(sigh) I already had a Tea booked for this month. But thenn, I found out that the Four Seasons was offering an Afternoon Tea- but just in March!! (sweat bead emoji) I had to hurry up and collect my girls and get us in there! Thankfully, all but one of my OG’s were able to come. (Don’t feel bad for that one, cuz her + I were booked for this month’s already hehe) Okay so here’s the thing tho. (deep breath) (I have a lot of parentheses going on here huh) My Tea I scheduled for March was on the 18th. I had an already booked-to-capacity month, but could be flexible for some days. I don’t know whyyy, but I threw out the 17th as an option. And. It just so happened. That my girls. Were ALL available on the 17th!! Ayyy! This is the very first time, in the almost 10 years of doing this, that I’d be doing a back-to-back Tea! I guess there’s a first for everything right. And this isn’t a bad thing at all. Let’s do it! I was so happy to get a reservation. Not sure why it was only being offered in March…but yo girl, parTEA with me, was gonna be in the houuuuse!! (do people say ‘in the house’ still?) I have to deliver my thoughts to you guys right?! I mean, just in case they hang out longer…you all would want to know if you should make the trip too right? As always, I got you.

Four Seasons

2050 University Avenue East Palo Alto, CA 94303

www.fourseasons.com

Let me first say, that aside from a few zoom tea parties during Pandemic, this is the first we’ll have all been together since. So already, just seeing where we were going to sit, we were already so ecstatic + excited for WHATEVER was to come. Lots of whining and picture taking, hehe. Oh! And we met a friend!! (Hey girl!) She was having tea there at a table next to us. After saying she was there alone, I blurted out “no you’re not!” and we included her in our parTEA the entire duration. She’s cool people, her + her husband joined later. Welcome her yall!

We couldn’t get enough of those rose-folded napkins. (told you)

The place wasn’t huge. I took one or two pictures of the interior, cuz I wanted to get back to my sisters. But check it out, cute right?

I’ll tell you more about this little tea bar situation in a minute.

The sweetest girl came to greet us. She explained the menu, what we had to pick out for teas, we all said ‘thank you’, then she walked away. We THOUGHT we all had to agree on what teas to have together, so the 4 of us deliberated. When she came back and asked us what we would be having, almost in unison we recited our request. When she turned to the other girl, were like- “OHH! We each get to pick??” We didn’t get it at first!? Hehe. The menu was kind of confusing, but we finally got it. So if you get there: what they have under each “H” word are their blends. You can pick one or combine 2 of those. They also have classic teas listed. While we were deciding, she was bringing us containers filled with the blends for us to smell from that tea bar I showed you. I’m familiar with that process, other tea houses do that. My OCD doesn’t like it (breathing in tea other people breathed on), but I participated this time as I was fully immersed in the event. You get two flavors of tea to have with your service. I’ll tell you my choices, and share what it says on their menu.

For my first cup, I picked their Harmony blend (green rooibos, organic fennel seed, organic hibiscus, chrysanthemum blossoms, rose petal, organic shatavari, organic lavender). For my longtime readers, you know rooibos is my favorite base. And then the flavor profile is what got me: “creamy, floral and round”. Raise your hand if you knew I was a creamy girl?!

My second selection was a suggestion from our dear server. She said I should try their Earl Grey Creme. I’m not an earl grey usually, but (again with the cream) I do love me a creamy one.

So after she took our tea orders, she stepped away and a minute later I saw her at the tea bar. (huge eyes emoji) She was creating our teas FROM that tea bar! (two huge eyes emojis) She was preparing what we were going to CONSUME from all those containers that we just exhaled in. (Hahah, I can’t with my word choices sometimes!) I tried my best not to care, and instead asked if I could take pictures of what she was doing! I told you, I was committed yall. (you’re welcome, haha)

So, we did not expect a full ceremony!? It was so cool! It didn’t involve any beliefs or anything spiritistic like that, more of a beautiful and relaxed process. I’m sure I’ll be posting videos of it on our Instagram… (Follow us! @parTEAwithmeBlog) But, after she brought each of our tea blends, she then started to prepare each of our cups. Let’s talk about those cups for a minute… They were more like mugs. Asian mugs. So we missed the cutesie vintage floral teacups + saucers. Okay, so… She packs each of our drawstring tea bags with each of our blends. (Again, having to silence the OCD) She had to do 8 for our table, mmkay guys, EIGHT!! Ugh, sweet girl. And she was so patient cuz each of us wanted to take pics + videos of EACH (ay-yay-yay) filled bag! Haha. And she would even turn what she was doing toward the camera, just love her. THENN, she would pour our cups mugs about halfway with hot water coming out of the tiniest, daintiest spout of their teapots. The poor girl’s back!! Again, eight times. We were so enthralled with every move she made, NO ONE was drinking their teas yet! Hahaha. We patiently waited for each of our girls’ 2 cups to be filled, before trying. By the time I took my first sip, my tea was just warm yall. Haha.

My Harmony blend was very floral, spa-like. Light. I could have steeped it longer, but I had so much going on! (more sweat bead emojis!) I was getting reacquainted with all that’s involved for a ‘Working Tea’ is what I call it. Getting all my shots on a clean plate. Which means I’m putting each piece on my plate, one by one, taking their photos, putting it back on the tier…then doing it again with the next sweet or savory. I was overwhelmed with photos and note-taking and enjoying my girls…but I was LOVING every moment. I wish I could tell you more about this tea. But the combination was complex + it just worked, made you want to keep sipping to understand it.

Okay now, my Earl Grey Creme. (sigh) I steeped it longer than I should have, BUT I wasn’t mad at it. Again, by the time I’d had it, it was just warm. Not the 1 degree higher than it’s supposed to be that I like my tea at. But this. Oh this blend. Whatever they did with this one… I could picture a mad tea scientist in the back room, more sweat bea- okay, no more sweat beads! But just creating this magnificent blend!! I’m not a big earl grey fan (I said that already huh), however I know a good creamy earl grey. I order my favorite one all the way from Reno, and always make sure to have this in stock at my house at all times. Was fun to be open to trying another! But when I tell you this one exceeded that blend that I’m a die hard loyal to boyy! I wanted to take my used tea bag home to-go. Period.

Here came the tiers!

I don’t like to look at the menu too much, cuz I love the element of surprise. I love looking forward to things! (Fun Fact: I will stop a movie or tv show in the middle of a really good cliffhanger, so I can set myself up for excitement when I come back to it next! #NerdAlert, I know.) So it was super gratifying to see all these interesting different-sized creations.

Long-timers know I always go for my scone first. Today was no different.

It was a plain scone, nice crunchy outsides with fluffy insides. Could have used some salt. The yuzu jam was new. I’m used to the strawberry or raspberry that’s usually put out. But this one had a good bite to it, the pieces of rind. Reminded me of marmalade. And their devonshire cream was real smooth. Everything together made complete bites of goodness.

Brokaw Avocado (Iberico ham, Persian cucumber, meyer lemon, sourdough, pickled onion) – I wanna cry looking at this picture…because I miss this so much! (haha) This was a one-biter that left me saying “ohmygosh” with every chew until it was done. (and I never say “ohmygosh”) Those flavors together were SEAMLESS. And the textures! Raise your hand if you knew I love food texture?! Hehe. The chewiness of the ham, crisp of the sourdough, crunch of the cucumber, smoosh of the avo = in Chandler’s words “perfection”.

Dried Tomato Crostini (Skyhill goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, aged balsamic) – I can’t have pine nuts (allergic to pesto) (I know, what kind of Italian am I?) so I took those off, but I’m sure it would have added a-whole-nother level to this. Kinda hard to pick up. I felt like I wouldn’t’ve been cute eating this on a first date! And the crostini was so sharp, I probably cut my mouth in a few places. BUT… It lasted like they just churned that goat cheese this morning! (or whatever you do that makes goat cheese haha) It was the freshest, unblemished goat cheese I have ever had. Those tomatoes were like having tomato gum!! It was so fun! The grill or roast or drying turned their flavor up quite a few levels. And the oil (altho I felt like I had some dripping down my chin, cuz there was so much of it), I could have had a bowl of. Such an amazing savory, this one.

Smoked Salmon (labneh, focaccia crostini, vanilla oil, caper berries, truffle honey) – I have a small mouth, so this was 2 bites for me. Um, exquisite! That truffle honey was everything; I didn’t even know there was such a thing?! And that piece of dill packed such a nice note at the end.

Mini Lobster Roll (micro celery, fennel tops, turmeric oil) – I was hearing all about this lobster roll at the table before I got to it. Even our girl next to us loved that one. Lobster was steamed to perfection, nice chewy bites. A little too much onion flavor for me. Bread had a nice bounce to it. Another piece that wasn’t cute to eat tho, hehe.

Raspberry Financier – This was the cutest thing ever. The tiniest loaf, SO STINKIN CUTE. My friend + I imagined the cute wittle molds they used, and the tiny amounts of batter they had to pour in each! Hehe. So cute, so cute, I can’t handle. It was wheatlike. Tasted like a madeleine. Did this have Cream of Wheat in it or something? It wasn’t bad, intriguing.

Mini Match Tiramisu – So light! This thing was so light. A lot of cream. Would have liked to have more cake. Light matcha flavor, nice. Those ladyfingers were soaked the right amount.

Earl Grey Macaron – I never think to order or buy macarons. But if I’m offered one, I’ll take one. But I tell you- each time I have one, every time, I think to myself: why don’t I eat these more? Same story, different macaron. Yummy! Nice hard shell, chewiest insides, excellent filling.

You guys- I finished my plate. I sat there, reminiscing with my girlfriends, talking with our new friend, getting to know our server (she was the absolute sweetest), sipping + alternating between my two beautifully blended teas, taking bite after (sometimes messy) bite of these masterpieces of food, taking my notes…and I finished!? Every single morsal. I don’t usually finish, as there is so much to try and photograph and write down and experience- that I end up leaving bites of stuff all over the place (I really should post some of my old behind-the-scenes plates haha) because they weren’t that good or I got too full etc. But this tea was so exceptionally curated that I didn’t want to leave anything behind!! And I’m a little sad right now! For two reasons: (1) cuz I’m done writing this blog post and reliving it, and (2) cuz I’m not sure if they will be offering this menu after March. Wahh! Yall still have a good 2-weeks to make it in there!! If you do, please let us know how you liked it in the comments!

Thank you Four Seasons for welcoming parTEA with me back to our Afternoon Tea groove!! The girls + I couldn’t get enough of our experience. We have lots of photos and videos and memories from this day. (We actually extended our Moms Day/Night Out and kept the party going til the very end of the night! Thanks husbands!) One more review still for March, and can’t wait to try all these new places soon! Honestly, I can’t get there fast enough. (last sweat bead emoji)

A SPECIAL THANK YOU to all you new Readers/Followers/Tea Lovers!! I see you. And an EXTRA SPECIAL THANK YOU to those that have donated. I can’t even begin to express what that means to me. I never thought this Blog would become an official “job” (or source of income for me + my family; cuz honestly this never feels like “work”), but I am happy to be here. I love to write. I know, I know, I write how I talk. Maybe not perfect grammar or how you would say or explain something, but this has always been a joy of mine. I am a published author and have written a manuscript, BUT this really is what gives me the most pleasure. So thank you! Thank you ALL OF YOU for reading and allowing me to share my brutally honest and authentic impressions of these tea places! It’s ALL LOVE.

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So. There’s this girl. I really like her. We were introduced a long time ago by a mutual friend, as our sons were around the same age. Our families did things together here + there…basketball, Beach Days, etc. But in the middle of the pandemic, we moved closer to where they were at so we were seeing more of them. Even our kids had standing zoom meetings together every Friday night. It was nice!

I wanted to give her her due credit (cuz I always do that) because around the same time I was re-situating this Blog, she asked me on a Tea Date. She DM’d me a reel of this cool looking place and says: “Let’s go!” It was the middle of winter and I wasn’t really out + about yet. So we planned for spring. (okay, late winter haha)

“Are you gonna review it?”, she asked.

“IIII don’t knoww…”, I said, “it’s not English/Victorian tea… My Blog really focuses on tea like that.” But I figured- if the menu or website is highlighting, featuring, or offering -AFTERNOON TEA- then yall wanna know about it right?? Let’s do it! (winking) I got you guys.

So thank you to this girl (we don’t have a blog nickname for her yet), for kickstarting my going back to trying new tea places and writing about it, cuz- you guys are in for a new ride!! (more winking)

iChina Restaurant

2855 Stevens Creek Boulevard Santa Clara, CA 95050

http://www.ichinarestaurant.com

I thought I’d never heard of this place before. But looking for something on my Pinterest, I discovered that I had pinned this place to visit a long time ago!? Any pic or instagram post you see of this place makes it look like a night club!! It looks huge, high class, and like you have to make sure you have your lashes done, Prada dress, Dior shoes, and Fendi bag in tow. (just kidding I don’t know all the brands cuz I never wear them!? Do they even make Dior shoes?? Haha) But I WAS freaking out on what to wear cuz not only have I not really gone out out in the last 3 years…but, I felt like this place definitely had a “look” that you were supposed to follow. However, I will always be true to my comfy roots, so I just wore a black sweater dress, my knee-high boots, and my signature: baseball cap. This’ll do.

When we got there, it was so quiet. “Where’s the DJ?!” It looked like an airport or hotel lobby. And it was SMALL!! There was a door by this table we were walking towards, and my friend goes (she told me this later) “Is The Experience through here?” HAhahah. It looked nooothing like all the posts lead you to believe it does. While still catching up to our shock, we were kinda relieved that it wasn’t as hyped up as they want you to think it is. It has cool surroundings, fun things to look at…but don’t feel like you have to do it up in the Chanel. (there goes another brand name) I didn’t take tons of pictures of the interior. (1) I don’t want to take that element of surprise from you, for this Spot in particular. And (2) there really wasn’t much to take pictures of, in my opinion.

The menu was confusing to us. There’s a pastry offering, teas listed, then the dim sum is also additional. We thought we were going to pay like $150.00 each for this meal. When I confirmed with the server that we would both be getting the pastries, she looked a little nervous and then said something about having to check in the back first… WE THOUGHT we BOTH had to order the pastry offering which (and I don’t usually mention prices on here) was already $50, but she explained that it was a 2-person situation. Okay. Whew! So that was covered. Now for the teas… They offer 8 types. My friend wanted help with her selection. My first question is always: “Do you like fruity or creamy?” She said creamy. Okay, to the Blacks! They had 2 black teas, and I recommended the one with chocolate for her. I, on the other hand, immediately honed in on the word “lychee” and chose their oolong. Teas, done! Now for the dim sum… More to read. Another word was highlighted for me on their menu: LOTUS!!! Aaanytime that’s on a menu, I’m ordering it. Thankfully my friend wanted to try too. We also saw a duck + pumpkin something. And at first we were gonna get just that, but we opted for a platter that included it with two other things.

As soon as we placed our order, she was already back at our table. (think the butler in Mr. Deeds) Here she came with our teas. They couldn’t possibly be ready already!? She sets down 2 teapots with the infuser strainers full of wet leaves in a tiny saucer on the side, and then walks away. Had I not been The Tea Lady that I am- we wouldn’t know what to do with that!? (side eye) I had explained to my girl that she left that there for us so we could steep longer if we prefer. And good thing she did.

Mi Lan Xiang (Phoenix Oolong | Guangdong – lychee | honey | floral) – I copied what it says on the menu. I’m not gonna be much help here. Couldn’t taste the lychee, couldn’t taste the honey, couldn’t taste the floral. Couldn’t even taste the oolong! It definitely wasn’t steeped long enough. We put the basket back in the pot and left it there.

Jin Jun Mei (Black Te | Fujian – cacao nibs | floral | smoke) – Again, nothing to really write about here cuz there wasn’t any flavor!? They didn’t steep it enough, so we dropped that basket in that one back in too.

Here came the lotus and dim sum. So I don’t know what I was thinking…but I was NOT thinking that they were gonna come with ONE of each of the dim sum things!? I don’t know. You hear platter, you think: “platter” of chicken wings, “platter” of nachos, “platter” of potato wedges. I don’t think a PLATTER means 1 each of smaller than a palm-size of 3 different things.

Okay, so- this Lotus and Asparagus plate was wonderful. The base was a very basic Chinese flavor, but what made this dish was how each vegetable was cooked to perfection. Both had the right crunch and texture.

I really wiiiiiiiiiish I put something in the shot to show you how big (or how small) these were, for comparison. (same goes for the pastries that are coming up next) We had to cut these in half to try each of them.

Crispy Wagyu Puff (that black roly poly looking one) – Whyy oh whyyyy would you make a FOOD that looks like a roly poly thooo!!?! (in my whiny voice) Like, are you trying to be funny? (I LOL’d) It didn’t look appealing AT ALL. But I still tried it. It was slightly sweetened, tasted like lap chiong (Chinese sausage). The pastry was light + fluffy, not too salty.

Bbq Berkshire Pork Bun (the one in the middle, with the decoration on top) – This one was intriguing. The pastry was sweet (again), a little chewy, a little gritty…I really liked that texture. Couldn’t even remember anything about the filling.

Roasted Duck & Pumpkin Dumpling (the cutie one that looks like a pumpkin) – Kinda bland, but the mochi pastry was fun! Tho, the filling was kinda gooey. It reminded me of innards, like ear or something. And it gave an aftertaste, and not a good one.

*Let me interrupt this food portion to say that the 2nd pours of the tea for me weren’t any better. Even after a longer steep, there was NO flavor whatsoever. Either it was really low-quality tea, or they didn’t have good temperature to start with. My friend ordered their Jasmine as well (Dragon Pearl Jasmine Green), and again: nothing. Very fragrant, but didn’t transfer in the tea. I thought it tasted like bath soaps. She said it was “just like hot water with a little bit of jasmine flavor.” The more I thought of it- what a WASTE of good tea if they don’t know how to properly steep it and serve it to their guests! Sorry Red Blossom Tea Company…

Now for this tower that they’re known for.

It’s not that exquisite in real life. I don’t know if they put glitter filters on those reels, but my son in fact said he thought this looked like it was from the Dollar Store haha! There’s 10 items on this thing, and I have notes for all of them. I’m trying to figure what’s the best way to share cuz I’ve been writing for some time now, and I just don’t have the energy guyyys!! I took pictures of each of them. Thankful I had my awesome sidekick/Assistant with me cuz we made a good team! I kept one plate clean, and saved it for my photo shoot backdrop ha! Mind you, we had to once again cut these in half in order for each of us to try them. They’re like half a palm size.

Plain Scone – Very fluffy + doughy. Had more cream than preserves, I didn’t like that ratio. Mild flavor, eh.

Raisin Scone – Same as above. But with raisins.

Pineapple Calamansi – This one I liked. It was very refreshing and had little chunks of pineapple in it. The cream had a nice texture and the pastry had a good crunch.

Jasmine Peach Macaron – So this said jasmine peach, buut doesn’t it look like chocolate to you guys? It sure tasted like chocolate. And no jasmine or peach to be found. Whatever flavor it was, it was a good macaron. Textbook chewy shell, smooth filling. What’s not to like? Resemblant of a snickers to me.

Tea Bread (citrusy madeleine) – This was labled as “tea bread” on their menu, but clearly was a madeleine. This tasted like the smell of your auntie’s house, like laundry detergent or something. Also, moist.

Tea Bread (raspberry madeleine) – Niice crispy edges! But again, nothing spectacular. Another baker friend of mine has been making us madeleines from scratch for years, and hers tastes waay better.

Raspberry Rose Lychee – This one was very pungent. In my notes I wrote ‘taste like when you first walk into a nice area thrift store’. Haha. (shrugging emoji) Pastry was super crunchy. My friend said it was “bitter”.

Malted Milk Chocolate Rice – (I think, I wasn’t really paying attention when she said what each thing was!) Either way, this one was good! Rich, had a good mouthfeel.

Salted Cashew Choux – Whatever this was, it was yummy! It had an airy crumbly outside, and deflated inside. Nice chew, nice salt. I really liked the texture and crunch. (if you don’t remember from previous posts, I’m a textures girl!)

Black Sesame Yuzu – (I think, this one is the other one we weren’t sure about) This tasted like a ferrero rochet but bland.

Yay! (sighhh) We made it! I think that’s how we felt as we were trying these too. Not that we were full, but it was just a lot to try. And nothing really stood out to me. I liked that citrus tart. And the raspberry and chocolate ones, I took bites of those together. I was like Remy from Ratatouille! To me, that says a lot about your meal if I had to mix 2 things together in order to make something taste good. (meh emoji) It’s really hard for me to accept that this place had Michelin-star chefs. Everything was rather bland! And don’t let me get started on the tea again. Oh. Yeah. About that tea…

I saved this part for last, cuz well- it’s DISGUSTING. Look first, and then we’ll talk. And no, I’m not gonna shrink the photo size cuz I think the world needs to know about this:

Do you see what I see? There’s a difference between STAINED and FILTHY (other synonyms: unclean, foul, nasty, unsanitary, unhygienic). These are pictures from ALL THREE teapots they served us with. That means, this spout is on ALL of them. How do Michelin chefs serve stuff in this?? I know the difference mmkay! I have thrifted and borrowed teapots before. You CAN clean this off!! There is no good reason you should be serving tea in teapots that look like this. NONE. I fully intend to speak with their management team there (no, I’m not Karen’ing) to let them know that this is not okay! They need to know that this is how they are serving tea. YOU need to know that this is how they are serving tea!

[UPDATE – On March 6, the Assistant General Manager replied to my email and thanked me for my feedback + photos. He assured me that they purchased the equipment needed to clean and sanitize all of their teaware, and that their staff has since been trained and instructed on how to clean after every usage. Then, sincerely apologized. If this knowledge helps you…]

Despite the mediocre food and pleasantly surprised-ness of the chill vibe in there, I had a blast with my new friend! She made this tea stop so much fun, we made our own Experience mmkaay!! Ha! Should you go there? I wouldn’t. We didn’t pay $150.00 each, but I wouldn’t wanna pay even $50.00 each for the food + tea we had that day. To be fair, like her + I discussed, they are not a Tea House or Tea Room. They offer Afternoon Tea, BUT the dim sum is really their focus. Not the tea, not the pastries. If you are offering Afternoon Tea, it shouldn’t be less quality than your main focus. To my loyal + lovely Readers, save your money and visit any of the other Top 5-10 Tea Spots I have listed in my raTEAngs.

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Our 29th Spot:

Tudor Rose English Tea Room

733 4th Street  Santa Rosa, CA 95404

http://www.tudorrosetearoom.com

 

 

[Most photos taken on my old iPhone 6, a few from my friend’s iPhone X, and one from other gf’s Samsung.  Not about that DSLR-Life at the moment.]

 

 

I don’t ever go to Santa Rosa, so we really didn’t know what was out that way.  As a matter of fact, we live almost 2-hours away.  I know this isn’t technically “Bay Area”, but it was within my 2-hour margin of travel-  so we visited.

We kept passing by all these great architectural homes, and I was getting excited that the tea room would be in one of them!  (For those curious-  I don’t like to look up too much about the Spots we visit, cuz I don’t want to have an opinion before I even get there AND I enjoy the element of surprise.)  Wheeen I saw us rolling into a busy part of town, I knew my dream wasn’t likely.  THEN, when I saw the outside of it…I already felt like it was over.  “It had a (air quotes) facility-type door??  Ew.”  I didn’t give up just yet.

I was trying to get my outside shot, and my girlfriends already walked inside…so I didn’t get the initial greeting.  But as we were seated, I already didn’t like the service.  She just wasn’t that ‘warm tea party’ kind of warm, you know?  Matter of fact, fake smile.  (side eye)  And by the way, IT WAS DARK.  Like-  I didn’t understand if I was at a night club or a tea party?  Just wait, you’ll see in my darkest photos ever in life.

I guess all 4 of us were in a rooibos-state-of-mind (woo-hoo!  my favorite!), cuz we all ordered red bush-based teas.  Chocolate Orange, Mango, Coconut Cream Rooibos, and Pumpkin and Cream.  I’m not even gonna give them the dignity of reviewing them individually, and just say they all lacked depth of flavor and were extremely artificially enhanced…according to my palate.  [For our new visitors (and sure, for our loyal returning readers as well): keep in mind this is our 29th tea house visited AND I have owned a boutique tea company where I have created exclusive gourmet teas.  So, my remarks come with experience…is all I’m trying to say.  I know what I like, and mos def know what I don’t like.  Mmkaay.]  Oh yeah-  and please NEVER rush to put tea pots on our table then tell us we need to wait for them to steep!!!  (hot air blowing out of nose emoji here)  Who does that??  They should have had them properly steeped, then brought them out.  Minus 100-points for that, Steve.

They had E-LEV-EN levels of tea service.  (rolling my eyes)  Which are entirely too many, if you ask me.  And they were all so different!?  All of us wanted something from one level, but wanted to substitute another thing from another level.  It was confusing and annoying.

[Okay, so…I triiiied to edit these ultra dark pictures that I took of each individual item served.  But, it just didn’t work out.  I’m telling you guys, it was soooo dark in there!!?!]

Since I couldn’t include the shots of the food, I’m just gonna put my notes here and call it a day.  I am SO DONE with this place tho!!

Split Pea + Curry Soup – nobody told you to make that combo, 2 entirely separate things that should never be put together, bland, chunky, worst baby food ever, barely took half a spoon bite

Lemon Vanilla Scone – no it’s not, had NO kind of lemon OR vanilla flavor in there, very bready, fluffy insides, crunchy outsides; came with this RIDICULOUS trying-to-be-too-cute what she called “clotted cream” but I KNOW FO SHO wasn’t; and they don’t offer preserves; was later used as my palate cleanser

Cucumber Tea Sandwich – a lot of dry bread, a lot of thick cream

Egg Salad Tea Sandwich – dry, tastes like old egg, no salt, it was really gritty, worst egg salad I’ve had from any Tea Spot

Hummus + Green Onion Tea Sandwich – my SIL spit it out after the first bite!!; yall know I HATE green onions so I took a tiny bite, don’t even know how to explain that one, dry, again no salt

Chicken Salad + Cranberry Tea Sandwich – okay, chunky, the only thing that was decent enough to finish

Veggie Pastie – tastes like mushy frozen vegetables that were chewed and spat out, and NO SALT

Mushroom + Onion Tart – too chewy, took me forever to chew and swallow, blue cheese tasted like throw up

Sausage Roll – basic

It was only after I was almost done with the single bites from each item that I discovered-  THEY USE FAKE FLOWERS ON THE TIER!!?!!!?!!!?!  That is not hygienic at all guys!!  Come on!!  Really??  Do you WASH and SANITIZE every single flower you use on each tier???  I don’t even want to go there and think of what kind of OTHER HANDS and LICKED FINGERS were fiddling with the flower that was touching the food I put in my mouth.  GROSS, TUDOR ROSE!!

I’m done.

FYI-  of the 29 Spots we’ve been to, they are number 28!!!  Yes, even after the dirty Chinese tea place.

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Our 28th Spot:

Muir’s Tea Room

330 South Main Street  Sebastopol, CA 95472

http://www.muirstearoom.com

You guys-  I couldn’t wait to get home to blog this place!!  What is that saying…  “There was history in the making today.”

After visiting + reviewing Filoli in June, I got the tea bug back!!  I quickly researched if there were any new spots or spots that I had missed…  Yes I know, there are some (more like, few) really familiar or popular Bay Area spots that we have not visited; and I’ll just say it’s for good reason.  If it’s more of a café or not Afternoon/Victorian tea, I’m not taking my girls there.  (For those of you curious as to why those aren’t on our list…just putting that out there)

Aaanyway, I was happy to have stumbled upon this Spot!  I’m not very familiar with Sebastopol.  So much so, that I don’t even know how to pronounce the word!?  HAHA.  Ask my friends, they will tell you how funny I sound saying it.  I knew enough about it being a cute little town, and since I’m a fan of cute little towns OF COURSE I was excited to go there.

Okay okay, it’s not quite “Bay Area”…that’s why the blog is called: California Tea House Tour, but it was close enough for us to visit!  So, I picked my most comfy girlfriends and we spent the 2-hour drive admiring God’s gorgeous creation on the way!

[By the way, didn’t feel like lugging my serious camera on this day trip…so enjoy these iPhone 6 quick shots!]

Look at howwww cuuuuuute!!?!  (in my whiniest voice ever)

We got the most warmest welcome on record from this Tour!  They were genuinely happy to see us + seat us!  And HOW COOL-  we got to sit outside!!  I love eating outside!  This was a first on the Tour.  We were behind yummy foliage, and felt like we were tucked in this adorable cove.

They have 6 levels of tea service, so there’s something for every appetite.  And let me tell you how even more exciting:  they are a PLANT-BASED tea room!!!!!  (P.S.  I never use 5 exclamation points.)  I had no idea when I picked this place, that they were plant-based!?  And even more special, one of my sweetest B.F.F.’s that I had invited to join eats plant-based!!  So do I (majority of the time), but I was mostly excited for her!

We went for the mid-range tea, and they were also having a themed tea event that day.  My other dear friend chose that one.  Ugh, oh, and the TEAS we chose!!  They already just sounded delicious, but definitely delivered in taste as well!  (insert 3 a-ok emojis here)

That’s my rooibos-based Chocolate Orange Creamsicle!  Yall ALREADY know, I love me a rooibos. However, I am NOT crazy about chocolate teas.  The only reason I chose this one is cuz it is paired with orange!!  When we had our tea line, we DID a chocolate orange!  I KNOW that combo is killer, and plus this one had vanilla in it too…my favorite.  I chose right, and this tea was soooo gooooood!  Very creamy, and you can make out each of the flavor profiles.  They worked together wonderfully.

Another tea at the table was their green-based Maple Walnut.  UM, I love a good tea with nuts!  And, you can never go wrong with maple.  (am I right?!)  I’m so glad she chose this one, cuz I wanted to try it too!  Ugh, delicious.  The maple was up front, then you got this intriguing amazing walnut aftertaste.  And-  green tea??  I would have ne-ver matched these flavors with that base; but it just worked.

A green-based Plum Mango was the last tea chosen.  (sigh)  I don’t even like fruity teas.  However (sigh again), this one was beauuuuutiful!!  Light, and just mixed so well.  I do love me a plum tea, so I would have chosen this one too…  I told you I picked the best girls to share this time with.  😉

So-  as part of the tea service I chose, they serve an option of soup or salad.  Today’s soup was Tomato Basil.  Yum, right?  But because of various health issues, I couldn’t do the soup OR the salad.  (wah wah sad trombone sound)  I didn’t want to be THAT customer, but I spoke up anyway.  They right away offered Potato Salad, and I right away said ‘yes’!  So gracious of them!  (head looking down, taking a deep breath)  You guys, don’t tell my Huz (cuz he makes a mean potato salad), but-  this.  Was.  The.  BEST.  Potato.  Salad.  I’ve.  EVER.  Had.  In.  My.  Liiiiife!!  Like-  just typing about it right now makes me wanna cry!  Those potatoes were the creamiest texture everrr!  They were cooked to perfection, forreals.  It had dill, CAPERS, chives…all my favorites.  I coulda eaten that stuff all day and been fine.

I took pictures of each item, but it just didn’t do em justice.

I know scones aren’t etiquette’ly the first course, but that’s how I like to eat em.  They’re warm…and ready…  Why not have em first!?  I think these ones were Lemon Poppy Seed Scones.  SO crispy guys!  It had the nicest crunch, and was bready inside.  Not an overpowering lemon flavor, which I liked.  And, poppy seed anything!?  Yes please!

That little Cucumber Tea Sandwich was the most decadent I’ve ever had!  And it’s plant-based!!?!  I don’t know HOW they made that cream or mayo or whatever it was, but boy did they do it RIGHT.  You don’t usually get such a thick slice of cucumber, but with that (ugh) chewy bread-   it just worked.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve written about my hopeless love of chewy bread on this blog…  This had the best (sorry I couldn’t think of a better word here) chewiness.

Their “Egg” Salad Sandwich…  (SIGH) (sorry, a lot of sighing in this blog cuz-  I love them!!!) was ridiculously flavorful.  I don’t know how they got that yolky texture, but they delivered big time!  I have to admit: I was not looking forward to the egg.  I haven’t eaten eggs in months, and it just wasn’t an appealing thought at the moment.  That being said, I was BLOWN AWAY by the tang that greeted you!  They must’ve put sweet relish or something, cuz it was this explosive taste that just made you look for more.

Okay, mushroom.  You’re already knowin, I’m a mushroom freak.  Of course, I was looking forward to their Mushroom Tea Sandwich which is why I saved it for last.  It was meaty, it was juicy, it was creamy.  And the nuts, oh the nuts…I don’t even like nuts in my bread!?  It was so much fun in your mouth.  That is all.

By this time of the meal, I’m my usual self, with a half a scone to the side…my 2nd mushroom waiting, and 2 tastes of my friend’s themed tea dessert in line!  (my SIL cracks up about this every time!)  SO, I was pleased to see just a nice piece of shortbread and what I believed to be a Mexican Wedding Cookie.  That Shortbread was the crispiest crunchiest tastiest shortbread I’ve ever had.  And, I’ve had my fair share since that’s the Huz’s favorite.  I tried reeeeally hard to save him majority of it.  The cookie, was a REAL GOOD cookie.  I used to make those things all the time with my mom when I was younger.  I’ve had some from other bakeries…  This one was special.  I can’t tell you how or why, but they made it spectacular.

Guys-  I’m not proud of this blog post.  I don’t think I could have found all the words + adjectives to accurately describe just HOW MUCH I loved this place.  I can tell you tho, that history I was talking about at the beginning of this blog…  Yes, we still have 2 more Spots to visit.  But-  this place moved to my NUMBER ONE yall!!!  They’ve surpassed my expectations on all levels: service, food, and tea!  And you guys know I am very critical + my standards are ultra high!!  Please go and visit them!

 

 

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Our 27th Spot:

Sip Tea Room

721 Lincoln Way  San Francisco, CA 94122

siptearoom.com

 

 

If this address sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve already been here!  (Ay-yay-yay.)  And I only realized it, as we were already in the City looking for parking!  Ha.  I knew we’ve been to a tea house on Lincoln, but I don’t know whyyy I thought maybe there was another one on the same street!?  It didn’t dawn on me til the very last minute, that this tea spot could very well be in the exact space as the one we visited on December 2nd, 2014 (Spot 6).  Anyhow, it wasn’t a waste of time as this spot had new ownership as of a year ago.  VERY different experience from the last time.  Meaning = no gray/brown curtains that are supposed to be white.  Yuck.

Very minimal décor.  We looked all around us to take in the huge differences from what was there before.  Yes, of course it was much cleaner.  The tables + chairs and chandeliers looked the same.  There was a huge chalkboard on the back wall, when you first walk in, that I liked.  What I didn’t like was how us standing at the front door was an afterthought.

They finally sat us, and I sneaked a quick pic of the table.  The small water glasses lined in the middle of the table were cute.  What stuck out like a sore thumb was when they set this old USED jar of honey on the table!!?!  I think the Queen would be very displeased.  Sure, it was definitely a more casual setting than what would be laid out for the Queen…  But that jar belonged in a pizza joint, NOT at afternoon tea.  And don’t even GET me started on putting out all kinds of things to flavor your teas…  If you have to set out sugar, cream, AND honey-  your tea must not be very good.  Which it wasn’t.  But, more on that later.

They offered 3 levels of tea service (not including the one for children).  Funny to see “coleslaw” on a tea menu, but whatever.  I didn’t go for the works today, and settled for the middle range.  This one didn’t come with the coleslaw and sweets; also, a small pot of tea, as opposed to a large.  There were 10 tea sandwich selections and surprisingly a good number of vegetarian options!  We were happy to see that.  I went for something that was interesting and something I wanted, for my 2 options.

For tea, although there were 17 different kinds, I still felt like it was slim pick’ns.  To be fair, there WAS an eclectic selection…different than you would see on other tea menus (like: chai + sencha).  There just wasn’t anything that was appealing for my individual liking.  I went with the Honeybush…

The tea was okay.  It smelled better than it tasted.  They bring it to you boiling hot, which is a no-no.  Then say, “oh, it has to steep another few minutes”.  😐  Ugh, no.  Don’t do that to your customers guys!!  You’re leaving it up to US to professionally guess (yes, I meant for that to be an oxymoron), when these teas-  YOUR teas, are to be ready??  Bring it to us ready, at the temperature each specific tea should be, and to the desired steeping time that you would like to present it.  That made no kind of sense to me.  Honestly, it was just something hot to wash down the food I had so as no to choke.

Even tho I know (per etiquette) the scone is 2nd course, I like it first.  P.S.  We didn’t get our food on cute tiers.  Each of us got plates with everything squished on, like you see here.  [Find out how I feel about this from Spot 2.]  Sooo, I didn’t even know how to take picture of this food…

What was cool about this spot (if I may finally say something positive about them), is you were able to select the scone flavor that was served to you.  On that big chalkboard, there are all the scones they offer listed.  Then, checkmarks by the ones they have that day.  The scone texture was nice: crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.  But boy did they lack flavor!!  Like-  there was nothing there!?  I had a Traditional Currant Scone.  Even WITH the fixings, it was so uneventful!!  And by the way, whatever those “preserves” are supposed to be…it looked like someone swished it in their mouth first then spit it out on the serving dish.  (Sorry for the visual, but you know I keep it 100.)

[Here’s my best shot of the food, sorry.]

So-  I chose their Baked Ham, English Mustard, & Tarragon Butter (something interesting) tea sandwich, as well as the Sip’s Curried Chicken (something I wanted).

This is how dedicated I am to yall, I haven’t had pork in almost 2 years!!  But I looove tarragon, and I don’t generally see a sandwich like this on most tea menus.  (sigh)  It was just okay.  The bites that actually had mustard were nice, and I think they were using that new invisible butter (sense the sarcasm) cuz I didn’t see any in my cuts of tea sandwich…  (arms up)  The ham was overwhelming, and it wasn’t even good ham.

At least the curry was better than ‘okay’.  Woo-hoo, something above average!  Smh.  It still wasn’t fascinating per se, but it was edible.  The raisins made it interesting, and kept you going for more.

Overall, it was a below average experience.  The service wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t call them “warm” either.  OF COURSE, the girls I took with me made it a tolerable tea time!  We had a few first-timers with us, so that was exciting!!  So many better places in the City to have tea, and maybe that’s where I’m coming from with this review.  I never feel bad for being brutally honest, because that’s what I would want to hear if I’m having to spend money for food.  Check out our most recent raTEAng to find our favorites in San Francisco, and go show them some love!  I know we have 4 more to add, but we still have a couple spots I’d like to visit before the new year!!  I’ll update our full list after.  (high-five)

Thank you to our continued followers + readers!  We hope these posts help with creating fun + memorable dates, and fill your bellies with mouthwatering tea + food!!  Aaand, for not holding my honesty against me!  😀  Until next time…

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Our 26th Spot:

Filoli Gardens

86 Cañada Road  Woodside, CA 94062

filoli.org

Surprise!!  I told ya you would hear from us from time to time!  I have had some Spots in my back pocket to visit, but no set agenda.  Thought we would keep you on your toes…and only the exclusive hardcore Followers would know when a new Spot popped up!  😉  (just kidding, I love you all equally)

I had never heard about this place.  And only until my girlfriend mentioned they served tea, did my ears perk up.  You know I have to go to each and every tea place for yall roight?!  So we made a plan to go, and it just so happened that the weekend we were all available they were having a Flower Show!!  Cool, we’re there.  P.S.  I did NOT intend to visit this new Spot a year later, almost exactly to the day!!?!  (just noticed when I referred back to my last post…as I’m rusty with the blogging and wanted to make sure I got it all right for yall)

[Disclaimer: I didn’t feel like lugging my professional camera throughout the Flower Show, so these photos included are just from my beat up iPhone 6]

When we got there, there were 2 lines: one for private seating and the other for general.  My friend had purchased our tickets online, and couldn’t remember which one we paid for.  For the amount we paid, I think we were supposed to be at a private table.  But, we were in line for ‘general’.  They sat us (there were 3 of us) at a table for 8 with 5 strangers.  Of course, these ladies were nice ladies…but we hadn’t seen one of our friends in awhile and wanted to catch up!  It woulda been nice to be able to have that private time, but whatev.  So, we couldn’t really “let our bellies hang out” if you know what I mean, since we were amongst other company.

I got excited as I read the menu tho.  For reasons I’m not gonna get into on this blog, I’ve had to change my ENTIRE diet due to health issues.  So, I was quite happy with the sandwiches we were going to be served.  All my favorite things: asparagus, basil, arugula…YAY!!

Oh, here’s what the inside looked like…

It wasn’t fantastic, but oh well.  Kinda looked like Conference Room B, if you ask me…

These sweet grammas would come around and ask if you would like a pour of tea.  They were serving 3 types: Filoli Rose Tea, Traditional Irish Breakfast, and Fruit Blend Herbal Tea.  😐  Neither are my go-to’s, buuut I still didn’t let that bother me.  I’m not a breakfast tea girl nor a fruity tea girl, so I went for the rose.  It was niiiiice!  I think I might’ve had 10 cuppas of that stuff that afternoon!?  “Keep em comin granny!”  I even had to ask what the base tea was because I was in disbelief that it was black…it was SO LIGHT!!?!

After a half a cup of tea, they started coming around with the tiers.

I liked how they made sure to tell everyone at the table that they had one each of everything.  Some Most places don’t do…okay, NO other places really do that.  Then I have to tell my story about how I went to tea with a girl who didn’t know that etiquette, until we heard the other girl sitting next to her that she didn’t get a chicken curry sandwich!  Well, it was because the first girl ate TWO!!

Only because everyone else was doing it, I went for my scone first!  Hehe.  (Hey-  you get nervous when you’re having to eat around strangers k!)  As you can see, it was topped with sugar galore.  It was a Lavender Scone with (what they say was) Clotted Cream (it wasn’t!!) and their specialty Marionberry Jam.  Very crumbly and dry and waaay too much sugar topping.  But I still ate it.  🙂

Interestingly, the sandwiches were all toothpicked together.  I had the Asparagus and Herb Goat Cheese tea sandwich to start.  (If you’ve read my posts on either Lovejoy’s or Lovey’s, you KNOW how I feel about asparagus sandwiches.)  Suuuper crunchy!!  I liked it A LOT.  And, the goat cheese was light and smooth.  I coulda had more of that one.

I think I went for the Sliced Turkey with Beet Hummus and Arugula next.  Earl Grey Gal said that one was dry for her.  But, I kept an open mind going in with this one.  Yum!  Since I stopped having poultry almost a year ago, I didn’t care too much for the turkey…but the hummus and of course the arugula (my favorite leaf!) MADE that sandwich, mmkaay!  And I think it was on a pumpernickel or rye bread-  delicious.

I saved the Prosciutto and Melon with Fresh Basil tea sandwich for last.  Doesn’t that just sound like a ‘dessert’ sandwich anyway!?  Who knows the song “Save The Best For Last”??  I’m glad I did.  That was wonderful!!  Perfect compliments.  I can still remember the flavors as I type this!

Even tho I didn’t want to (I’ve cut down on my sugar a lot), again because I didn’t wanna carry anything around with me in the gardens, I tried the desserts.  (And let me just say, it was almost NINETY degrees that day!!)  I do love me a Lemon Bar, so…  It was okay.  Nothing to write home to mom about.  Honestly, I think I make a better one from the box at home.  The Fruit Tart was sooo dryyy!  And the crust didn’t taste like anything!?  The custard I liked, but they were stingy with it.  The Chocolate Éclair was good.  (that’s the little pink thing in the picture)  But, you barely had a bite full of that one.  I washed it all down with more of that rosey tea!

All-in-all it wasn’t a bad tea.  I really liked my sandwiches.  BUT, for having to sit with people I don’t know, only 3 choices of tea, and only subpar food-  it was not worth the $75.00 we had to pay!!!  (Oh yes I did call them out.  My longtime followers know I don’t usually disclose tea service costs, but that was WAY TOO MUCH MONEY.  Now, the Gardens, were beautiful.  I don’t wanna ruin it for you, cuz it’s def a must-see.  But, I’ll include my favorite shots of the day…

Well, that was fun!!  I had forgotten how much I missed having tea and writing about it!?  THANK YOU to all of you, new ones to the blog and our loyal followers!!  There are a few more Spots we have yet to visit.  As Michael Scott says, “Catch you on the flippity flip!”

 

 

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