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!
5. Third Floor‘s Apple and Pecan Tartlet with Gouda Cheese
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“Break-shmeak!” is what I told her verbatim. Did you guys really think I would miss out on the opportunity to try Muir’s tropical tea service and surround myself with their translation of Polynesian decor?! Absolutely not. My late Hawaiian maternal grandmother would be upset! (well not really, she never got mad at anyone actually…this was just my way of bringing up my roots I guess, hehe) Their once every summer theme has returned, and parTEA with me was there the very first weekend it opened to taste everything and report back with all the deats!!
The garden is in full bloom! We took our preferred patio seat outside of course, but this time on the other side. And. I loved it!!
Grandma’s Garden (A caffeine free beautiful red tea, with ripe fruit and berries.) – We both wanted something different this time, so we tried 2 teas with the words “Garden” in them. We love a red tea (rooibos) in the house, so this was an easy choice! Fruity, slight tart, (def has hibiscus in there), slight cream.
The Queen’s Rose Garden (The Queen’s roses lend their soft touch to this beautiful and sweet tea, which is richly enhanced by warm sweet vanilla.) – This tea is incredible. Yall already know the ‘vanilla’ part is what caught my attention. It had thee best vanilla flavor. I don’t know WHY I hadn’t tried this one yet…it was on their regular menu.
English Garden Prosecco Cocktail (Cherry, Pomegranate and Elderberry Juice Mixed with Grenadine and Bubbly Prosecco) – There’s the word “garden” again! We got to try some alcoholic beverages too this trip!! (yayyy) You could def taste the cherry in this one. Complex flavors made you keep sipping!
Butterfly Bellini Prosecco Cocktail (Peach Juice with Bubbly Prosecco) – Simply explained and simply delicious. The dancing glitters were a nice touch!
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad on a bed of greens – It’s hard for me to try anyone else’s mac salad, cuz the Huz makes an excellent one. But this was really good. And they always kill it with the dressing! The celery was a great addition too (which isn’t usual in your typical Hawaiian mac). My favorite part is knowing it’s not gonna tear up my stomach cuz it’s dairy-free!! For as long as I’ve been coming here, I never finish the salad. It’s a mountain of it and I always know to leave room for the tier + sweets. Girrrl, no To-Go today cuz I finished every morsel.
Mango Scone with house made lemon curd, jar of imported raspberry preserves & “cream” – Most perfect scone. Nice crunch at first bite, then all the fluffy. The mango bits were fun to chew! Lemon curd = unmatched.
My sister voted them Most Fullest Tier! The tickets were GENIUS.
Kukama (cucumber) Tea Sandwich with Chives – My favorite is that they do all the chives and use a whole STACK of cucumbers!
Ahi Kanuika | Chickpea “Tuna” Salad Finger Sandwich – I was trying to figure out what I was tasting… Is that citrus? Is that dill? It was sweet relish!! Oh man, and it was so tasty. This one had a good mouthfeel.
Uala Uwale | Sweet Potato Slice with Avocado – Okay, my favorite so far. Super roasty! Adored the caramelized edges.
Luke Melehune ‘aka ‘akai | Lettuce Cup with Mushroom Filling – “Is that poi??” That’s what my sister asked when I sent her a pic of the tier. That’s what I thought, and that’s what the Huz was thinking. WELL DONE Muir’s, well done. (three clapping emojis) It looked just like poi. Had me salivating just like poi does for me. But, it wasn’t poi. Clever tho huh!? The crunch of the lettuce and the goo of the filling just worked so well.
Ko ala ‘ala | Terriyaki Tofu & Veggie Puff Pastry Dumpling – Can’t believe that’s tofu. The sauce was everything. Pastry, always perfect. Every time you bite it, there’s something new! All the veggies in there were cooked to perfection.
Guava Cupcake – Legit licked the paper. What does Joey say…? “I’m not even sorry!” Haha. The syrup was so good!! I’m like- can I have some of that guava syrup to-go please?!
Macadamia Nut Shortbread – As always, gold standard.
Hot Lava Volcano | Coconut Stack dipped in Chocolate – Soo inventive! The moistest. Ugh, and the crunchy sprinkles. (the sighing I can’t emoji) They really think of everything!
Okay so- they executed this amazingly. It wasn’t too overly Hawaiian, like there weren’t hibiscus flowers everywhere! Muir’s did what Muir’s does and presented this theme with such class and respect for all Poly cultures. As a real Hawaiian-blooded diner (my DNA says so), I Olyve Lokelaniho’āla, appreciated this theme so much. I already can’t wait til next summer!!
If you noticed in the picture of the Tier too, they hooked it up with my favorite and had some Li Hing Mui on the side! Yezzir! Or lihimui (what we’d call it) if you grew up with it, or just li hing. IYKYK. The Huz and I practically cleaned that little dish out! They always pack their tiers with so much fruit, and this just elevated the entire experience!!
After our Service (I lie, I was eyeing about $100 worth of stuff before I even got to my seat!), I went to grab all my goodies at their Gift Shop. They hand-select specific items to be sold there and they must’ve just restocked or brought in some new stuff cuzzz- I wanted to buy everything!! MAKE SURE you peruse when you go.
A cute thing they do that I didn’t get a picture of last time (but I did this time!) is wash + leave out the old preserves jars that people leave from their tea service, for guests to take for free. The Huz got a kick out of this since we just cleaned and restocked our spice rack at home. We were short some jars, so he was excited to take a few today!
So yes, I’m still on Break…but this was so much fun! Anything for Muir’s, seriously. I am so happy & honored to be able to share this New Menu with all of you. But, I need a favor. If you’re reading this and are on social media (since I’m currently not), would you mind sharing it for me please?! Help me spread the word about this terrific theme cuz I don’t want yall to miss out! Thanks in advance. By the way, are you guys liking the Top 5’s?? I thought that would be a fun way to still put out some posts for you loyal ones while I’m out. More coming!
~ SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO ARE CONTINUING TO READ THE BLOG, FOLLOWING, DONATING, AND STILL ROCKIN WITH US ON OUR SOCIALS ~ I will be back in no time!
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!
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!
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 loved Pandemic. An Introvert’s + Germaphobe’s dream! Our little family enjoys each other’s company anyway, so we were fine. It took us a long time to get back to ‘pre-Pandemic’ life. We still treated the world as if it was March 17, 2020 all throughout 2021 and 2022. And then in December ’22, my daughter + I were invited out by some new friends. They surprised us with afternoon tea! It had been well before the Pandemic that I’d been to tea last…maybe in 2018!? I was knee-deep in my trauma recovery then, so this once loved pastime was put on the backburner. Oh we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! My light was sparked.
By March 1st, I was announcing the 3rd Leg of this Tour! We started with 8 new Spots to visit + 6 old Spots to revisit, making that just 14 Tea’s we’d finish in a little over a year (going to one each month). WELL (sigh), this Leg turned out to be the fullest + busiest one to date!! With more new Spots popping up, all the squeeze-in’s + last minute additions… I ended up attending THIRTY TEA’S this Tour!!?! (not including the handful of leisure ones with my siblings) I did not anticipate more than doubling our initial intended visits. Whew!
Something new I tried this time was picking only new friends to join me. My family + I had just moved into a new Congregation, and I was eager to get to know my new spiritual family. As shy as I am, I reached for my vulnerability and asked my new girlfriends to join me. I got to know them during intimate tea parties of no more than 4-5 people (I kept them one cargroup size too). Ugh, I loved that part! I made some real ones during this process. Feels good. Of course, the OGs were with me on some spots too!
***SHOUT OUT’S***
Boba-Lover
Vero
Alex
French
Tina
Maverick
Ocean
Soul
Monica
Aliyah
Liani
Alyssa
Marian
Jane
Mrs. Mamoa
Isabel
Cutie Jr.
Cutie
Jenn
Rocio M
Erica B
Lisa
Miranda
Ingrid
Ellen
Emily
Indiana
Tish
Tanya
Jon
Celeste
Elisa
Sal
Stephanie
You know who else was a major part of this Leg!? The Huz. (heart emojis) For all the ones that were last minute, he happily asked to come! I think we have had more Tea Dates than Date Nights in the past year!? It’s been a treat to get away together so many times, some of them for long drives. Thank you Poppi for being so willing + interested in my work. For supporting me, for giving me allowance sometimes (hehe) when donations or boutique sales didn’t cover my tea services. I have enjoyed hearing your critiques of these Spots, too. I’ve taught you well haha!
[Me + my Samoan Love: Mav Ke Kai]
Along with this website, I reopened our Instagram account. I had had years + years worth of content from my old blog posts, so it was easy. But then Reels were where it was at. I was having to now FILM at our tea parties and become some sort of videographer. Finding trending audios to match them. Engaging. Replying to comments. DM’s. It was getting to be a lot… But I still posted everyday. More followers came. Threads. Now, TikTok.
Right before this Leg ended, momentum was at its all-time high! I was interviewed on a podcast. (That was so much fun!) All of a sudden I’m finding myself signing “Influencer Agreements”. Influencer? I’m an Influencer?? In the month of February alone, I had 3 collabs with some of the most reputable places that serve tea including a high-end hotel. I was having conversations with owners and executive chefs. Who was I?! Unbelievable. Indescribable.
I am SO READY for this break. It’s much-needed, timely, and well-deserved. It’s something I’ve been needing for a long time…not just now, but in life. I’m not going to explain every detail here. Just know that I am resolved and I am looking forward to being present. Before, I thought I was still going to post on socials…I had some blog posts planned… But now, I’m not sure. This time off is going to be used to its full. If I post, then I post. If I don’t, then- I don’t! I appreciate all of you who will continue to rock with me on here and on our socials. Those who donate- you mean so much to me. THANK YOU for helping me continue doing what brings me absolute joy!! Yes, there is a 4th Leg planned. Nothing scheduled as of yet. I’m due to be back from break November 15, 2024. I hope you all are still around and still want to know about these new Spots we gotta try! Until then, thank you for reading, following, subscribing. Yall are the best.
~ Olyve Rose
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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!
The long-awaited list is back!! Yall love these and I have had quite a bit of inquiries and requests for the most current one. I’ll also be noting which Tea Spots have closed, but they’ll still be included in the rating order. [Note to Tea Rooms: You get to count up and move ahead to see your true place!] Here it is folks! From Save yo money! to Get in my belleh!!…
48. iChina Restaurant, Santa Clara – Unsanitary tea spouts…need I say more?
10. Chelokababi Restaurant, Sunnyvale – You’re missing out if you’ve never had Persian Tea before.
9. Dartealing Lounge, San Francisco – Best sandwiches and cutest ambiance.
8. Claremont Hotel, Berkeley – Would come for the biscuits and scones alone.
7. The Third Floor, San Francisco – Eyes rolling in the back of your head good.
6. K On The Go, Union City – I would come here every day if I could.
5. The White Hart Tea Room, Pacific Grove – Really like going to someone’s house for tea (cuz you are), and having true homemade food (cuz you are). [PERMANENTLY CLOSED]
4. Four Seasons, Palo Alto – Really good everything and you’ll want to come back already by the end of your meal.
3. Malaya Tea Room, Alameda – New go-to spot with exemplary finger sandwiches.
2. The English Rose Tea Room, Pleasanton – A hundred delectable teas and textbook shabby chic decor. [PERMANENTLY CLOSED]
1. Muir’s Tea Room, Sebastopol – There are no words invented yet that describe how GOOD this Tea Spot is, it excels in all aspects of Afternoon Tea.
So there you have it! (jazz hands emoji) Which places do you wanna try?? Which ones are you going to skip? Let us know in the comments!
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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 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!
Best decision I’ve made: to squeeze this one in on the Tour.
The Jay Hotel has only been around 4 months (formerly Le Méridien) and their afternoon tea only started yesterday. So proud of myself for making reservations here! Hehe.
They offer 5 different bases of tea. I thought I was sold on getting the Black, but I’m so glad they came over with samples to study. Interestingly, the Black wasn’t as appealing as I read. However the WHITE!? Smelled delicious.
WHITE | Dragon Pearl (jasmine, sweet, smooth) – Very floral, such a flavorful white! Was taking gulps!!
GREEN | Genmai Matcha (bright, nutty, smooth) – Could smell it all the way from the other side of the table! A gorgeous chartreuse. Earthy and smooth, like they said!
The tier was minimal. But don’t let it fool you!
Scone – Today’s was Apricot & Walnut. I was casually spreading my devonshire cream and adding some preserves on top and… [GASP] I was totally caught off guard. I don’t even like walnuts!! And this was packed with it! The mouthfuls of walnuts and chewy apricots were just so good together!!
Beef Tartare, Pickled Beech Mushroom, Rice Cracker – The cracker alone was already great, think of a shrimp chip. Fun texture, had a sweetness but also a little spicy, and adored the freshness of the herb.
Truffled Egg Salad on White Bread – This packed such a big punch! I could taste the truffle, but also maybe some curry. Even the bread was so scrumptious + chewy!
Cherry and Walnut Chicken Salad on Honey Wheat and Oat Bread – There were so many levels of flavor and texture in this one. They used the best parts of the chicken, like it’s certainly thigh!! Could even distinguish the oats in the bread!
Apple and Pecan Tartlet with Gouda Cheese – Just looking at this again makes me wanna cry! (whiny face emoji) Thick pastry. Definitely got a cheese-mustache but it was so fun! There was just no cute way to eat it… The saltiness from the cheese with the sweet of the filling was everything Salty/Sweet Lovers want + need in their lives. Which is who me + my girlfriend are!
Lemon Glazed Madeleine – This tasted like a donut! Light lemon + fluffy cake.
Raspberry Macaron – Macaron fillings aren’t usually this runny, but it was so welcomed here. The shell was ultra delicate. Perfect combo.
Caramelized White Chocolate and Pine Nut Cream Puff – It had a conchas topping!! Not your average cream puff. Party in my mouth!
Matcha Cheesecake with Mango – Buttery. Depth. Superior.
Chocolate Cremeux with Tangerine – This was my least favorite of the Sweets… Buut, I still ate it all! 🙂
So- I took my longtime girlfriend here. We’ve known each other since our firstborns were babies (both are 17 now). She’s an incredible single mother of 2 teens, with a corporate job AND a growing Coaching Business (follow her @stephanie.mechelle.coaching). I’ve had the opportunity to see her in action and I am in AWE of her work. We see each other at least every other week for our business accountability meetings on zoom, but we need to get away for some Girl Time too. We can talk for hours and hours! And today was no different! We spent almost 3 hours at tea today, with the occasional stop in from our amazing server (Hi Nate!). So much good for our souls!! But, let me tell you- I had a really hard time paying attention sometimes cuz my eyes were rolling back in my head from how GOOD this tea service was!!!
Please please PLEASE do yourselves a favor and make time to visit The Jay Hotel and have Afternoon Tea at The Third Floor. Periodt. That’s all. Okay?? I cannot stress how much I loved everything about this place. The decor, the service (clapping hands)…I was even Shazam’ing the music! EVEN the valet guy was super nice. And then I couldn’t stop talking about it on my way home. SO GLAD we made the effort to come before I was off Tour. Otherwise I would’ve had FOMO. Don’t have FOMO you guys. Go. Go now! Go ahead, make your reservations. (okay, I’m done being bossy) But I mean it, it’s a good place. Just sayin… Did you hear me?
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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!
Our last hoorah! I chose the Palace Hotel for our Best Venue pick cuz, well I mean, look at it!! So happy the Huz + I got to go with one of our favorite families: Cutie, Cutie Jr. and Cutie’s Mr.! Just being in the hotel is an entire experience in itself, so I took the path of least resistance and just enjoyed myself. Didn’t bring the DSLR, took a few shots and a few notes on my phone. I was thoroughly present and reveled in the company of our awesome party!
Definitely looks different in there. I assumed it would have changed since the last time we’ve been, which was September 2014 haha. I liked the bench seating they had and there were no more round tables with white tablecloths. Lots of children too! That was neat. It was the day before Mother’s Day, so probably lots of early celebrators. But I was totally enamored at all these toddlers and young ones trying to sit still while munching on a tea sandwich!? Too too cute. We were just so thrilled to be there. Something about the beauty of the Garden Court just brings all the JOY!
As we were seated, they immediately set down these shallow square bowls of Berries. Raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. I thought for a sec that they might be a topping for scones or crumpets or something…but then soon realized, it was like the bread you get served at a restaurant upon seating. I tried a bluebe- OHMYGOSHHH. I was not expecting thaaat!!?! (you see me whining) Just as I was about to comment on how good those blueberries were, I see my girl loving them too! I was MAKING OUT with mine mmkay. We decided that they were the freshest, most organic berries we had ever had. Probably from Whole Foods, or Driscoll Farms, or the ROOF upstairs!! And this was just the free appetizer yall! Just wait.
I was a Basic Girl and chose my usual, Vanilla Rooibos. Happy Girl! Nice selection of teas. There were some great ones that our friends chose and they loved theirs. Good tea, check!
Precious presentation of our Savories. Since I start with the cucumber first, I went in order from right to left…
Shaved Cucumber & Watercress (shaved persian cucumbers, soft cream cheese, watercress, whole grain bread) – Didn’t even write any notes cuz I ate it already. It was gone before I could even think of anything to say about it, haha. Obviously, it was good!
Dry Spanish Chorizo (whipped goat cheese, lemon zest, sourdough) – After 47 afternoon tea’s, this is the first I’ve had chorizo on the menu and I was not mad at it! What a brilliant addition, couldn’t get enough. The cheese was citrusy, the bread had such a good bite to it, and that chorizo- mm mm!
Truffled Egg Salad (chives and lemon zest, chervil, brioche) – You see, forgetting to even take pics! Exquisite (no pun intended). The paprika on top was everything.
Mini Lobster Roll (mayonnaise, celery, brioche) – Okay so, I had a lobster roll last night for dinner. And I had just had so much of it, I swore I wouldn’t have another for a long long time. Funny to see this one in front of me. But let me tell you, it was so juicy and the meat was so tender…I had forgotten all about last night!
Roasted Chicken & Avocado (lemon juice, tarragon, maldon sea salt) – This one was just okay for me. Cutie Jr. agreed and said she thought it needed something… I usually really like tarragon, so I’m not sure what this was missing. I enjoyed the fattie piece of chicken I got in one bite, but the rest of the bites were breast. Meh. And I’m not a huge fan of focaccia.
Yay! The tier!
Scones – I do remember loving their scones from before. And today was no different. Cutie loved them too! They’re so fluffy and their preserves are amazing (I even took mine to-go ha!).
All the desserts were incredible as well. Chocolate-Covered Strawberry (yall already know), Mini Red Velvet Cupcake (ugh love cream cheese frosting), decadent Chocolate French Macaron, really well done Strawberry Shortcake, and Cream Puff Swan (a.k.a. Juan Swanson).
Exceptional Venue, Exceptional Company, Exceptional Tea, Exceptional Food, Exceptional Time! We couldn’t have gone with a better group, we loved our time with them. parTEA with me’s planned Tour is officially DONE eyyy! (except I squeezed in one more spot tomorrow! Haha) See you again in a bit.
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!
[inhale] I’m taking a deep breath first, to calm myself! There’s so much I wanna say about this spot. And I’m trying to figure out a good place to start… If I’m going WAY back, there was a cute cafe I had pinned years ago that I wanted to try: K-Café Patisserie & Tea. They didn’t serve afternoon tea, so this would’ve been a non-Tour visit for fun. Then the same company started putting up these smaller versions, and THEY served afternoon tea!! Yay for us. The one in Milpitas has already been offering…but I really wanted to try the Union City location cuz it was so close to me! (And I wanted to say the Tour had visited that small city!)
They were due to open January 2024 and were going to be the last of the new Spots we go to on this Leg of the Tour. We forreal pass by this spot every day on our way home! And every day we passed, we still saw the brown paper on the windows. January came + went, but I didn’t want to abandon our visit there. I was lowkey stalking their socials to see if anything came up about UC. Nothing for a while. Okay, I’ll be patient. THEN, I got a random DM from them!! Don’t know who handles their social media, but out of the thousands that followed them (my finsta wasn’t even following at the time)- they remembered to message me about their opening!! (happy crying emojis) Dang, I felt special. They notified me of their Soft Opening on April 23rd. Naturally, my daughter + I stopped by.
[sigh] Still not serving afternoon tea yet. They said mid-May, maybe earlier. Okay.
Randomly, on Monday, I sent them a message asking when they might be serving afternoon tea. The following day they replied saying they were taking reservations. [GASP!] Let me make note here that I had one week before I was going on Break. Our last Spot is this Saturday, and THEN, I even scheduled another last-minute Spot visit for Sunday because this place will be starting to serve afternoon tea and my funny-self thought to squeeze that one in too. Ayyy! My only option would be this Thursday. BUT- they require a 72-hour advance reservation. [whine]
I called. Told them I was hoping to come in Thursday (this was Wednesday btw), but I understood there was a 3-day advance. They said they would take me. Huh? What!? I told them I wanted them to feel comfy + confident with what they were offering, and that I could maybe possibly find a time for Monday. They said they thought it was so sweet of me to consider that/them but that they would make Thursday work. So sweet, right guys?! I was on the books.
I decided to take my kid to this one for a Mommy-Daughter Date. And to make it even more interesting + fun for her, I told her she could Guest Write my blog post for them and even take pictures if she wanted for it. She loved the idea. As an artist + Lefty, she has some pretty cool perspectives and we have some of her photographs framed + up on our walls. (She has this sick one she took of the Bay Bridge right outside Delancey!) Let me take this moment to talk about the flyest 13-year-old girl I know. As mentioned, she has been making and selling her art for a few years now. She has an eclectic taste in music, knows how to play the ukulele and bass, and knows how to speak Korean!! I’m legit her biggest fan and am BLESSED to be her best friend. (but mostly her Momma!!!)
I’m telling you right now- I’m including A LOT of extra shots in this one, cuz there were just too many good ones and I’m sharing them ALL. Before even coming here, I have to admit whenever I would see overly floral cafe’s…I already wrote em off. After going to places like Son & Garden and iChina, where it was more about the trendy atmosphere and Instagram-worthy backdrops than the FOOD, I don’t expect much from anything that looks well (air quotes) too pretty. And altho this spot had the flowers…it was decorated really well. They were more like “statement” flowers, and not as the owner mentioned “gaudy”. But even for my daughter (who takes after her Mom and) who is not girly whatsoever, she could appreciate the interior.
I didn’t know til later, that we were their VERY FIRST afternoon tea party! Look at our cutie table!! I’ve had my name set on tables before, but not PRINTED!!?! That was such a sweet touch and very personal. Love! (yes, my name is spelled wrong but he even fixed it later and gave us the keepsake!)
Everything was ready for us as soon as we got there. We chose our shared pot of tea and she started bringing our tiers out. We each got our own too!! I couldn’t get enough shots!
[taken by my daughter]
I was taking everything in. All the details. Even the mismatched paper napkins, I loved! The Savories were their focus, you could tell. (LOVE THAT.) Points from me already.
[taken by my daughter]
They had 4 tea options. My daughter + I agreed on their Floral Peach. It had good peach flavor, tasted a little sweetened. Darling pink hue, probably from hibiscus.
Daughter – Yes even tho my mom sells tea and goes to tea places I dont really drink tea that often lol Oky! Soooooo my first thought was: Hhmm… the color of the tea is kinda dark… I hope its not too strong. My next thought after I had was: Ooooohhhh!!!! Its not too strong, It was so good that I had way more cups of it than my mom did lol
Truffle in Paradise (truffle cucumber sandwich) – This was me: “mm. Mm. MM!” Truffle is not a usual profile paired with cucumber tea sandwiches, a first for me for sure. She should be proud of herself and that was YUMMY!
Daughter – First thought: Hahaha!!! I love cucumber sandwiches!! After I had it: Hmm… the flavor is interesting! I like the way its not like the typical cucumber sandwiches, and the way you have to come back for more to get the flavor! Ok ok so far so good!
Apple of My Eye (apple chicken salad crackers) – There was maybe a light curry in there… Loved the apple. The chicken was so juicy + tender, like it was fresh off a rotisserie spit rod! I was clapping that there were three of these.
Daughter – First thought: Ok… this could either be really good or really interesting… After I had it: Again I dont really know whats in this… It took me awhile to get it but mom said that there might be a little bit of curry and I’m not the biggest fan of curry stuff but it was really really good! Like they made me a curry fan! Lol
Eggcitement (mini glaze egg croissant) – Egg + dill = GOOD. And of course (hand up) the Croissant-Lover enjoyed this one.
Daughter – First thought: [Back story: I dont wake up early at all oky? Like I’m talking 1:00PM Lol So this was my breakfast…] Oh ok… I’m not exactly excited to have egg breath rn buuuut… I’m still gonna eat it! After I had it: Aaaahhh!!! Its DELICIOUS!!! And is that dill?! I made a HUGE mistake of eating a small little smth before we left…
Talking to my daughter, I couldn’t figure out which savory was my favorite because they were all excellent! They each had just a little something in them to make you question ‘hm, what is that’ which I highly appreciate. Reminded me so much of when we catered for our old tea company. Each of our tea sandwiches from our menu had something different in them that made you keep coming back for more! Well played, K On The Go. (wink)
A verbatim convo between me and my daughter…
Me: “I’m ready for my sweets, dood.”
Her: “Half it!” (talking about all the mini cheesecakes + macarons)
Me: “Hold on, I’m licking my plate!”
HAHAHAH!
All My Ladies Cake (ladyfinger almond sponge cake) – This was so light + airy and had such good flavor. My favorite part were the crunchy pieces on top. What scone?? You did not miss any scone with this on your plate. It was like an elevated tiramisu…
Daughter – First thought: Uhhh….. Ok I’m not a big sweets fan but I’ll have it! lol After I had it: Oooooohhhh!!! I LOVE IT!!! Its soft and not OVERLY sweet! Definitely one of my favorites!!!
Assorted Desserts (changed daily) – Today’s were a variety of mini cheesecakes and french macarons. We couldn’t tell if those cheesecakes were store-bought or homemade and I think that is a compliment! They were fantastic. The macarons, they were really good quality ones.
Daughter – First thought: Ooooohhh they look soooo pretty!!! After I had it: WOW!!! Its rare that I come across food that looks good and taste better than it looks!!!
Just when we were pretty stuffed and about to clean up shop, she came out from the back with more! We were treated to these stunning complimentary desserts for being their first afternoon tea reservations. So so kind of them huh!? All I could say about those- INHALED.
Daughter – First thought: [Back story: The almond sponge cake had a butterfly and I bit it but I dont think it was edible lol but after I tried to eat the butterfly I said to mom: “Edible things like that is the way to win my heart” Then after we were done and they brought the special end and they said that the butterfly was edible my eyes got big and I was so excited!!!] Aaaahhhh!!! I’m soooo excited!!!! after I had it: I scarfed down one of them I said to mom: THIS WAS SOOOOO WORTH SCARFING!!!! As soon as I get a chance, I’m coming back!!!! 🙂
I was THOROUGHLY (how many ways can I highlight this?) impressed. The husband-wife team/owners were a delight!! He kept us company in between customers and she came out in between creating those culinary masterpieces back there. I loved how he was very community positive and got to know everyone that walked through their front door. He was even introducing me to their regulars! (dood, they’ve only been open a few weeks and already have Regulars what!?) You could tell how much awe he has for his wife (excuse me) Business Partner too, cuz he was singing her praises the entire afternoon. And she was just the CUTEST, so rightfully so!! Her imagination and brilliance shined in this tea service. My teenage daughter thoroughly enjoyed herself. We were both already planning when we can come back and who we were gonna bring. She kept saying “I really do love it here” and as a mom, that just made me so happy.
I really wanted this place to work out. Since the downfall of Tyme for Tea, I needed a new spot close to me that I could frequent. Of course, there’s still my new go-to’s Malaya and Four Seasons…but I still have to drive a bit for those. So I’m ecstatic that it turned out to be so good!! Stay tuned cuz they made it pretty high on my raTEAng. You’ll have to see where I put them! And please please please make your way to K On The Go Union City because you will eat well and be treated like family!
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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 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 