Chantilly Tea Room, Tucson Arizona

Yes blog readers, I am bringing you a review in the "beyond" category. I was in Arizona for a few weeks and ended my trip in Tucson. I found this tea room online and dragged my four female  travelling companions there. They were up to the task and dressed the part. Here is a review of our experience.

Atmosphere

As you can see, from the outside the building was all Arizona with earthy colours and curved adobe construction. Right beside the building there were lizards and cacti. The inside however was an overwhelmingly and stereotypically English grandmother with roses and lace everywhere. There was piano music playing in the background and even the servers had some kind of lace as part of their outfits. The place was pretty big with multiple rooms. It was obviously a popular destination for lunch as well as tea. The crowd was mostly over 50.

Tea and Food Selection

We were very pleased with both the tea and food. The tea menu was extensive - featuring about 40 teas ranging from black to green to white to herbal etc. We were allowed to choose two different flavours between the five of us and chose Cream Earl Grey (always a favourite) and a flavoured blend (with a name I can't remember), that was chai-like and delicious. 

The food was fantastic and a nice blend of traditional and modern, with a southern twist. I had never seen an "empanada" (basically corn bread) on a tea tray before - there were bits of bacon in it and it was served warm. Divine! Also popular with our group was the walnut spread sandwich.

The scones were yummy and also served warm (to my delight). Although I prefer them plain, I did enjoy the chocolate cinnamon scone along with my larger plain one. Another Southern touch was the addition of a delicious home made lemon curd and a devonshire cream with Grand Mariner served along with classic strawberry jam and plain cream. 

The desserts wer also great - home made chocolate cake and a Skor square that had a shortbread base with layers of caramel and chocolate. AMAZING.

Presentation

The only thing to be done with the overwhelming rose and lace thing was to embrace it fully! It definitely had it's own charm. I love that our first activity after choosing tea was to go to the other room and choose our cups and saucers. 

The presentation was full of lovely details like a name sign welcoming us to the table, fresh roses, and lovely silverware. The sugar bowls and milk jugs were all unique vintage pieces like the cups.

Service

The staff were friendly and delighted with our tea outfits. Kristen our server was attentive and professional. She offered us more hot water when required and was happy to bring us more lemon curd.

Value

As with many things south of the border, this tea was a bit cheaper that what you would pay in Vancouver. With tax all in, it was $22.22 each and we were stuffed and needed to take some to go for later. To quote my friend Morgan "I have been taken out by tea and crumpets". For the quality of food and service, I would say this was a good deal.

Overall Experience

What can I say but lovely? We had a really great time and had absolutely no complaints about the experience. It's also really fun to take tea newbies out, particularly a group of girls. They enjoyed themselves immensely, although it did nothing to shatter the notion of afternoon tea being for grandmas.

I should also mention the gift shop, which featured many teas for sale. It also featured a wide selection of tea accessories including antique silver strainers, spoons and sugar bowls. The tea pot selection included a William and Kate wedding celebration pot.

The gift shop ceiling decor

Thanks to Jenny, Morgan, Aviva and Manda for being good sports and getting into the spirit by all wearing dresses and hats, despite the hangovers.

Just the Facts

Chantilly Tea Room

5185 N. Genematas Drive

Tucson Arizona

(520) 622-3303

www.chantillytearoom.com

Afternoon Tea Served Tues.-Sat. 11-3pm (Reservations Required by Phone)


Visited Tuesday May 22nd, 2012

Sarah's Personal Tea History

 Lifer

Honestly, I don't remember a time when I didn’t drink tea. I’m sure my parents held off on feeding their small child caffeine until a reasonable age, but as a child of British immigrant parents, every event of the day was marked by ‘putting the kettle on’.  My Scottish mother called our evening meal ‘tea’ as she had grown up having the biggest meal of the day at lunchtime. Homemade scones and other tea-associated foods have always been a part of my life, particularly in my visits to the UK to stay with my various grandparents and older relatives.

Remember the figurines? A truly Canadian tea!

In my house growing up, Red Rose teabags were our standard tea. My mother once told me that she switched to bags after getting sick of all the loose tea that collected in the sink that my father left in there when he emptied the pot. I do remember my (English) father explaining how to make a proper pot – when the (electric) kettle boiled, the pot should be rinsed with a splash of the boiling water to warm it up, the teabag or loose leaf should be placed inside, and the water poured over the tea. Also – the pot should never be washed with soap as the tea patina over the years added to the taste. My mother takes only milk, and my father takes only honey. As a child, I took both, then experimented with just honey and have now settled on a ridiculously small (teaspoonful) of milk per cup. When I was about 18, I began a brief affair with coffee as a result of working at a coffee shop part time. This affair ended in my second year of university when I had a cup at 9pm and found I couldn’t sleep until 3am. Since then, I have never touched the stuff and am devoted exclusively to tea.

I do remember my first taste of Lapsang Souchong at my friend Christian’s house about 15 or so years ago. His British parents made pots of loose leaf that was a mixture of English Breakfast and Lapsang, Irish being substituted for English on rainy days. I was thereafter hooked on the stuff. I like my tea strong and start the day with a Tetley bag mixed with some Lapsang leaf (as I am a student and need to be thrifty!). I prefer Earl Grey for my afternoon tea, but find it too fragrant in the morning.

A nice old Lapsang box. Some will say this represents the taste quite well.

Discovering the Ritual

My first fancy Afternoon aka ‘High’ Tea was quite an experience. My fabulous Aunty Nancy to my sister and I to the Ritz Hotel in London when I was 14. We were told to dress as nicely as possible and then were surprised with possibly the most decadent experience in my life up to that point. In the last few years, I have rediscovered my love for the decadent ritual of tea. Robyn, my blog co-author and I have helped encourage this in each other – I hosted Robyn’s baby shower and held one of my birthday parties both over afternoon tea at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver. When I visited the UK four years ago, needless to say high tea was on the agenda and I found a lovely spot in York for an afternoon rest. Now I look for excuses (like writing a blog!) for having a fancy afternoon tea.

The Palm Court at the London Ritz

The Ritz Ritual

Of course, my own daily, personal tea consumption has developed as I have discovered good loose leaf retailers around town and found some great pots and retro cups.  I pick mine up primarily at thrift stores and yard sales, looking out for deals on 1950s modern pieces. My tastes are a little more eclectic than Robyn’s when it comes to tea sets but we can agree on the love of the ritual and will continue to enjoy it together and separately and will bring you on the journey!

My cow creamer

I love this stuff!

Fairmont Pacific Rim

Atmosphere

I would like to describe this Afternoon Tea experience as a "Mad Men Tea".  With it's mid-century modern vibe including low slung olive green club chairs, orange-red carpet, low cocktail tables and Brazilian lounge music, it does not take much of an imagination to feel like you are Joan shimmying into the hotel lounge to meet Roger for an afternoon delight.  In fact, coming here (combined with my nightly ritual of watching Mad Men on my iPhone while putting my girls to bed), has inspired me to purchase a very fitted leopard print dress and ask my husband to meet me at the hotel one afternoon to do our best Joan and Roger imitation.  Clearly I was not the only person thinking this as I'm sure the very well endowed woman I saw on my way in was certainly of the "by the hour" variety.  The place was full of business people in suits drinking scotch and who knows what else and I found myself craving a Happy Hour cocktail, rather than the Afternoon Tea I had signed up for.  Alas, this was not to be.  I came to enjoy a tea ritual with my friend Sheryl and we happily enjoyed our time travel back to the sixties.

Tea and Food Selection

Twelve kinds of tea were presented to us to choose from a wooden chest.  They were pretty standard variety (one white, some green, one scented green, one oolong and an English Breakfast, Flowery Earl Grey and another flavoured black tea called Eros). We both chose Eros (the Greek God of Love is a good tea choice, yes?).  The Afternoon tea theme at the Pacific Rim was Westcoast Asian Fusion.  We should have thought about this before making our tea choice.

The service started with warm scones with seasonal fruit preserves, devonshire cream and fresh strawberries.  All were of excellent quality and flavour, but being the purist I am, I prefer my savory sandwiches first, followed by my scones.  

Next we were brought our tray of savory sandwiches and sushi (bottom tier) and pastries/cakes (top tier).  The tea sandwiches served sushi style (cold) were miso tofu (sweet miso paste tofu on a bed of rice), tuna tataki (pineapple, lightly seared tuna on a bed of rice), and crab + cucumber (crab mayo mix topped with tobiko on top of cucumber wrapped rice).  This sushi was good if you were drinking green tea, however as I chose black tea, the cold sushi and hot milky tea did not fit well at all.  Also, it didn't seem right eating sweet and creamy scones and fresh berries and then eating sushi! 


On the bright side, their classic sandwiches were delightful and went very well with my tea selection.  They included a farm raised truffled egg salad with pickled cucumber and pea tendrils, a chilled tiger prawn and avocado-citrus with crème cheese on rye, and tandoor roasted chicken with laccha mango salad and mint chutney butter.  My favourites were the egg salad and tiger prawn sandwiches.

Finally, we finished with the pastries.  Our selections included financiers (a light, moist teacake topped with sliced almonds and powdered sugar), blueberry macarons, lemon fruit tarts, matcha layer cakes with lychee, and chocolate ganache jewels.  All of the pastries/cakes were fine except the blueberry macaron which tasted a bit jammy inside (was it blueberry compote? wasn't quite right, mind you - after going to Soirette, we are macaron snobs now!).  But what REALLY stood out for me was the matcha cake layered with lychee (see green triangular cake below).  To me this was an excellent fusion of east and west.  The flavours worked so well together (if you like these two flavours individually, which I do), and it was different enough from regular tea offerings and, therefore, a nice surprise!


I can't say I thought this menu and order of presentation worked well for me though.  Rather, it felt very multiple personality with all the conflicting temperatures and flavours (for example:cold sushi, warm milky tea).  I would like to suggest two possible ways to make this menu work better: 


Option One:  Change the order of the menu and provide a tea to pair with each course.  I would begin with the sushi (paired with a white or green tea), and then follow with the classic sandwiches (paired with a black or oolong without milk), and then follow with the scones, cream and berries (paired with a black tea and with milk and sugar if desired), and finish with the pastries (staying with the same black tea as with the scones).   


Option Two:  Change the order of the menu (as listed above: sandwiches, scones then pastries) and provide the Asian influence in a less literal sense.  For example, instead of offering tuna tataki sushi on cold rice, make a tuna tataki sandwich on a suitable bread with a pineapple or wasabi mayo and maybe some watercress or pea shoots.  This way, the jarring cold temperature and the heat of the tea would not clash so and the sandwich would pair nicely with a black tea, rather than needing to offer multiple tea pairings throughout the tea service.

Presentation 

The tea itself was served in two beautiful cast iron Japanese tea pots (called Tetsubin); one red and one blue.  It kept our tea nice and hot, but on the down side, the leaves were left in so we ended up with oversteeped, bitter tea.  Not good.  The cups were a pure white with very modern lines and nice to the touch, and the two-tiered tray and the square plates were beautifully made from frosted glass with black drawing-like depictions of flowers.

Service

Overall, the service was fine.  She was attentive in that our milk was warmed (nice touch) and our hot water was refilled (even though the leaves were never removed, see my gripe above about bitter tea), but we did not feel a connection with our server which is unfortunate because it certainly is one of the great parts about going for tea!

Value

The total cost for two people was $78.40 plus a gratuity.  I can't say I would pay this much to go here for Afternoon Tea again (cocktails and sushi and night - yes).  The only thing that would have me returning here for Tea would be a change in the order of the menu and the menu itself (see suggestions above under "Tea and Food Selection"), or a super deal (2 for 1 maybe), especially since I know I can go to any other Fairmont hotel in the city and have a perfect Afternoon Tea for the same price.  

Overall Experience

Overall, even though I really did enjoy the atmosphere of the hotel lobby and the neat mid-century vibe, I did not find the menu to be conducive to coming here again.  I would recommend coming here for cocktails at night though for a little Man Men Happy Hour action!

Just the Facts

Fairmont Pacific Rim
1038 Canada Place
Vancouver, B.C.  V6C 0B9
604.695.5300
www.fairmont.com/pacificrim 

Date visited: April 4, 2012 

Robyn at the Mad Men Tea - Where was my leopard print dress?

Soirette Macarons & Tea

Atmosphere

My first impressions of this cute little gem in the downtown core was that it was the perfect  antidote to a rainy Vancouver afternoon (i.e. grey and dull) and the surrounding sea of office towers (i.e. grey and dull).  Rather, with its modern French-inspired vibe it is fresh, clean, uplifting and in a word: "pretty".  The colour palette is comprised of whites (leather banquette seating, glossy cabinetry, marble counters and glossy framed mirrors), blues (soft blue walls and damask printed glass counterfront), silver (tea tins, and table bases), and transparent (lucite chairs, raindrop-like chandeliers, undercounter rope lighting and glass counterfront) and with these colours and the abundant use of sheen, the room feels almost ethereal, perhaps even above the rainclouds high in the sky... (ok, it made me feel this way).  Indeed, a perfect getaway from the grey of every day!


  

Tea and Food Selection

This tea house offers tea and an assortment of macarons which are freshly made on site by the proprietor, Shodna.  Oh, and can you tell they are fresh!  I will admit that I did not even like macarons up to this point in life (even in Paris - I must have gone to the wrong places for macarons), but these were absolutely spectacular!  Perfectly crispy on the outside and just the right chewiness on the inside. I chose the Fleur de Sel, the Cappuccino and the Pistachio.  I have to say that the lavendar I sampled when I first came in and the pistachio were my hands-down favourites, but I look forward to trying them all in future!  

The tea was absolutely lovely as well and there are many options to choose from, whether you fancy white, green, black or oolong (I can't remember whether they had any herbal or rooibos options as these are not usually on my radar).  I had the White Champagne for a change (I'm usually a black tea girl) and was very pleased with my selection.

 

 

 

Presentation

As with the atmosphere, everything was beautifully presented with white and modern tableware, and no tablecloths (wouldn't want to cover up the beautiful marble tables!).  I ordered a small pot of tea which was just the right size.

Service

Upon entering Soirette, I was offered to sample their tea of the day (a black tea called "Empress") and a small macaron sample (lavender).  They were both excellent. I liked having the opportunity to sample before making a decision and even though I chose a different tea and macarons, I would certainly order both of these in the future.

 

Value

I found this establishment to be very reasonably priced.  Each macaron is $2.00 and a small pot of tea is $3.25.  They also have different sizes and pricing for "to go" tea.

 

 

 

Overall Experience

Overall, I would highly recommend Soirette to anyone at anytime.  It was pretty enough that going with a girlfriend or two or female relative would be lovely, but not too pretty that I would not take a man with me.  I was a little concerned about the location when I arrived as the room was empty.  I thought that perhaps its proximity to office towers may not be appropriate, but very quickly the room was full, so clearly this is something that office workers are looking for as a foil to their grey world (or maybe they just like tea and macarons and there is no drama to it).  I sincerely hope that Soirette is successful and that people all over Vancouver and from afar come to enjoy its pleasures.  I know I will return time and time again!

 

Just the Facts

Soirette Macarons & Tea
1433 West Pender Street
Vancouver, B.C. V6G 2S3
604.558.3308
hello@soirette.com
www.soirette.com 

Visited: Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Robyn's Personal Tea History

A Neophyte

I will admit that I was a late bloomer when it came to tea appreciation as I was not raised in a home where tea was a regular occurrence (more of a coffee family - from my German side - where coffee and kuchen (cake) was the norm).  And it wasn't until I was 29 years young that I really fell in love with the whole tea ritual.

The Rose, Oxford, England

In the summer of 2002, my husband and I (then boyfriend) went to England and France.  Of course, I knew that "tea" was synonymous with ENGLAND and therefore was determined to experience a real afternoon tea while I was there (along with fish and chips wrapped up in newspaper - we did not do so well with this goal).  For some unknown reason we did not go for tea in London, but when we were in Oxford on a perfectly picturesque sunny day where we were surrounded with a cricket match, punting on the Thames and yes, tea, we went for my first real afternoon tea at a place on the High Street called The Rose.  It was so very delightful.  Everything was amazing!  Perfectly prepared tea, freshly baked scones, creamy and decadent devonshire cream and sticky strawberry preserves awakened my senses and captivated me.  Like one reviewer said about their scones: "It's like a tiny piece of heaven slathered with strawberry goodness." I knew that I was hooked for life.  It was so very English, and so proper (but not stuffy), and so in-the-moment.  For me it became a moment where time froze and I could just enjoy the pleasure of my senses.  What I also realized later was that the ritual of afternoon tea also connected me to the past.  The British have been doing tea for the last three hundred plus years (see the link below for a brief history of tea in Britain)! And doing it very well indeed.

http://www.panix.com/~kendra/tea/afternoon_tea.html

These are my three favourite teacups!

Honing the Craft

Needless to say, when I returned to Canada I started incorporating tea drinking and afternoon tea into my life.  I was fortunate enough to be given some beautiful antique tea cups from my maternal grandmother and my mother as well as some gorgeous tea pots, coffee carafes, silver flatware (including small "tea" spoons), sugar and creamers and a lovely silver tray.  For my first time hosting a tea party I made four types of tea and paired each tea with a complementary finger sandwich and even made my own scones (this was quite a feat for me as cooking is not one of my fortes.)  It was so much fun and I quickly learned that I was not alone in my love of afternoon tea.  In fact, just a few months prior to this event I met Sarah (my co-blogger) and tea was certainly one of the reasons we became fast friends (including our mutual love of literature, academia and organization).  People of all ages love afternoon tea!

Since then I have hosted many-a-tea party and made a point of frequenting afternoon tea destinations everywhere I go.

Places I've Been

Here are some of the places I've been thus far for afternoon tea (and smaller venues that only offer Cream Teas or just tea with a dessert item):

Vancouver

Bacchus at The Wedgewood Hotel http://www.wedgewoodhotel.com/index.php  

~amazing ambiance, perfect cosy spot for a winter afternoon tea

Fleuri at The Sutton Place Hotel http://www.vancouver.suttonplace.com/default.htm

~you can have a private room for larger parties

The Secret Tea Garden http://www.secretgardentea.com/  

~A little foray into grandma's house

Fairmont Hotel at YVR http://www.fairmont.com/vancouverairport 

~Amazing service and impeccable food, there is even a Junior Tea for children!

The Urban Tea Merchant  http://www.urbantea.com/
~I have been to both locations (Park Royal which is closing very soon - April 2012, and downtown) and will miss the Park Royal location very much!!!  They do have a wonderful tea selection and the price of the tea is most indicative of the quality.

Soirette http://soirette.com/

~They make their own macarons and it is a lovely place to go for a nice tea and treat.

Apres-Midi Premium Teahouse http://www.apresmiditea.com/

~A lovely place to go when it is rainy and you would like a "rain dripping down the window" experience while taking your tea.

Simply French Cafe (no website but located at 3742 West 10th Avenue, 604.568.6180)

~Simply the BEST croissants that I have found outside of Paris made by a woman who trained to make them in Paris.  So crispy and buttery and perfect!
 

British Columbia and Alberta

The Empress Hotel, Victoria, B.C. http://www.fairmont.com/empress/

~Truly the Canadian mothership for afternoon tea.  Comes with a hefty price tag but well worth the experience!

Murchie's Tea and Coffee, Victoria, B.C. http://www.murchies.com/store/

~Not my favourite.  Kind of like the McDonalds of tea.  This goes for the ones in Vancouver as well.  This is very sad as Murchie's had a very good reputation at one time.

The Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, Alberta www.fairmont.com/banffsprings/

~You can not beat the scenery here both inside and out.  Outstanding quality like the other Fairmont Hotels.

 

Europe

 

Laduree, Paris, France http://www.laduree.fr/

~I have been to every location in Paris (there are five) and my hands-down favourite is on Rue Bonaparte.  Even visiting their website is an amazing experience! 

My First Trip to Paris in 2002 - I was entranced by macarons!

Laduree, Rue Bonaparte, Paris

Laduree, Rue Royale, Paris

 

 

Laduree, Rue Bonaparte, Paris

Laduree, Rue Bonaparte, Paris

**A special note about Paris (ok, there are MANY special notes about Paris, but this one is concerning tea).  While in Paris in 2006 (on my own pilgrimage and as a special gift from my husband), I happened up the most beautiful little elephant tea pots and tea creamer as well as some fabulous sugar clamps that resemble a heron.  This was my second elephant tea pot as the first came as a Valentine's gift from my husband. It has its trunk up, which is very lucky.  You'll understand this insight if you watch the classic Aussie movie, The Castle.  Great for a good laugh!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Castle_%28film%29

My super lucky elephant tea pots - both trunks are up!  

 

The Willow Tea Rooms, Glasgow, Scotland http://www.willowtearooms.co.uk/

Named after the font designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1904 and a Glaswegian as well.

Looking Forward

My goal is to continue experiencing the pleasures of tea many places around the world and hope that all you tea lovers will be inspired to do the same!  Please go onto our Facebook page and share your experiences and ideas with us!

All the best,

Robyn

And we are also on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Raincity-Tea/327594553968078

We are now on Twitter!

Follow our crazy tea loving adventures on Twitter! @RaincityTea

Fairmont Vancouver Airport

Atmosphere

The dining area was part of the hotel restaurant and as a result airy, but a bit impersonal and a bit bland. We sat beside the fire on a cloudy day, so that made things cozier. Also on the not-so-great side was the generic muzak and fake plants, but really it wasn’t too bad overall.

However, it was all made up to us by the appearance of a rainbow during our visit – a nice touch! 

Tea and Food Selection

The tea selection was just right, not too many crazy flavors but enough selection to keep it interesting.  We chose the two specialty flavors – their signature “Jet Setter” blend of black tea and the maple tea – a flavored black tea.  Robyn preferred the maple and I really liked the Jet Setter as it was strong and bold, just how I like it.  

Tea timer - nice touch

The water stayed nice and hot in the tea pot and our server refreshed the water.  The Bodum-style tea pot definitely has the drawback of over-steeping the tea as the leaves sit – this is really the only criticism of the tea service and a minor one.

Tea selection - lovely presentation!

The food was delicious!! They started us out with an strawberry cup with mint and blackberry – a lovely little pallet cleanser. 

Refreshing!

The finger sandwiches came in the classic flavors – smoked salmon with cream cheese, curried chicken on mini baguette, egg salad on croissant – with one exception being the apple, cheddar and basil sandwich, which was surprising and delicious. Everything was fresh, perfectly prepared and of excellent quality.

Cheese, apple and basil

Generally, I prefer plain scones, but didn’t mind the currant ones provided. Of course, Devonshire cream and strawberry jam complimented them perfectly.  Then to the top tier – petit fours (including cheesecake and chocolate eclairs). Delicious, fulfilling and decadent!

Presentation

The general presentation classy and appropriate for afternoon tea. We appreciated the little details like the monogrammed cutlery, pretty china and cloth napkins.

Service

Our server Dennis provided sublime service. He was very attentive, without being annoying and was very sweet and generous.  A lovely touch was his suggestion to bring us two tea cups each so that we could try each other’s tea. He really added to our experience.

Full disclosure – Dennis saw us taking notes for the blog, and gave us some bonus items – chocolate covered strawberries and even two glasses of champagne! This may have been our first taste of payola – we were truly treated like royalty. However, I do think the same quality of service will be provided to all – bloggers or not.

Value

We bought a 2 for 1 Groupon, so the value was great at $36 for two people.  Normally $36 each, plus $10 for cocktails/champagne.

Overall Experience

We would highly recommend the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Afternoon Tea experience! With the convenience of the Canada Line, it is even worth the short trip out specifically for tea. It would also be a lovely way to begin a trip or arrive home.  That said, the ambience was consistent with airport hotels. 

Just the Facts

Fairmont Vancouver Airport
Vancouver International Airport
3111 Grant McConachie Way
Vancouver, British Columbia  V7B 0A6
http://www.fairmont.com/vancouverairport

Hours of Tea Service:

Monday to Sunday 2:00 – 4:30pm

Reservations Recommended – call (604)248-3281

General information about the afternoon tea:

http://www.fairmont.com/vancouverairport/GuestServices/Restaurants/AfternoonTea.htm

Afternoon Tea Menu PDF: http://www.fairmont.com/NR/rdonlyres/07FF542B-1C8C-4EF0-BD33-E5B32E951CB3/0/FVA_Afternoon_Tea.pdf

Visited: Friday March 16, 2012 2:30 pm