Tea Spot. Always giving credit where due… Mrs. Cutie sent me a reel about it, and when I saw ‘Livermore’ I thought this was the spot I had already had reservations for. But it wasn’t!? And I got excited. Made plans to go with her and Cutie Jr. right away!
However, we had to wait a bit for this one. It was supposed to be part of our last Leg, but they were running Halloween then Christmas themes…and I wanted to wait until after those since we didn’t celebrate. Busy calendars, a bit of rescheduling, and finally we made it today!
The theme was: “Lost on Pigeon Island”, which they described as a ‘tropical tiki vibe’. The first time they’ve offered it. If you’re a long time follower of the Blog, you know I love me a Hawaiian/Tropical/Tiki theme! (i.e. Spot #37 :: Jade Chocolates, Island Style High Tea – Kalani Kakes, Muir’s Tea Room | Holoholo Tiki Tea, Spot #54 :: Chill Tea & Coffee, and Spot #56 :: Kiki’s Coffee Shop) It speaks to my Hawaiian roots (that I was never allowed to embrace, but that’s a-whole-nother story…). This just added to the long awaited anticipation.
The moment you walk in, you are transported mmkay. The DED-I-CA-TION to the theme, let me tell you! I will not insert any photos, because you need to experience it organically as we did. And I won’t say anymore! (zipper lips emoji) I want to! But I won’t.
Wait, can I just tell you about the table…okay, nevermind.
They offered our party of 3 two choices of teas, that they would bring out a pot at a time during the tea service. Already loving this. All the options sounded + smelled (they have loose leaf samples out to help with your selection) delicious. We chose their Love Story and Big Kahuna blends. Terrific! Both of them.
Our lush tier was PACKED with 3 tea sandwiches, 4 pastries, 4 sweets, Teriyaki Chicken Skewers for each of us, AND THEN a honkin slice of Tiramisu too!
They don’t have the menu written anywhere, so this is my best description + memory of everything. (and I didn’t take notes cuz I wasn’t working!) The tea sandwiches were Cucumber, Tomato and Mozzarella, and Turkey and Muenster. These were nice size sandwiches too. The BREAD! (whiny face emoji) That bread was eeverryyythiinggg. It was soft, it was chewy, it had depth. All the sandwiches had a specific characteristic that made them unique to Fat Pigeon, I thought. Their Cucumber had avocado and mint…ugh that mint was so good. The tomatoes had a welcome tartness to them. Ooh the meat + cheese one had grainy mustard!! Me + Cutie Jr. couldn’t stop talking about it. I had to practice so much restraint to not inhale them all as fast as I could…since I like to have my salty with my sweets.
We all got some Snickerdoodle Scones that had the best chew you could imagine. There was a Sticky Bun/Cinnamon Roll thing that was so fun. I said it was like chewing on sand in the best way possible hehe! This Custard Pastry with Raspberries was also really good. (and I don’t even like raspberries) But the best thing on that level was their Lemon Tart!! Ughhh, The crust had a nice bite and the filling was perfection: not too sour, not too sweet. I would be fine with a whole 9×13 pan to myself!
Not pictured (in the ONE picture I took haha) were the skewers and cake slice. I don’t know what they did to dem teriyaki chicken thangs but they had just the THINNEST crust on them and then the juiciest, most tender meat inside!? (in disbelief emoji) Those were incredible. The Tiramisu too: not too sweet, not too alcoholy. I didn’t even make it to the Sweets there! There was so much food!! But brought home the Guava and Cheese thing, the Macaron, and others. There wasn’t anything we had today that wasn’t excellent.
So um, we wanna be put on reservations for all upcoming themes hahah! They change seasonally, so make sure you check on their socials to be kept in the loop. The customer service there was delightful! We were taken good care of. Even the bathrooms are cute. Oh and, AND (how could I forget) they played allll the jammms! Dope music selection for sure.
After that fiasco at the Ritz, we needed this. Mos def worth the wait. I hope you guys stop in to check them out for their afternoon tea! Cuz oh yeah, they’re also a BAR!! How cool is that!? To have Tea in a Bar. But I would say- come ESPECIALLY if you’re a TEXTURES person. There were textures galore here, and it all made for a very fun meal! We absolutely loved it. Always a pleasure with my Cuties. Special *shout out* to Cutie Sr. for picking this Spot!
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I’m letting you know right now, I’m not holding anything back for this review.
Since we visited the San Francisco Ritz-Carlton location in June 2015, I’ve been interested in seeing the Half Moon Bay one. My family + I have had HMB as our second home for over 20 years. We were supposed to get married on Montara State Beach, we have been taking our 19-year-old son (then later our daughter after she was born) to Beach Days there every last Saturday of the month as our family tradition since he was 7-months old, we go to the boats to get fresh crab every season, we have celebrated many an anniversary at La Costanera, we always have to stop by Half Moon Bay Brewing for a pour and their truffle fries, and for sure get a sandwich at Gherkin’s. So when I say “long awaited”, you now understand. Same with the Cutie family who accompanied us today, who have their own special moments with HMB and specifically the Ritz.
I’ve been doing this for a long time, right guys? I have the process down, and know what it takes to arrange and solidify plans to visit a Spot. While retired, I mentioned in my announcement post that there are still places I want to try and may write about. And in my last post, how I couldn’t wait to share what we’re doing this month. (I can’t emphasize any more how much we were all looking forward to this) So probably off + on since June 2015 and then more recently within the last year or so, I became interested in having tea at the HMB Ritz. I learned they no longer offered afternoon tea those years ago, BUT that they brought it back (was it just last year…?) for just a few special occasions on the calendar. I’ve said many times on here before that I prefer to have a general tea service as opposed to a special event/holiday one (1) because I don’t celebrate them and (2) because I want to see what their standard is. But HMB Ritz only offered for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and I think it was Fourth of July (at least for last year and from what I can remember, I’m not looking it up sorry yall)…so those were the only choices I had if I wanted to try Tea there. May was the soonest. So I started some months ago…
First I called in asking if they were going to offer afternoon tea again this year, specifically for Mother’s Day. I was told a hard no. Told the Cuties, and moved on. I was on OpenTable for something else on a day in March and randomly decided to look up The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, when whaddya know lo and behold there it was: an Experience being offered for MOTHER’S DAY AFTERNOON TEA. Yall know I looove me a receipt. Insert Exhibit A here:
I made the reservation right then and there to secure our spot. And here’s Receipt 2, notice where it says “Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea”:
The next day I realized that since the Cuties are Caretakers, I should probably book an earlier time (so they can get home to their family member) and changed our CURRENT AND EXISTING reservation FOR MOTHER’S DAY TEA to 1:45 PM. Receipt 3:
On April 17, I noticed from my finsta a post from @ritzcarltonhmb and @navio_hmb that they are offering a Mother’s Day “Brunch”. Receipt 4:
Because I was only interested in the Tea (as you read above), I called in to make sure we were in fact scheduled for “Afternoon Tea” and not the brunch. At first, the first person I spoke with couldn’t provide an answer so they took down my info and had someone call me back. You can see those series of calls here, Receipt 5:
Over the course of this span before our reservation, I had spoken with TWO live human beings from The Ritz-Carlton hotel, BOTH of which had CONFIRMED that we had reservations for AFTERNOON TEA not Brunch at The Conservatory on Sunday, May 10, 2026 at 1:45 PM.
We get there, and there’s a problem with my reservation.
Apparently, their Afternoon Tea Service is being served at 3:00 PM. I ask the Host “So the TWO people I spoke with that CONFIRMED my reservation were BOTH wrong?” (and at no point did either one mention nothing about no 3 o’clock) He says yes, with a tinge of an attitude might I add. He gets someone else to talk to me who says the same exact thing but this time adds that they’ll see what they could do about seating us early. Finally, the head honcho (I forget what his title was) comes out to explain once again that there was a mixup, afternoon tea is served at 3:00 PM, the tea sandwiches take 2 hours to make, and they can’t seat us right now. Then asks if he can see my reservation…as if I was lying about OpenTable ugh my goodness. As I’m scrolling through 764 photos of my dog and nephew, I ask him “Is the screenshot gonna change that we could be seated now?” Like, I didn’t understand why all this fuss if at the end of all of it yall still messed up, yall still ain’t ready, and yall still can’t seat us?? I show him my email confirmation and he takes my phone.
By this point, my calm spirit is starting to change. We drove an hour and a half, and all I’ve had to eat was 3/4 a banana. Yall keep talkin bout dem sandwiches that take 2-hours to make and all I could think of was Jan’s osso buco. Three hours from NOW, or three hours from earlier? (Office reference) Cuz it’s bordering 2PM now so that means Chef back there started an hour ago then right? He finally comes back and says they take full responsibility, it was their mistake, and once again reiterates that they can’t seat us until 3PM. But this time he explains that: when they do finally seat us, they will only have enough sandwiches for 3 people. (we are a party of 5) That there will be enough scones and sweets for our party, but not enough tea sandwiches. He goes on further to throw another party under the bus and tells me (who has no business nor desire to know any of this) that someone has yet to confirm their arrival, so possibly we can have their seating and sandwiches. YALL- I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried. Don’t tell me that!! Don’t tell me you don’t have anything to serve me! You. Are. A. Business. And a Restaurant! Cut up dem sandwiches smaller to make something for 5 people! Improvise and add something else to spruce up your menu! Don’t come out here and tell me YOUR PROBLEMS!! Do what you gotta do to FIX IT. Ooh I was hot…but still collected. He offered for us to sit at the Bar while we wait with a complimentary round of champagne.
After some bubbles and oysters, we are taken to our table. (you guys, I’m already so done writing) We pick our teas and shortly after the scones and sweets are brought out. Still no sandwiches. But our server gives us instructions to start with the tea sandwiches, then the scone, then the desserts…”otherwise you’ll mess us your whole palate,” he says. Um, don’t tell me what to do. Also, we don’t even have the freakin 2-hour sandwiches yet!! (steam coming out nose emoji)
I didn’t care and broke the rules, I started with my scone cuz that’s how I like to have my tea. My palate HONGRY, so we startin wid da scone mmkay.
I will say tho- those scones were SLAMMIN. At least that. I love me a crispy edge.
Oh, here come the 2-hour sandwiches…
He sets it down on the table and says “Here are your tea sandwiches…gluten-free.” You’ve got to be kidding me.
[taking a deep breath] If you’re. Gonna tell me. That your Chef. Is slaving away. For your beautifully and meticulously made afternoon tea sandwiches. For. TWO. FREAKIN. HOURS. [another breath] They had better look like Chef Joseph L. Paire III’s genius creations like the Claremont’s!!! What are these?? And whyyy are they gluten-free?! I never uttered those words since making the reservation in March…why are they here? Who told you we wanted gluten-free? Why did you serve those to us? [breathe Olyve breathe] They looked + tasted like they been sitting out for 2 whole hours. It was cold (like they had been refrigerated) and the bread was stale. Do you remember Monica’s Mockolate? (Friends reference) That bread like fizzed or melted in your mouth, and it was not good. We didn’t even get the 5 tea sandwiches they offered. Where’s our roast beef one huh?! They really did us dirty. Those were atrocious. Sweets were good, but nothing to write home about. Teas were okay too. Then they had the nerve to charge us a “staff fee”. Yall don’t deserve that. I put my card in the bill folder and we went to pick up our car from valet. By the time we got down there, we were told that parking was already taken care of. Cutie Jr. goes “it’s the least they could do” haha.
Would we go back for Tea there? HELL NAW. But we might be up for hanging out with Jason again at the bar! He was lovely! Listen- this fiasco was Ridiculous. And only for a mediocre tea service. BUT, spending time with family- always the best time everrr. I’m still laughing about when Cutie’s Mr. told us to take it easy on all the scones and sweets cuz he doesn’t get any sandwiches hahaha! I will hang with them for bad Tea anytime. We’ve made our own Tradition anyhow. Even tho we don’t celebrate Mother’s Day, this is the 3rd year in a row the 5 of us have had Tea in May. I’ll take it!
To The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay: Do better.
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THIS was the Tea that I originally wanted to bring my daughter to so she could Guest Write…
Here we go again with me not remembering or writing down how I even knew this place served afternoon tea hehe. And you all already know that I don’t look too much on website or socials… But I remember looking at a few of their Stories (when I was trying to find out if/when they were gonna offer Tea again) and noticed a handle: @sweetcraveblogThey sound familiar… They sound familiar… Oh! I’ve met the Baker behind this business before. And I’ve even enjoyed his creations! A friend of ours sent us a dozen blueberry cheesecake cupcakes for our son’s 8th grade graduation some years ago…and they were slammin!! I never forgot about those cuz I was secretly trying to eat as many from the box as I could haha. Wait- he works for Always Yours?? I def need to try their Afternoon Tea.
Cuuute. I didn’t realize how intimate it was!? Even more special. And if I read through their Tea Time Offering, it did say that each time slot can accommodate only 12 people.
DAUGHTER – We get in and ofc it’s really cute. But anytime I see a place like really cute I always think that they might be compensating for not having as good food (especially with the hello kitty tea).
Cute setup, I dig the vibe! I notice all the details, and I could appreciate the floral wall then marble accent wall. I liked how each table had a different color tea set too, that was sweet. It was clean and minimal, with aesthetic pops here + there. I understood the vision!
DAUGHTER – As mom was taking pictures I felt like this different vibe. Like the other ones that I’ve been to at least had this kinda like official vibe. But this was weird, this was like are u a cute little cafe with some sweet treats or are u a sit down enjoy ur food with friends (or mom hehe). Okyyyyyy ik that Im judgy and I didn’t even eat anything yet but I wasn’t judging the food just yet dw, if anything the food looked amazing and pretty good quality.
Earl Grey Creme – Smelled so creamy! Maybe it wasn’t steeped long enough or maybe there wasn’t enough tea in the infuser… Even on my second pour, it was still kinda light. I looked in the basket and they def could use more tea in there. It was a great tasting earl, just light. [Later while chatting with our server, when she asked if there was anything they could improve on we talked about the tea. She mentioned patrons complaining before that it was bitter. Suggested they use an easy fill bag with a string and offer a little cup…that way people can remove the bags after their preferred steep time. Honestly, I think all Tea Spots should do this!]
DAUGHTER – It was oky, I mean nothing special. It was just a normal earl grey but it tasted kinda like nothing, so we were hoping that it just needed to steep a bit longer. (spoken like a true daughter of a tea boutique owner heheh)
I wanna say this was my first time coming to a Tea where the tiers were already full and on the table… I don’t know if I judged that when we walked in initially…but I think it wasn’t a bad idea actually. Then they didn’t have to fumble around with bringing the whole thing out and having to find space on the table etc etc. They might be onto something here…!?
Blueberry Scone – Okay. (sigh) You guys know my love for “crispy edges and fluffy insides” right? This didn’t have that. BUT. Am I changed?? Cuz. (another sigh) These were so good I wanted to cry!! They were more doughy, but like- melted in your mouth. And I bet the preserves they use is the same exact one we get for the house cuz I loved it. I didn’t realize my Daughter’s was different, otherwise I would have included her in the picture…
Cranberry Orange Scone – I don’t like to have the scone with anything for the first bite, so as always I just tried it as is and it was so good just by itself that I didn’t want to put anything else on it. I just wanted it as is.
Egg & Spinach Quiche – So savory, so good. Green onions yay! The crunch of the pastry was the best part. I’m usually like ‘once a quiche, always a quiche’… I don’t get excited when I see them on tiers. Howweverrr, this one was def set apart from the rest!
DAUGHTER – THINGS KEEP GETTING BETTER. Did I feel like it might give me green onion breath? Yes!! Did I care? No!! I WANT MORE.
Bruschetta – Slammin. LOTS of flavor, LOTS of basil (my fave). Juiciest tomatoes, nice garlic. Favorite of everything for sure. I coulda had an ENTIRE tier of just 2 dozen of these. Give it to me!!
DAUGHTER – It was really good!! There was like just the right amount of flavors, like it wasn’t too strong or too bland. I like this.
Prosciutto with Arugula – PACKED with arugula, just how I like. Couldn’t have satisfied me more with this one.
DAUGHTER – Usually the ones I go to, give us the traditional cucumber sandwich. Which there’s nothing wrong with that. But this was nice and refreshing to have a new type of sandwich on the tier, and it was really good! The only thing tho is that it felt a little dry, but besides that it was pretty good.
Smoked Salmon/Cucumber – Perfect ratios of each, and whatever cream they used was really a good choice. I think the cucumbers were slightly pickled (welcome change) because they had such a great crunch and enhanced flavor. This was our favorite of the sandwiches!
DAUGHTER – A classic that I love and they did it justice lol. It wasn’t so moist that the sandwich was falling apart and it wasn’t too dry that u just pawn it off to the side. It was really good and I was really happy eating it.
Chicken Salad – All. The. Crunch!! Love it when it has crunchy stuff! And I can SEE the green onion. (For those that are new here- I used to despise green onions…but now I need it in everything I eat. And an unhealthy amount of it at that!) It was heaviER in celery flavor, which I like.
DAUGHTER – Growing up my moms chicken salad was my favorite and it still takes first place, (AWW thank you baby!!) so I wasn’t blown away with this one. But so far I am blown away with how balanced all the flavors were!!! (And ofc I’m gonna eat and finish with joy the sandwich)
The choice of bread they used for these was really good. The kind I like: chewy! And these were full size sandwiches!!
Tiramisu – Gold standard.
DAUGHTER – Hehehehe one of my favorite desserts (besides my Lola Edith’s flan) and they did a good job!!! As yk I hate overly sweet things, but this was the perfect amount of sweetness that I finished mine right then and there.
Strawberry Panna Cotta – I took more than one bite for my “taste”, which is all you need to know right there!
DAUGHTER – By now I am blown away with the great balance of flavors. And also this is where my emotionless dead self bites me in the butt bc I cant even piece together the right words to describe how great things are.
Fruit Tart – Crunchy pastry yumm. Light cream. Nice bite to the fruits.
DAUGHTER – Tarts aren’t my first choice but I’ll still eat them. And so I didn’t feel anything special, but it was still really good.
Cheesecake – I had been craving cheesecake for like 2 weeks now. Didn’t expect to get my fix today but was so happy about it! (like REAL happy) I was so fixated on those blueberry cheesecake cupcakes from the baker we knew that worked here, I was thriiiiiilleddd with these!! Also the crust was such a deep color, it was giving brown butter vibes…so much depth in flavor.
DAUGHTER – There was a cupcake but somebody took mine. (ha-ha-HA Funny Girl) jk my mom got really excited ab the cupcakes so I gave her mine. (Awwww thank you my sweet girl)
White Rabbit Macaron (pink + blue swirl) – Had to take a moment. My inner child was so happy, they did a good job with that translation.
DAUGHTER – I LOVVVEEEEEEEE MACARONSSSSSSS!!!!! (It’s my 2nd fav after things like a edible butterfly hehehe shout out k on the go my 2nd home) I haven’t had white rabbit in a long long time but this was sooooo good and hit the spot.
Lychee Macaron (hot pink) – Light lychee flavor, not too sweet.
DAUGHTER – I love lychee treats. It’s my fav fruit and it’s also like my childhood fav little shnack lol and it was really good!!!!!! I loved it. And the pink was giving “it’s me Duh”(calling all piece/ Piwon fans).
Cookies & CreamMacaron (cream with brown speckle) – Good flavor. The shell is so chewy, these are high quality baked-with-love type macarons!
DAUGHTER – I’m not a big cookies and cream fan and my head jerked back a bit cuz it was just a lllliiiittttllleeee too sweet for me but that’s just me.
PistachioMacaron (green) –
DAUGHTER – Mom can’t have pistachio stuff bc she just nonchalantly told me that she just stops breathing rq. So I ate it and I don’t have pistachio stuff like at all. Not bc I don’t like it, it’s just bc I just never eat them. But it was good lol I mean bc I don’t eat pistachios a lot I didn’t know what I was looking for but it was pretty good.
This was our last Spot on the Tour, and I’m soo so happy I got to spend it with my Little Girl and that it was what we call “a good tea.” There was so much food, I was so full after. Great ratio of savories to sweets too: 5 savory things and 6 sweet ones. Yall know I love that. Our server was WONDERFUL! Very attentive and helpful. My Loyals will know it’s not always a good thing for me to meet the owners…especially when I have to write a blasé review. But this time- I was ASKING TO MEET the owner!! I had just missed her, so I didn’t get to this time. This was a Special Event that they put on, so I don’t know if/when/how often they will bring it back. Maybe if they get enough requests from you guys, they will! My Daughter + I would love to have their Tea again. We had a blast together, as always. Cracking up about something. It’s in a really cute location too, so there’s plenty of cute little shops to peruse after. We walked into Hallmark across the way!
DAUGHTER – Overall I had a really great time!! The food was amazing and everything looked so cute and the ppl there were so nice!!! If they’re still gonna have tea as a option there I would love to go again. I ALSO HAD A GREAT TIME WITH MY MOM WHO’S STILL BREATHING BC I ATE THE PISTACHIO MACARON!!
For more Guest Writer pieces written by my Daughter:
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
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Even tho I took some beautiful pictures, I decided to leave them out because I want you to experience the same moment I had when I walked in!
Sweet personalized touch!
Strawberry Focaccia with Housemade Loquat and Plum Jams – Who doesn’t love a chewy bread?! And those strawberries were so juicy! But what I couldn’t get enough of was that plum jam!! (sorry, not pictured) At the end of our visit, I was just having bites of it…I couldn’t stop.
Charcuterie Board – Beautiful spread. Good choice of cheese and meats. Those roasted tomatoes were delicious! My favorite were the pickled onions.
Premium Kashmiri (Indian green tea, cardamom, cloves) – I love a cardamom tea! I put cracked pods in my teas at home all the time, and the benefits are so good for you too. This was either steeped quite strong or there was a lot of tea used, but I wasn’t mad at it. Had more than one cup even.
Cozy Campfire (Assam tea, cinnamon chips, cocoa nibs, marshmallows, lapsang souchong tea) – This one was smokey and sweet.
The sun was making my shots kind of hard, but still a pretty tier! The bottom layer were all dairy-free items for me and my sis.
Roasted Root Sandwich – This was so much fun! All the textures. Flavors went so well together.
French Onion Grilled Cheese – The Huz + my (even our son’s, I brought a bite or 2 home that he tried) favorite of the bunch. Lots of perfectly caramelized onions.
Jagerschnitzel Canape – Was nice to have a hearty sandwich like this included. (sorry, no photo of the mushroom gravy that accompanied this) But my sister and brother-in-law were thrilled to see German foods on the menu, her having German roots and all. I was so happy for them and glad they enjoyed!
Pfeffernusse Cookies – Yum!
Pumpkin Whoopie Pie – Fluffy, moist, rich pumpkin and filling was great. (thanks sis!)
Cinnamon Chai Tiramisu – This was such a cute presentation!
Earl Grey Creme Brulee – Good and eggy, nice flavor. Sweets just kept coming out!
Pistachio Praline – The Huz’s regular + my dairy-free one.
Caramel Apple Kuchen – Very fluffy, not too sweet, excellent streusel topping.
We’re at the tail end of this Leg and I was happy to have fit this in. I had a nice conversation with the owner beforehand and got to know her thoughts behind this passion. This is definitely her labor of love. Her niche or what sets her apart is presenting foods that accommodate food allergies and/or dietary restrictions. Which was perfect for us because I decided to bring my sister and BIL and daughter’s best friend’s mom (Hi 4th daughter!) and husband (who we’re also like family, I just like bringing up my daughter and her BFF!!), and between the 3 of us Ladies had enough for the owner/chef to use her talents on! We had a delightful afternoon. Of course, which is easy when you’re surrounded by good food, adorable birds that visited their garden, and your comfy people. Time with our family always feels too short, but I was so happy to include them on my workday.
Okay folks, only one more Tea Spot to go before Leg 4 is complete! Check back soon!
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
I saved this Spot toward the end of this Leg cuz it just already seemed so chic from what little I knew about it. I like to build anticipation!
It’s on the 2nd floor and you get to pass by + overlook this stunning lobby area. No photos, cuz I want you to experience the grandness of it when you come!
So. Much. Chartreuse. (three clapping emojis) Immediately in love. It’s my 2nd favorite color! There were 8 of us this time…and of the three gorgeous rooms, we were the only ones dining!! We had the whole place to ourselves and it felt even more exclusive.
Nikko Boutique Blend – Cherries and rose? I’m in. They had a nice selection of teas. Not too much to choose from, but enough variety. While I almost went for my beloved vanilla rooibos, I spotted this one last minute and went for it. Happy I chose it. Even had 2 cups! (my Loyals know I only do more than one cup if it’s a high quality cuppa)
They served healthy servings of tea boyy! These were like 4-cup teapots!! (when usually most places offer a 2-cup pot…and then just continue filling with hot water) Like, I use this exact teapot at home when I steep for the family. Then they came around and gave each of us a little cup to try each other’s picked blends. Very thoughtful. I got to try someone’s Lady Blue Earl Grey and someone else’s Jasmine Pearls. Both delicious!
Listen, there was a BOUNTY of food! This tier is just the Sweets!! There were PLATTERS for the sandwiches, and more than one sandwich a person. And these were like full-sized ‘I just cut the crusts off’ tea sandwiches! Plenty of food for everyone, more than enough. No one was going home hungry. Five of us even brought full to-go boxes home with us.
Cucumber – Forgive me cuz it’s been over 10 years and I am over 75 Teas in…but I can’t remember ever having a cucumber tea sandwich with tomato in it (or at least not a memorable one). It’s not usual. But I loved it!! This was SO GOOD. Nice crunch, light cream, and I feel like I was tasting basil. This was my favorite of the 3 offered. It was just so refreshing!
Egg Salad – It had green onion!! My new favorite thing. There was a nice crunch to it. Bread was kinda dry…buut I also kinda liked it like that haha.
Smoked Salmon – It was a good smoked salmon. I think I would have liked a top slice of bread (like the others had). Nice herby cream. I told you there was a plethora of food cuz- my girls were putting 2 of these together to make fuller sandwiches!
Sweets – I tried to put a variety of items on my plate for the photo (even tho I did not plan to eat all this), so you could see…but I wasn’t even able to get one of each thing served!? [scroll back up to the Tier] I don’t think you can tell just how big this thing was!! That bottom layer was the size of an extra large pizza! Everything was really good. The scone was dense and had nice flavor, good with the apricot preserves. They had these pregnant madeleines that were so fluffy, those tasted homemade for sure. The tiny eclair was so moist. And all the other sweets were just high quality picks. Toward the end, divvying up all the leftovers- we ran out of room in our to-go boxes and people were getting doubles of stuff. There was so. Much. Food!
I had to make sure and include this shot cuz my girl ‘Wife of Filipino’ and Cutie Jr. and I had a FULL ON Photo Shoot of it!! Hahaha. These are different height glass canisters of their teas offered on a cute cart in their front room. They had labels on them, but I didn’t want the white stickers in my shot so we turned them all around. Then WoF even made sure that the contents inside laid nice + even! Hehe, too much fun with these. But it turned out pretty right!?
This was the last big party I had for Leg 4. We had a blast and were laughing most of the time. We had 2 Firsties (first time afternoon tea attenders) with us and some girls who had never met before. That’s my favorite part. I’m sure I talked about this before, but I’ll say it again… I love love LOVE it (it really is my favorite thing) when I introduce two of my friends who don’t know each other, they hit it off, exchange numbers and make plans! I am not one of those jealous people that needs to be a part of everything. Like I WANT you to get together and vibe…without me hahah. I love to see it.
Customer Service was excellent.
We’re in the final stretch of the Tour guys! Three (potentially 4) more ‘Last Entry’ Spots to visit. Thank you for continuing to support by reading, following, subscribing, donating, and engaging with our socials. We have had some cool “out of towners” visiting on the website too! *Shout Out* to our Readers in BRAZIL who blew my numbers up out the water a couple weeks ago!! NINE TIMES our average view count!!!
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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
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:
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
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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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
This was a last-minute spot visit… They just opened the beginning of this year, but I had already had our Leg fully booked. When my cousin showed so much interest in what I do, I knew I had to take her along for one of my Working Tea’s! Since the Tour was no longer going to visit our original July Spot, I fit this one in so I could take her. (well, she really took me cuz she drove haha!)
I wanna take a moment and tell you about my cousin for a bit. We grew up together…her family even lived with us for a sec before they found their forever place in the same city we lived. So, we got live-together close hehe. She’s in between my bio sister and me, so she’s a few years younger than I am. She was the one that helped reconnect my bio sister and I last year, and I will forever be grateful to her for that. Hmm, some Fun Facts… She was the one who taught me how to shave my legs with a razor! (I was using my bio mom’s old electric one before then) She has 2 beautiful boys, my sweet nephews. And during this trip, we found out that her husband is related to a boy I had a crush on in middle school!! Hahaha. I’m so glad I got to take her with me this time tho. Conversation was easy and kept flowing, and (because she’s one of FEW who knew me before Trauma Recovery) healing. She also was an excellent Assistant! I appreciated her views and takeaways from today’s Tea.
My first impression was: it’s clean and quiet. A narrow room, very white. Chandelier-esque sconces lined the walls with these huge mirrors in between.
Our table was right by the front door. It was a new thing to have these super tall tier-holders already placed on the tables…
It took us some time to make our tea selection cuuz… There are 3-pages of 36 (I counted) teas they offer, with quite long descriptions of each. So you def had some homework to do first!
Maple Cream Oolong Tea (oolong, maple, cream) – Very maple-heavy fragrance, it’s a good tea…
Tiger Eye Black Tea (notes of chocolate and caramel) – This was Cousin’s choice. She said it just tasted like black tea to her, no chocolate or caramel. “When you breathe,” she says (LOL) you can smell it, but can’t taste it. I had some sips of it after it had been steeping for a while and I got the very chocolate flavor with maybe slight caramel in the back.
There are two levels of tea service: one for 1.5 hours that comes with salad or soup and one for 1 hour without. We did the 1 hour one. Each tea service comes with only ONE tea sandwich choice, that are cut in 4. She chose hers, I chose mine, and we ordered a 3rd additional tea sandwich à la carte. Peep the sizes…
We were also surprised (because I don’t look at websites or socials before a visit) that they had a whole Caribbean menu!! I love me some jerk chicken and oxtails! But- we came for tea.
Scone with cream & jam – How do the kids these days say it? It was very “mid”. Not a bad scone. Just not very much flavor…even with the fixings. I did like the bite to it. And it proved to be a nice ‘palate cleanser’ later on. While the spoons were cute, I didn’t like that the cream was pre-measured.
Salmon Cucumber [Crostini] – 1) These only came with 2. 2) There was NO cucumber. 3) It was too much salmon for that thin crostini and when you bit it, the whole thing fell apart. 4) The cream ratio wasn’t even. And did I detect OREGANO? That thing tasted like pizza.
Curried Chicken Salad – Mmm it’s good. Nice bite of chicken, I love the grapes. So creamy. I wish there was more. Because we were sharing, I only got these 2 quarter-sized sandwich bites. (which equated to ONE Malaya tea sandwich size, which is my marker for the perfect tea sandwich size) They also kinda reminded me of the tiny tastes we got from Tal-Y-Tara. (pleeease click on that link to see what I’m talking about!)
Jerk Chicken Salad – I’ll admit, the gray was off-putting (“Try the gray stuff, it’s delicious!“) BUT, I still had high hopes. Womp womp wooomp… It was spicy, but a nice spicy. This “jerk” was different than what I was used to. And I grew up with 3 Caribbean Grannies. And (because I used to be heavy into reggae) visited many a Dreadstock and Reggae festivals. This was more peppery than anything, I’m not getting anything else other than pepper. You can see the pepper, like it’s speckled. This was the Essence of Jerk Chicken Salad.
Petit Fours – So when the Server set our plates in the tier holder thingie, she said NOTHING. When I made her work and asked her what each item was, she didn’t know what the flavors of the petit fours were nor the French macarons. She guessed. I didn’t like that. We had to figure out for ourselves what flavors these were. Good thing we weren’t allergic to what they could have been… Aaanyway, the Lemon was very very faint in flavor. Cousin said it reminded her of Entenmann’s. The Raspberry one was so much better (to me).
French Macarons – THESE tho. These were slammin. The filling was so good and so thick, like you could see bite marks through them. Tea places like to throw these macarons on tiers real quick to fill a sweets quota. So I’ve tasted MANY through the years, through this Tour. Sometimes they’re high quality…most times they’re generic. If Burgundy did anything right, it was these.
I met the owner here, she was nice. But I didn’t hold back on my review this time just because of that. They’re in their first year of operation, so I’m sure there are kinks they still need to work out. Starting with spelling “Caribbean” right on their menu. (facepalm emoji) Come on guys. There were just way too many things lacking during this visit that I’m not willing to keep quiet about this time around. I won’t go as far as telling you not to visit… Try them out. Hopefully they’ll have their stuff worked out by the time you go.
4th Leg is almost over yall! Are we gonna finish strong? Come back and find out! See you on socials…
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
They’ve been on my radar since last year… We were supposed to visit in April, but patiently waited until they were offering Tea again. Without compromising my ‘Not Looking at Websites or Socials’ rule, I kept an eye out for them. When I saw something about “Tiki” pop up, I knew I had to book it right away! Yall know I love to try the Hawaiian or Polynesian inspired ones for sure!! My roots beg of me hehe. As my daughter puts it, she says “to see if they’re stereotypical or actual“. Out of the mouth of babes…
To see other Hawaiian/Polynesian inspired afternoon teas we’ve been to, click the links below:
They have a little patio around the back that fits (I think I counted) 7 tables. I really felt like you were over at a friend’s house having tea in their backyard, and I loved it! It was a gorgeous day.
I brought my 2 Bellas, two beauties. They have both been with me for quite a few Spot visits already and are always down to go anywhere on the Tour! Absolutely LOVE these two. They know the drill when I’ve got to do my “work” stuff and they’re just so easy breezy!! (like me!)
Papaya & Pineapple (China green tea, papaya, pineapple, strawberry) – I chose well! This was so fragrant and also transferred in flavor. They come around to refill with hot water, and I thought they had a nice collection of choices that fit this theme well.
Don’t let the minimal look of this tier fool you! Great ratio of their offering: 4 savories and 4 sweets. AND a scone and donut too! At the end, we didn’t want more because we were starving…we wanted more cuz it was so good!!
Pineapple Scone – I bet my longtime Readers can say with me verbatim how I like my scones: (all together now) “Crispy edges with chewy insides!” Thank you, Class. This wasn’t anything like that. HOWEVER, it was still spectacular! It was so soft!! I wasn’t used to this texture, but it was soo good. And there were CHUNKS of pineapple in there yall! I slapped a nice pat of their good butter on top and this was golden.
Coconut Doughnut – I didn’t even know how to describe this one but it was so good. Loved the texture (you’re gonna hear me say that a lot in this post, be prepared), fluffy, not too coconutty. And it was adorable.
Fresh Vegetable Spring Roll (served with sweet chili sauce and hot mustard sauce) – It was good without the sauce, but the chili one just added to its depth. Loove the crunch and freshness.
Chamorro Chicken Salad – When I heard the word “Guam” come out of his presentation of their service, I kinda did a double take. Couldn’t be, nope, they couldn’t’ve… They made Kelaguen yall, KEL-A-GUEN!!! Listen, I don’t think I’ve ever shared on the blog about this. But my bio parents GREW UP in Guam and my DNA says I’m part Guamanian. As a matter of fact, me + the girls spoke about this very detail on the ride there! So I’ve had my fair share of Kelaguen. Whether or not this is what Kiki’s was trying to accomplish…they executed it WELL. And don’t even get me started on that crispy pastry they chose to serve it in. SLAMMIN, yall. Just slammin. Favorite of the tea service.
Kalua Pulled Pork Puff – Great flavor, nice with the phyllo.
Glazed Polynesian Meatball – That is a substantial meatball! I had mine with the hot mustard, loved it.
Key Lime Cookie – Slammin, nice chew, perfect flavor. I would have had a whole cookie sheet to myself!
Haupia Shortbread – That texture is everything. Love love that shortbread! It was a softer cookie, but perfect for this.
Mai Tai Trifle – This one was okay for me. Good flavor for sure, just wasn’t my favorite.
Passion Orange Guava Cupcake – #1: Already got points for not calling it: “POG”. Excellent cupcake, I wasn’t getting the pass-o-guava tho… Maybe they were being modest. But me + my girlfriend wanted to be punched in the face with that lilikoi!! Hehe.
Okay so- it’s a Brother-Sister Duo behind this whole operation guys! (whiny face emoji) And they named the place after their Mom!! (crying face emoji) They both couldn’t have been more wonderful. This place gets lotsa + lotsa stars from me! The location was quaint, the tea was quality, the food was exceptional, and the service was stellar. Bear with them as they renovate the building, but definitely follow them on Instagram @kikiscoffeeshop and join their email newsletter. I will be watching out for their coming themes for sure!
This was the 2nd Tea for me in June! Stay tuned for our July Visit… Thank you so much for continuing to follow and stay connected, we appreciate you all so so much. The donations are also such a big help and I can’t be more grateful to all of you for sticking with us for the past 10 years!!! Can you believe we been at this for that long!? Mad love to the Loyals.
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
Last spring, I was invited to a lovely dinner party. The location sounded familiar…and sure enough, it was going to be at the same vineyard I had plans to visit for this Leg of our Tour! I tried not to look around too much, so I could still have fresh eyes for our Tour visit. But let me tell you, the views from their banquet balcony- (smoke blowing emoji) STUNNING. I am purposely not including too many photos of this place, as I want you to experience it for yourself in-person like we did today!
I mean, look where we got to have tea! You know I love eating outside!! It was a cozy but comfy round table. There were 7 of us, but enough room. I actually appreciated the closeness, it was nice. We had 2 OG’s, 2 that have been with me since last Leg, and 2 new ones! A sweet bunch.
Osmanthus Tea – This loose leaf tea was freshly arrived from China. We had a good 5-6 refills of it, it was so good! I think this tea made the whole service, if I do say so myself. All the girls loved it!
Gorgeous tier and beautiful display. We all got up to take photos of it!
Cucumber Sandwich – You guys know I respect it when you can do something different with a cucumber sandwich. The cream was tangy, the vegetable was crunchy, and that pepper on top was so welcome.
Roasted Tomato Sandwich – Perfectly roasted tomatoes and plenty of nice basil. My favorite part of this one: it was spicy! Not ruin-your-tastebuds spicy, but exciting spicy.
Smoked Salmon Sandwich – This wasn’t your average smoked salmon from the grocery store.
Chicken Salad Sandwich – Very flavorful! Had an intriguing spice or herb… And loved the texture.
Scone + Sweets – I think the savories and tea were definitely the star of the show here. I was only able to have one bite of the scone and sweets. I loved that cookie!
I would come back for the surroundings and tea alone. But let me not forget to talk about how wonderfully we were treated! From our gracious server to the sweet woman that brought our tiers and cleaned our table…and then even meeting the owner! It was a charming tea from beginning to end. I had an amazing time with my girls and just an all-around peaceful afternoon. Oh, even the music was perfect! I sure hope you make the time to visit Elliston. We already can’t wait to come back for a tour of the house and to spend the night at their Bed & Breakfast!
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
parTEA with me 