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

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

Hello Kitty Cafe

2855 Stevens Creek Boulevard Suite 2280 Santa Clara, CA 95050

www.sanrio.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hello Kitty Mini Cake – Very almond forward. Eh.

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

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

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

For more Guest Writer pieces written by my Daughter:

Spot #42 :: K On The Go

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Our 57th Spot:

Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel

2825 Sand Hill Road Menlo Park, CA 94025

www.rosewoodhotels.com

[incredible shot taken by Kika]

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

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

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

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

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

*not included in tea service, additional item on menu

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

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

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

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

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

[photo by Kika]

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

Happy the sweets were on a tier!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[photo by Kika]

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

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

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

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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.

The Burgundy Rose Tearoom

4549 Livermore Outlets Drive Livermore, CA 94551

theburgundyrosetearoom.com

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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Our 56th Spot:

Kiki’s Coffee Shop

1000 N Idaho Street San Mateo, CA 94401

www.kikiscoffeshop.com

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:

Spot #37 :: Jade Chocolates

Kalani Kakes Island Style High Tea | parTEA with me Blog

NEW MENU ALERT! Muir’s Tea Room | Holoholo Tiki Tea

Spot #54 :: Chill Tea & Coffee

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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Our 55th Spot:

Elliston Vineyards

463 Killkare Road Sunol, CA 94586

ellistonvineyards.com

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!

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Our 54th Spot:

Chill Tea & Coffee

2545 Sand Creek Road Brentwood, CA 94513

www.chillteaandcoffee.com

[photo by Kika]

“This is my family. I found it all on my own. It’s little, and broken. But still good. Yeah…still good.”

So- I tried to schedule this Spot for our 3rd Leg in 2023. I think we weren’t able to fit it in our schedule, so I let it go for the time being. When compiling my list for Leg 4, I’m glad I came back to this one. It’s kind of on the outskirts of the Bay, but I was moved to include it. Waited patiently (and anxiously) for them to release their May date + theme (since that’s when we were scheduled to go and they change every month). Um, so SO happy I did!! LILO + STITCH, are you kidding me!!?! We were still on our Disney-high (read this post here) AND he’s my absolute fave!! I am an orphan with a created family, too. I’ve never been more excited for a tea theme in my life!

[photo by Kika]

They really committed to this theme! The music was the beast part!! Lots of Anuhea was playing, definitely some Elvis, I think I heard a Kolohe Kai song. The Hawaiian in me was celebrating! It’s a small operation. A cafe within this adorable plaza. They close off the back, and there’s maybe like 5 tables. Uuultra intimate, which you guys know I love. It just feels super exclusive and special.

[photo by Kika]

I took my OG Tea Dolls with me this time around. We love a good drive to catch up, on the way to and from our tea party. I’m carrying my DSLR less and less. It’s a lot to juggle with my cane…and I’m wanting to focus more on being present with my friends and less on the “work”. I think my iPhone 16e did okay tho! And thankfully, our one girl loves to take great shots with her phone’s high-quality camera.

Strawberry Pomegranate (black) – Good flavor, tastes sweetened.

Maui Mango (herbal) – I’m not sure what made it so bright yellow… It was steeped too long by the time I had it. Again, tasted sweetened.

Passion Fruit, Orange, Guava (chilled) – When I was a little girl, I used to collect the free Pass-O-Guava’s that my family got on the plane rides to/from Hawaii haha. So, this is a favorite of mine. We had this one toward the end of our tea service, refreshing. So cute that even tho it’s chilled, they still put it in a teapot! A bit sweet tho.

Spam Musubi Bites – Let’s all say it together: “I love Arrival Appetizers!!” So fun to have these first thing! It was a nice cut of Spam. Grilled but still soft inside. Nice sauce, nice rice ratio.

What a fun tier! (big smiley face emoji) My inner child couldn’t wait to get my hands on my Stitch ring heheh!!

Egg – There wasn’t a menu (in-person or on the website), so I don’t have the official names and descriptions for each item. Their egg salad could use some salt, the chive was nice.

Cucumber – That cream was thicccc! It was an unexpected but fun texture for me. Cool citrus + dill flavor. Crunchy cucumber, wish there was more.

Chicken – I felt like it was dry at first and could use more seasoning. But I loved the cut of chicken. And all that arugula- yesss!

Lemon Blueberry Scone with raspberry preserves – I only took a bite of this one, I thought it was dry. My girlfriend said she wished it wasn’t store-bought. (which they later confirmed it wasn’t, and pride themselves in “making sure that none of our food items are store-bought” and “really really focus on no store bought items” per their owner)

Maha Blanca – First time being served this on a tea service and I was so excited to hear that!! My Tutu used to make and sell these from her home for many years. So my assessment of theirs wouldn’t be fair. My girls all loved theirs tho! The flavor was good, tho I wish I tried it fresh. This one’s texture was more like a jello, and what I was used to was smoother. A+ still for the darling container they used to serve these!

Mango Panna Cotta – Good flavor.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake – This was my favorite from the tier. More of a chewy cheesecake, which I don’t mind. Really salty, which I appreciated. I think I was looking for more savories…

Red Velvet Cupcake – I couldn’t taste any flavor from mine. And it was dry.

Streusel Loaf – Only took a bite, it was okay.

Macarons – Macaron.

You guyssss. I didn’t wanna write this one. When I know my review will only be “okay”, I just wanna leave my card on the table and haul booty outta there. Cuz when I stop to meet the owners…that’s when things get tricky for me. But our server as it is was just so so delightful (and stunning btw too), so I knew if I talked to the owners they would just melt me. And they sure did! It’s a husband + wife team. I emailed with the wife to make our reservations and she was so accommodating. Then I met her and (whiny face emoji) she is just LOVELY. I hope she knows my review comes from honesty and just tasting 50+ Tea Services!! I mean no shade or disrespect and I really do look forward to coming back to Chill Tea again! We were given such good care, the theme was so fun, and like I wanna be her friend she was so cool.

So generous- they even gave a free gift and packed our leftover teas in to-go cups! I hope my Readers give them a chance. Follow them on Instagram @chillteaandcoffee Check out their upcoming themes. Maybe you’ll see me there!

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