Today I was Fairmont Hotel Vancouver for their latest afternoon tea service. This is one of their most popular themes that ushers in the start of spring. This is the highly anticipated Cherry Blossom Afternoon Tea, a seasonal celebration inspired by the delicate beauty of the city’s blooming cherry blossoms.
The seating includes a curated selection of Sakura teas, handcrafted cherry pastries and savoury treats with Japanese influences. All on a tiered tower, served in their hidden book shelf tea saloon, decorated with tuille blue skies and an explosion of tiny pink blooms. The magic is being able to take it all in surrounding you.
As always, the service also includes cocktail options that fit the theme.
First Blush is pretty in pink and speaks to the pale pinks of buds in bloom. Haku sakura infused vodka, gekkeikan japanese plum wine, soho lychee liqueur, lemon, and egg white. This is a very gentle cocktail with but a whisper of heat from the list of spirits. It drinks like a sweeter foamy tea and I found it a great pairing to the small bites.
The Purple Jam is a fair bit boozier, but just as majestic with Roku butterfly pea, orange & lavender infused gin, st. germain, lemon, and blackberry & lavender jam.
For steeped tea, I really wanted to embrace the cherry theme so ordered the Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose. This is a blend of premium green teas with sweet cherry flavour and subtle rose hints. You got the flavour of the tea on its own, it was great with milk and sugar, and it also complimented the small bites well.
Our tiered tea tray was set with three layers of matching pink ceramic plates, and the frame was intertwined with some faux cherry blossoms for whimsy. The etiquette is to start from the top tray and move your way down. However I find the scones heavy, although delicious. So if I were to finish these I would have no room for anything else. Not to mention, they are the easiest to pack up to go.
As always each guests gets two, the classic buttermilk and the seasonal Morello Cherry Scone. Both equally fluffy and bouncy. The cherry darkens, but barely flavours the baked good. I looked to the side of chantilly cream and strawberry jam to flavour.
The savoury level is always my favourite. Familiar small bites given a twist to match the theme.
Case in point, the Egg Salad with furikake, which was my favourite. The creamy softness of mashed egg and fluffy milk bread given a kick of umami spice, it left me wanting another one bite.
The Beef Menchi Katsu Sando with umo maso cabbage was a meat loaf, when I expected a crispy and breaded protein. I got my desired crunch from the toast. As for flavour I could have used more sauce and more cabbage to help cut into the one toned and dense beef patty.
I liked the mushroom keema Curry Puff. It was more earthly mushroom than sweet curry. I would have liked a heartier centre to have something to contrast the flakey crust.
Albacore Tuna Tataki with ponzu pearl seaweed salad. This could have used more zesty wasabi to spice it up. Compared to everything else it was a little bland and in need of soy to season.
I liked the Salted Cod Inari. All my notes above, I got here with sweet tofu skin contrasted by pickled shallot, ikura, and nori. This was sweet, juicy, and all around lovely.
For our sweet dessert layer there was a Sakura Matcha Mousse cake. A green tea genoise with ivory chocolate. Excellent with tea it was only mildly sweet whereas the bitterness of the tea sang, ending in chocolate for crunch.
The Black Seasame Shortbread is shaped like a crescent moon and half of it is dipped in a chocolate fleur de sel. I liked both halves. The fragrant sesame comes through and ate well with our tea, and chocolatey bit is great as more of a dessert.
For something much sweeter look to the Miso Caramel Tart with 70% couveture chocolate with its higher percentage of cocoa butter, finished with gold leaf. This was a savoury and salty tart on a buttery base, the centre solid and dense, so it ate more like a biscuit.
And the sweetest dessert bite is the Strawberry Macaron with yuzu gel. The colour matched the theme, but it would have been nice to have some floral notes to marry with the tea and dilute into some of the zesty citrus.
My favourite was the Rare Cheesecake. A thick and starchy cheese layer punctuated with cherry amarena and topped with a morello mirror. The tartness of these juicy cherries help to slice into the richness of the cake.
The Cherry Blossom Afternoon Tea will be available from February 28 to May 25, 2025, with seatings at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., served Wednesday through Sunday. Reservations are highly recommended, as availability is limited.
And for those looking for more cherry blossoms in their life, the annual cherry blossom festival is returning to Vancouver.
Notch 8
900 W Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2W6
(604) 662-1900
fairmont-hotel-vancouver.com
