High tea, what a romantic notion~
There is something so magical about having high tea with your girlfriends, in such a wonderfully charming setting.
An escape to something wholesome and sweet, where you have the time to slow down and enjoy a pot of warm tea with a side of tasty small bites. A visual experience as much as one for sustenance.
There are a handful of places that serve high tea, however most are modern and stiff. And if you are looking for something more traditional: Victorian era with floral wallpaper, a collection of teaspoons, and where the owners are named Crystal and Pink. Come to Adonia for that fairy tale.
Today I was visiting for the first time in their 20 years of opening. An occasion they were celebrating with a contest that allows one winner to win Afternoon Tea for two, for an entire year, which is valued at $500. This a taste and experience of each season’s afternoon teas: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter spread across 12 months.
In order to enter, you only need to follow the instructions listed on their Instagram page at @adoniateahouse. And for 10 bonus entries, dine in with them within the month of October. This contest will be running for the duration of the month, with the randomly drawn winner being announced as of November 11th, 2023.
As for the Autumn afternoon tea service at hand, everything is set, with options to adjust should a guest have specific dietary restrictions. In this case, the two of us sharing the tea tray and side plate, had no allergies and enjoyed the set as originally intended.
Your experience begins with the choosing of your tea, brewed in your own pot to self serve. Although the staff are around to top things off with hot water. But the pot to have are their glass ones, where a lit tea light keeps the brew warm and toasty.
Today, we would enjoy their top 4 flavours including a fruit tea and the creamy earl grey. I would partake more in the latter with milk and sugar for the full tea time experience.
You can enjoy the tea service in any order, but I like going tier to tier, bottom to top, from lightest to the most rich. On top on the miniature sizes, the variety makes high tea unique. Here are quick notes on each bite sized bite.
I have yet to see a classic high tea service without the tried and true cucumber & cream cheese sandwich. And I always start my eating with it. This one was refreshing and creamy, with the perfect ratio of cream to bread, if not generous. I especially appreciated how they took care to slant all the cucumber slices stylishly within the halves of fluffy light bread.
The Traditional egg salad sandwich had a similar thick and chunky-creamy texture. Though the egg made it a lot more dense and filling. This too was creamy fresh and not heavy. The only thing I could have used was some pepper to taste, for a little more depth.
The Fresh pesto & turkey breast sandwich was between the same slices of airy white bread. Here the Turkey was tender and moist, but not the headliner of the dish. Instead, the pesto is what really makes this, while not overpowering it.
Leaving the first tier and moving to the next, I had the Organic beet & orange salad to start as an in between palate refresher. And as intended, it did well to rejuvenate the appetite with sweet orange and juicy beets.
Everything is made in house and so much more impressive with these baby croissants stuffed with smoked salmon and cream cheese, alongside some leafy greens. Not a flaky and chewy croissant, but a crispy and more denser one, which served as a great contrast the smooth salmon.
Sun-dried tomato & brie baguette. Sadly by the time I got to this the cheese was no longer melty and the bread base crusty and dry. This was also an oily bite, where I wanted more cheese and tomato topping over the tougher baguette slice.
The Maple glazed sweet potato & pumpkin cone was eye catching. A twist of croissant stuffed with a creamy, yet starchy yam and pumpkin blend that was more sweet than savoury.
For sweets it was more forgiving, pre-made delicate morsels. The Cinnamon apple madeleine didn’t have too much cinnamon and I would have liked actual apple chunks embedded within its dryer dough.
The Caramel pecan & walnut tartlet was lovely as a whole bite. Sweet silky caramel over crunchy nuts, and a buttery crumble crust.
The Strawberry dark chocolate mousse cake was a vision. Perfectly airbrushed in a gradient red to yellow. Rich chocolate, tart strawberry, and a crispy cocoa base.
The Matcha panna cotta is for matcha lovers, there is no hiding the slightly bitter fragrance of the powder in this creamy spoonful.
For scones there was a sweet and savoury option. The former was pumpkin, soft and easily to slice into. The side of clotted cream and jam helpful in adding some moisture and sweetness to the otherwise dry baking spiced bite.
I preferred the cheese and chives that was fragrant with plenty of herbs. You didn’t need a spread with this one, but I still smeared on some cream for its texture.
In closing, this was a wonderful afternoon spent enjoying the company of women in such a feminine space. I highly recommend this for your next girl date or catch up session with the bestie. And you can even win it for free, by entering their contest.
Adonia Tea House
2057 W 41st Ave, Vancouver, BC V6M 1Y7
(604) 261-0049
adoniatea.com
