Afternoon Tea Reviews VII: Starry Night

This didn't make it onto the old blog, but was written up in 2013 or 2014 and well after we visited this establishment in April or May. 

I want to start with an apology at the lateness of this review. I've been rather absent from this blog for some time, and hope to remedy that with a few posts in the near future (now that life has given me a short break from the craziness that was the last year).

Once again kurasune and I have wandered out into the city to try yet another afternoon tea service, this time also with guest blogger, Chibimuse. We typically keep our eyes peeled for any coupons/Groupons that may come up as it's an excellent way to try out something new without spending horrid amounts of money on something that may potentially be disappointing (like the tea service at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver for instance).

We decided to try this one out on a weekend daytime, so kurasune was kind enough to drive us. While technically transit-able, the location isn't the easiest to find. It's actually located on the far side of the Costco in Richmond, tucked away up a small road along with a masseuse and a couple of other random businesses. We went early enough in the afternoon that there weren't too many customers (I think they probably see the bulk of their business in the evenings) - and while normally we get some sort of comment on what we're wearing, strangely enough the staff and other customers kept pretty much to themselves except when being spoken to.

To be honest I was, personally, very dubious as to how this afternoon tea would go - the drive up to the location was not anything I had expected (being located with some sort of reflecology office adjoined to it and a mostly empty parking lot). Once we were seated inside we took a look at the regular menu (as chibimuse had not purchased a GroupOn like Kurasune and I did). Menu items were very reasonable - the afternoon tea set being just under $16.

The unfortunate thing was the lack of choice in drinks. Regular black tea or coffee (though bottomless) were the only options, however the bang for buck for the quality of food made up for this lack in some ways. The set came on the usual three tiered stand, and the presentation of the individual parts was much more than could be expected for the $15.88 price tag.

On the bottom tier were mini quiches and scones (complete with devonshire cream and jelly). The middle tier held the finger sandwiches. 

and of course the sweets tier.

Overall the savories were surprisingly good (in fact the entire set was especially for the price). The finger sandwiches were light and tasty, with a good combination of flavour and texture.

Because of the groupon, we also got a little chocolate fondue set with tea.

By the time I managed to get around to eating this lovely looking tart, it was unfortunately not in the same glorious state as when it first arrived. Because I had been taking my time photographing and carefully taking notes the biscuit on the top had begun to disintegrate from the moisture of the cream and strawberries.

 Lastly we found a patch of pretty garden out back where we took our outfit photos for the day. Unfortunately I didn't manage to snag the ones of Kurasune and Chibimuse T-T.

Rillystar says:

Taste: 3.5/5
Presentation: 3.5/5
Service: 2/5
Price: 4.5/5
Decor/Ambiance: 3/5
Location/Transitability: 2.5/5
Loli-Loli Rabu Factor: 2.5/5

Overall Score: 3.07/5

Comments: While lack of drink choice was apparent, the cost for the actual afternoon tea was in comparison to many other places, extremely reasonable. Even regular service without the Groupon is about $16 for drink and full service (which was surprisingly good). With the Groupon there was so much food that we couldn't finish off the chocolate fondue. Decor was pretty much average for a more modern restaurant and not catering specifically to those looking for that 'something special' with Afternoon Tea, but a sight better than say, Salon Tea. Overall the worse part was the service - lightly staffed and sometimes difficult to flag someone down but at least they weren't rude. Not much lolita love here but no hate either.

Afternoon Tea Reviews VI: SalonTea

Original Post 4/22/13 written by kurasune:

Groupon is a wonderful service for testing out new places to dine, especially when one isn’t sure if the full price of a meal is worth all the effort and expense. Unfortunately, I felt that this was true in the case of SalonTea, which we visited about a month ago.

Now, I don’t want to give dear readers a purely negative assessment as there were some things about SalonTea that warrant a re-visit.  However, we were there specifically in our capacity of ‘Lolita Afternoon Tea Investigators’ if you will, and even if this tea is supposedly sipped by Hollywood bigwigs like Oprah and music stars like Rihanna, and hails from ooh la New York, if it hasn’t got that Loli-Loli Rabu factor, it ain’t got nothing in our books.

SalonTea is located in uber chic South Granville, where I guess all the soccer moms of Shaughnessy shop.  The café is next to Meinhardt’s Fine Foods at 3010 Granville Street.  Click HERE for the website and hours.  Its full name is Tracy Stern Salontea, and the predominant company colours are orange and brown, though one wouldn’t be able to tell that from the café’s first impression, being rather overwhelmed by the large expanse of plain white bathroom tile all along the walls.

I like the idea of Tracy Stern’s “Salon Tea”, where she’s named all her signature teas some personality type or other—The Artist, The Romantic, The Fashionable Dandy—in an attempt to recreate the ‘salon’ of 17^th and 18^th Century France (it was actually a 16^th Century Italian invention, but in both countries was a place where people came together for amusement, conversation and the exchange of ideas).  It’s the execution of this particular location though, that leaves much to be desired.  Something seems to have gotten lost in translation.  Researching Tracy Stern, her idea for her company seems to be ‘children playing tea party’, which may seem to be at odds with the idea of an intellectual salon, but could work, given a creative mind and a superb interior designer.  This location seems to have had the benefit of neither.

Even before actually seeing the place, I was filled with a sense of foreboding when a fellow Vancouver Lolita commented that the place “isn’t pretty”.  No surprise then that what attracted us most was the kiddy tea set placed alongside a couple board games on the back counter and not the ambiance.

The tea pots were very pretty, though their baroque flavour seemed incongruously out of place in the rather sterile bathroom tiled interior.  I had The Dancer, “a compelling blend of honeybush and rooibos tea with flavoured fruit accents of strawberry, raspberry, floral notes of safflowers and marigolds.  Spinning its flavours with the grande dance of rich chocolate”, and Rilly had The Romantic, "Chur She green tea with jasmine flowers...completely unfermented and not oxidized.  Delicate and fragrant brew...Spark some romance while sharing this tea!"

Neither the seats nor the tables looked particularly comfortable or inviting, giving the whole café an air of rather bleak utilitarianism, and what was with the bare concrete floor?  It was as if the tea shop had moved in recently, but had lost in the move all its luxurious furnishings, oriental carpets, gilt mirrors and Louis XVI chairs.

You can see here clearly how the elaborateness of our Lolita outfits stands in stark contrast with the plain furnishings in the background.

On to the food which is provided by an in-house chef (who incidentally doesn’t have a kitchen, in house).

High tea service is $30/person and the menu is apparently a surprise every time.

Savouries:

Schnitzel finger sandwich

Smoked salmon and fig compote on corn cake

Smoked turkey and cucumber croissant

Sweets:

Shortbread and icing sandwiches

Marshmallow and chocolate cupcakes

Lemon custard squares

Pistachio macaron and signature tea macaron

Scones with Devonshire cream and jam

The food came in your usual 3 tiered tray arrangement, decorated with a brightly coloured tissue paper flowers.  Tissue paper flowers seemed to be de rigueur here and 3 large flowers made up the entirety of the table display, giving the customer an odd feeling of the café not being cleaned up after a kid’s birthday party.  This seemed to be the rather sadly literal manifestation of Tracy Stern’s ‘children’s tea party’ idea.

The combinations of flavours brought to my mind the unique concoctions invented by hungry teenagers after school everywhere.  Growing bodies constantly need nourishment, and if there’s nothing but some ham, strawberry jam and cheese in the fridge, and some saltines, canned tuna and peanut butter in the cupboard, all will go into the mouth at the same time.  Often, this cuisine is strangely delicious even if the ingredients list looks a bit nauseating, but nobody wants to see ‘oddly creative’ takes on everyday foods, especially at high tea prices. The sweets were frankly too sweet and too boring.  Icing filled shortbread sandwiches are fine for 5 year olds, but seriously couldn’t the chef have provided some proper petit fours?

All things being said, SalonTea does have good tea with well-thought-out blends. The whole line is attractively packaged stressing ‘tea as a lifestyle’, and includes teas for dieting and health, candles and even perfumes.  Plus the mirrors are pretty cute too!

Rillystar says:

Taste: 2.5/5 
Presentation: 2/5 
Service: 3/5
Price: 2/5
Decor/Ambiance: 1/5
Location/Transitability: 3.5/5
Loli-Loli Rabu Factor: 1/5

Overall Score: 2.15/5

Comments: As kurasune mentioned, this establishment was sadly lacking in the decor and ambiance category. We really were quite out of place, and I almost wonder if the startled initial look on the staff member's face when we got there was more of an indication of what type of clientele they typically deal with. Definitely worth trying the teas, but I'd pass on a $30 set for the the food and just grab a single tea or a package of tea blend. Some interesting tastes with the food,but the presentation was lacklustre and menu nothing out of the ordinary...in fact quite pedestrian (shortbread cookie sandwich filled with glacé icing, really?) for the price tag. the up side was we were able to take home some a sample of their teas as part of the package. I feel like this was all set up to be more of a coffee shop a la Waves or Starbucks where you come in, grab your drink and leave...oh and those seats and chairs more of an afterthought so you have a place to sit if you're not on the run.

Kurasune says:

Taste: 2/5
Presentation: 1.5/5
Service: 3/5
Price: 2/5
Decor/Ambiance: 1/5
Location/Transitability: 4/5
Loli-Loli Rabu Factor: 1/5

Overall Score: 2.07/5

Comments:  I think the décor was the most disappointing thing about this place. It does not match Tracy Stern’s marketing spiel about SalonTea being a comfortable, inspiring place to come together to discuss art and creativity. Everything seems hurried and not properly thought through, and the interior has not been renovated sufficiently to erase the feeling of the café before it, which had a more bistro feel, if I remember correctly.  Overall a disappointment.  Go there to buy some loose teas to take home, but don’t bother making it an outing, and definitely don’t bother dressing up.  Vancouver’s ubiquitous Lululemon yoga pants and tank top ensemble is more than adequate.

Joint overall score for SalonTea:  2.11/5

Afternoon Tea Reviews V: Pâtisserie Für Elise

Original Post 3/10/13 (NB: I've since been back here and will write an updated review)

This was probably our most recent venture out into the world of Afternoon Tea. Both Kurasune and I had been meaning to visit this patisserie for some time, and as luck would have it, my sister (lovely girl that she is) gave me a coupon for two for Afternoon Tea Service.  The patisserie is located a few blocks away from the Stadium-Chinatown Skytrain Station in a row of cute heritage homes (converted into shops and salons) on Hamilton Street. It's a little easy to miss as the row of houses is set back a ways from the street front.

Once you enter inside, the ground floor houses the actual patisserie where you can purchase the jellies, macarons and whatnot that are displayed in the glass cases. A display in the front window shows the "uniform" of the tea house, a very pretty country style floral apron dress on a mannequin,  and a few cute pieces of costume jewelry displayed on tea things from Cinderella in Wonderland, an online jewelry store selling items like those found at Paris Kids in Japan and other cutesy Asian jewelry stores.

Upstairs is where the actual tea service is held. You can very clearly see that the entire place has been renovated and has an air of chic modern fused with a slight hint of elegant Roccoco touches. It isn't a terribly large space with a few tables near the front of the house and a small room near the back with a few more tables, but the light colours and glittery chandeliers give the place an airy, spacious feeling. The staff there was quite nice and dressed very cutely in their fluffy, floral uniforms which were reminiscent of Country Lolita style.

Afternoon tea service is usually $30 a person, and includes your choice of tea. Like many other places, they offer only a small (though balanced) selection of teas. So if you are looking for a tea menu the length of Santa's naughty/nice list, you won't find it here. However the teas that we both had were tasty. The tableware was also very sweet right down to the coasters and creamers.

We were served first a fruit pannacotta which was the 'Chef's Choice Starter' or amuse-bouche. I liked the fruit portion and the cream part was okay. I think mostly I like the fruity part though, lol. Kurasune didn't finish hers as she found the texture too firm for her liking (for panna cotta).

What came next was the traditional tiered tray (this time 2 tiers, sweets on top and savouries on the bottom). On the savoury tray we had:

- Prosciutto, brie and fresh basil sandwich. I think the idea was quite nice but it literally had one basil leaf. It desperately needed more greens and the criossant it was on (mine at least as kurasune said hers was okay) was a little overdone.

- Cucumber dill finger sandwich. It was a little cumbersome to eat but quite tasty. The dill makes it overall refreshing and a nice take on the traditional sandwich. We found it easier to move the cucumber laying over the side onto the top to eat this sandwich, but it was a lovely display.

- Curried egg salad cornet. Good tasting egg salad, but as usual, I personally find eating the cones a bit akward. Often the tip ends aren't filled (like ice cream cones) or it crumbles into bits as you're eating it (unless you can stuff a whole cone in your mouth which I wasn't able to do). Again this would have been great with a bit of greenery mixed in as it was lacking in that department. Something perhaps that was mixed in evenly to proportion the greens throughout so each bite has a little.

- Creamy garden veggie puff. Perhaps my favourite of the savouries. Warm, light and tasty. Mixture of soft, creamy, crispy and mixed with textures of the cooked veggies and potato made this one of the winners on this plate.

- Scone. This was quite nice. It wasn't overly sugary sweet and went well with the cream and jam that was served with it.

The sweets tray was as follows:

- Chocolate torte with Raspberry. Quite nice on its own. Smooth and silky as well as soft. The raspberry gave a little bit of texture and the requisite tart contrast to make this more than a plain two dimensional desert. Nice but not terribly memorable for me.

- Strawberry Shortcake. I don't recall what this one actually was, however the cake itself was a mousse-like texture and about as light. In the centre was a strawberry and the cake had some small disc of sponge at the bottom - I wish this had been a millefeuille pastry or something as all three cakes on this tray were all the same textures and there was a lack of something to differentiate them. I do like the fact that they use a large chunk of strawberry in the centre, unfortunately even with that, the textures were all simliarly sort of soft and mushy (not mushy in a bad way, but a fair estimation of the texture).

- Lemon cheesecake. Again another soft creamy textured cake. I had hoped the bottom would offer a nice crunch, or flakiness but no luck there. The bottom was also simliarly moist and smooth - not even grainiess that can typically be found in a rough crumbed graham crust. Flavour was light and good though.

- Macaron. We had two different colours. Again they were fine, and better scented/perfumed than some of the other tea houses, but overall I really do prefer to make my own.

- Pâte de fruit. I actually quite enjoyed this part of the sweets tray. It's obvious they put a lot of care and thought into these and of course they're made in house. It's not overly sweet and you can tell they (of course) used real fruit. The texture and taste is quite lovely.

Overall, the tea service was enjoyable, however, especially in the desert plate, all the textures were a little too similar. I was craving at some point a little crunch or perhaps some sort of counterpoint than all the smooth, creamy texture that was throughout each of the cake deserts. The savouries they are trying to fuse a bit of creativity into it which is appreciated, it just needs a little refinement/fine tuning to get each element perfectly right.

Website: http://www.patisseriefurelise.com/
Address: 847 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC V6B 6A1
Phone: (604) 684-1025 

Kurasune says:

Taste: 3.25/5
Presentation: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5
Price: 2/5
Decor/Ambiance: 4/5
Location/Transitability: 4/5
Loli-Loli Rabu Factor: 4.5/5

Overall Score: 3.61/5

Comments:  I actually reviewed this tea service rather carefully, as I am aware that the company is being run by someone knowledgeable of the Lolita fashion and community.  I found most of the savouries fresh and light tasting, with good, flaky, buttery pastry, excellent texture for the most part and with interesting combinations of flavours.  The cucumber dill sandwich was a bit large to eat daintily, but I was pleased that it was as substantial as it was.  The creamy garden vegetable puff pastry was a winner with both of us, having a lovely texture--the soft mash contrasting with the crisp puff pastry.  The only savoury which was questionable in my opinion was the curried egg salad cornet.  I don't mind cornets for savouries, but this one was distinctly sweet in flavour, which I thought was a peculiar combination when paired with the curry taste.  Furthermore, it was soggy from the moist interior, and would have benefited greatly from some extra fresh greens to keep the cone crisp. For the sweets, the cheesecake had a good balance of flavours with a fun lemony centre surprise.  Overall, I found the sweets not overly sweet, and light and pleasing in texture.  The kiwi pear jam was a refreshing change from the regular strawberry jam which accompanies most scones and my taste buds were tantalized.  I think it's a great effort for a new company, breaking into this rather saturated market of afternoon tea places, but I would hesitate to return due to the price versus the quantity of food on offer.

Rillystar says:

Taste: 3.25/5
Presentation: 4/5
Service: 3.25/5
Price: 2.5/5
Decor/Ambiance: 4/5
Location/Transitability: 4/5
Loli-Loli Rabu Factor: 4.5/5

Overall Score: 3.64/5

Comments: I think Fur Elise is still going through some learning curves here. I will probably head back again to see if the menu items and selection have improved though at present it seems that they need to fine tune things to present a completely enjoyable and tasty experience. While the ambiance and service is great for lolita gatherings, the food is definitely not up to the refined caliber of say Urban Tea Merchant, and the deserts could use some texture lessons from somewhere like Faubourg.

Our joint overall score for Patisserie Fur Elise = 3.63/5

Return of the Reviews - Afternoon Tea Reviews Part VI: The Shangri-La Hotel Xi Shi Lounge

Original post 2/28/13

The Shangri-La hotel is situated in the heart of the Downtown core, conveniently located near the Burrard Skytrain Station. Considering the hotels in the area it is one of the more recently built hotels and carries a sort of simple elegance and clean look throughout (even the bathrooms were quite amazing and chic).

Kurasune and I had been on the quest of finding the perfect location for my birthday last year and the Shangri-La was one of a few stops we made along the way. We knew they had an Afternoon Tea Service to offer and decided to share one after speaking with the very accommodating manager there.

Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/vancouver/shangrila/dining/bars-lounges/xi-shi-lounge/

The Afternoon Service was served in the restaurant area near the back of the hotel, which also serves regular meals most of the time but allows for Afternoon Tea Service  between 11:30am and 5pm, 7 days a week (or if you are planning an event like we were, accommodations can be made and planned for). We did happen to go on a weekday so it was fairly empty and there was no worry of not being able to be seated.

Afternoon Tea Service is $34 a person here, which includes your choice of tea (unless you choose to add the Afternoon Tea Cocktail or choose their proprietary blend tea which will cost a little more). If you're looking for a tea list a mile long like you see at The Urban Tea Merchant, or the Secret Garden, you won't find it here. Most eateries offering Afternoon Tea Service, I find, choose instead to offer a small selection (between 6 and 10 teas of various kinds, sometimes with a changing seasonal tea) especially in cases where the sale of teas isn't a prime focus of sales. So all in all this was expected, though for my birthday plans, they did offer for a small cost to make a special blend tea just for the event which I found to be a very nice touch.

Kurasune and I ended up sharing one set (as we'd been eating here and there at other tea houses), and when it came it was on the usual three tiered stand. The plateware was quite lovely, and the stand sported a metal dome to cover the top most layer (the sweets). I'm not entirely sure it was necessary, and if trying to converse, the dome can get in the way of your line of sight if it's not set in the right place on the table. However the manager (who served us himself with the help of his staff there) had everything under control and was very attentive. Unfortunately, there was no live music at the time (they have a baby grand piano in the corner across from the bar as they do often have a live pianist playing) though the view onto the street was quite nice.

All in all, the selection of items was fairly standard, though sufficiently well prepared (unlike our experience at the Hotel Vancouver >.< blargh!)

 As is typical with hotel Afternoon Tea Service, I found the smoked salmon overly salty (I'm quite particularly sensitive to salt) but it was on par with other places like Sutton Place and the Wedgewood Hotel. The macaron was likewise passable, but not overly flavoured or perfumed - I'm not certain if they were made in advance and the flavoured filling only piped that day, but either way it resembled a basic macaron with a -slight- flavouring of citrus. The remainder of the service was also all right, but nothing to write home about.

Comparatively, there wasn't a lot of creativity to this service, and the execution while good, lacked punch in the presentation (aside from the desert/top tier). It almost felt like the plateware was the main focus rather than the food.

While I was impressed by the manager there, and his willingness to work with us, and his delight in seeing us all lolied up, the food itself and the price point were the main things holding me back from selecting this for my birthday party last year.


Rillystar says:

Taste: 3/5 
Presentation: 2.5/5 
Service: 4/5
Price: 2.5/5
Decor/Ambiance: 4 /5 (my god the bathrooms even had chandeliers...I wish we took photos)
Location/Transitability: 4.5/5
Loli-Loli Rabu Factor: 4/5

Overall Score: 3.5/5

Comments: Being one of the more pricey Tea Services, I think I'd rather go to Sutton Place or the Wedgewood hotel for hotel Tea Service. While the tea selection were interesting, I didn't find the flavours so discerning as to compare with the wordy descriptions given to the teas in the menu. For value, flavour and creativity (as well as huge tea selection), the Urban Tea Merchant is only a block away and I'm much more likely to head there. One thing though, the Xi Shi lounge manager really impressed me. If the food had been a little better than average, I'd definitely want to have an event there as he really has a great handle on customer service.

Kurasune says:

Taste: 2.5/5
Presentation: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 3/5
Decor/Ambiance:  3/5
Location/Transitability: 4/5
Loli-Loli Rabu Factor: 4/5

Overall Score: 3.36/5

Comments:  To be perfectly honest, there's not very much that I can remember about Shangri-La's Xi Shi Lounge.  For all it was touted to be a super exclusive hotel, with ultra-lux amenities, etc., I did not find it any more different or dazzling than any number of other high end hotels in the neighbourhood.  The High Tea was decent, but not phenomenal.  I did think that the flavours were rather strong and one-dimensional, and brought to mind that the audience they catered for at the lounge were those who came rather more for the drinks and the socializing, than to savour any unique piquant spice the chef  had added to his foi gras, or citrus medley to his lemon mousse.   I would not return here again for high tea, but I would if I were in a slinky dress and some tall, dark and handsome wanted to buy me a cocktail. ^_~

Our joint overall score for Shangri-La Hotel's Xi Shi Lounge = 3.43/5

Afternoon Tea Reviews Part III: Little White House & Co.

Originally posted 11/2/12 written by kurasune

Fort Langley is a lovely historical village about an hour (depending on the traffic plaguing the highway) outside of Vancouver and a great place to wander around on a sunny Summer afternoon.  There's an antique mall where Rilly and I found some awesome vintage finds, a couple of sweet shops, cafes, a soda shop and a smattering of interior design and clothing places.  The first time I went there, it was to participate in a 60km bike ride (yes, I do do more than laze around in frills all day) and the second time there was another bike ride/marathon type event on, so this place is also great for the whole family with beautiful biking and walking trails all through the area.

I had heard of a quaint hideaway offering high tea services, so with a little google-fu, I managed to locate the Little White House & Co.  They are a retail store housed in an old...house, and their little cafe is on the ground floor towards the back of the house.

They also have a "secret garden" with roses and the like, but when we went it was closed off.  They do cater to small weddings and group gatherings held in the garden.  Reservations are recommended because of their small capacity and when we arrived, we saw that most of the other tables in the back where we were seated also had 'reserve' signs on them.

They offer an afternoon tea service as well as an a la carte menu.  We decided to sample a bit from each.  Because the location is out of Vancouver and its immediate surrounds, the tea service is much cheaper.  Options are:  $14/per person for an Afternoon Tea for Two, or $12 for a Noon Tea Sampler for one.  Pots of tea come separately at $1.50 per pot, but even after that cost (which is normally included in an Afternoon Tea service elsewhere) it’s still an amazingly economical price.

We ordered one Noon Tea Sampler ($12), one Tomato & Spinach Crepe ($11), and two pots of tea ($3 total).  The whole bill after tax came to just over $32.00, which is normally what it costs for ONE Afternoon tea service in Vancouver!  Guess it IS much cheaper to live out in the ‘burbs.

The Noon Tea Sampler was simply prepared, not overly fussy or with any particularly elegant flourishes.  Things were placed a bit carelessly—the top of the mini cupcake icing got squished against the handle of the tiered tray—and the macarons were nothing to write home about, but everything was fresh, if a tiny bit bland.  I would say that though the White House does offer Afternoon Tea as a specialty of theirs, it’s definitely not their strongest suit.

Afternoon Tea Sampler Menu:
Sausage roll
Mini quiche
Egg salad croissant
Cucumber and cherry tomato with cream cheese
Currant scone
Macaron
Shortbread cookies
Mini cupcake
Strawberry

The tea was likewise just generic bag tea, but it was served in the most adorable elephant tea pots!  However, one thing I didn’t like was how, if we got Afternoon Tea, the dishes they brought us were a combo tea saucer/tray/plate deal.  I found it difficult to eat as I felt the teacup was always crowding my food, making it difficult to cut anything without being in fear of upsetting the cup all over the table.  I can see the point of them when table space is limited, bu it’s just like those wine glass holder/canapé tray contraptions for ‘standing room only’ cocktail parties which seem like a good idea, but really aren’t.

The Tomato & Spinach Crepe was much better and actually wowed us with how tasty everything was on the plate.  Not just the crepe itself, but the accompanying salad and the home fried potatoes too!  They very nicely split it into two plates for us at no charge as well.  It was wonderfully filling and helped warm us up in the rather cold room (presumably ‘cus old houses are hard to keep draft free), and I would definitely skip the Afternoon Tea and go straight for the a la carte menu if we ever return to that locale.

After tea, we wandered all about the house, which was two floors filled with all kinds of fun knick-knacks for the house.  There was a super cute mini toy antique stove and I was tempted by some old-fashioned chemise and petticoat sets in particular.

Rillystar says:

Taste: 2/5 (tea sampler)  4/5 (a la carte)
Presentation: 2/5 (tea sampler)  4/5 (a la carte)
Service: 2.5/5
Price: 5/5
Decor/Ambiance: 4.5 /5
Location/Transitability: 1/5
Loli-Loli Rabu Factor: 3/5

Overall Score: 3/5

Comments: The Afternoon Tea while well priced is something I would definitely skip. The 'Devonshire Cream' was supremely overwhipped and overly sweetened (I think they added sugar) overall the tea plating was very sweet heavy (scone, and sweets especially) and more than I could handle if I had to eat it alone. The a la carte menu was much more pleasant. The service wasn't great. The server often forgot about us and didn't really seem to know what was going on. I most likely wouldn't make a special trip out to the White House unless planning a special event for the ambiance and setting my own menu (definitely not the Afternoon Tea).

Kurasune says:

Taste: 2/5 (tea sampler)  4.5/5 (a la carte)
Presentation: 2/5 (tea sampler)  4/5 (a la carte)
Service: 2.5/5
Price: 5/5
Decor/Ambiance: 4.5 /5
Location/Transitability: 1/5
Loli-Loli Rabu Factor: 3/5

Overall Score: 3.2/5

Comments:  I would say that this is a pretty average place.  It’s cute and quaint, but come here for the ambience and to explore beautiful Fort Langley on a sunny day, not for the Afternoon Tea.  The service was not downright bad, but it was a bit inattentive and disorganized.  It is a nice place for a private party, but only if everyone has their own transportation or car-pools.  A nice ‘day-trip’ place if one is doing a stay-cation.