:?: Please tell me the individual cost of afternoon tea at the Kind Edward. Do you have gift certificates available for this occasion? Thanks.
| 27 October 2008
 Le Royal Meridien King Edward |
Weekend afternoon meals tend to be very limited. Relaxing and enjoyable, but limited. Brunch can only take you so far into the wonderful land of culinary enjoyment. To spice things up we chose Afternoon Tea.
Afternoon tea involves having a light meal with tea any time between 1pm and 5pm. It’s a custom that originated in the UK but today most Britons only take afternoon tea on special or formal occasions. The King Edward hotel in Toronto follows this tradition and has Afternoon Tea seatings between 3pm and 5pm from Thursday to Sunday. As for it being a special occasion, it definitely has that feel to it. A friend and I decided to attend a session and reserved a table for 4pm on a quiet Sunday afternoon at the King Eddy. Walking into the marble Mecca, we were seated in the outside area of the Victoria’s Restaurant. This area is in a corner of the lobby and is sectioned off by a lovely flower display. There are about ten tables placed close together, creating a cozy feeling with ones neighbours. The menus arrived and we eagerly scanned through the tea and food selection to find what we’d like to try out. The tea list was extensive and very descriptive. Every tea had a couple of sentences describing what type of loose tea it was and what the palate could expect. We opted for the Darjeeling Oolong and the Lemon Verbena teas. A large tea pot with loose tea was brought out and placed onto the table where fine porcelain china and a strainer awaited. The Darjeeling Oolong was strong, spicy and very flavourful. The Lemon Verbena was a little less citrusy and not flavourful enough for my liking. I felt like it never fully steeped or released its true flavours. Finally the centerpieces arrived – the food platters. I had opted for the traditional King’s Tea serving, while my date went a little out of the box with the Asian Inspired Tea Box. The King’s Tea was a medley of finger sandwiches, scones and pastries, all presented on a three tiered platter. The first tier was a quartet of crust-less finger sandwiches: cucumber, salmon and shrimp, tuna, and turkey. Each was simple and fulfilling in taste, but gets better marks for presentation. The second tier was the scone tier. Melt-in-your-mouth butter scones were served next to a more robust raisin scone. Both my date and I really enjoyed this tier. The last was the top tier. It was the pinnacle of the platter, with an assortment of trinket sweets. A Madeline, a meringue tart, a chocolate pistachio square, a cookie and a cheese cake all fought for our attention with their bright and delectable looks. We savoured each and every one of these to the last crumb. The Asian Inspired Tea Box was presented in a standard bento box. The presentation was less impressive than the King’s Tea platter but the taste was still as stout. At the center of the bento box was a light and fluffy shrimp-filled wonton in sweet sauce. It was just as pleasant on the tongue as it was to look at. Moving to the next compartment was a mini barbecued pork bun. It was channelling something of a slider but not so powerful in taste. The salmon and smoked duck compartments were the definite hits in this box. We enjoyed these the most. The dessert was a custard tart, which gets a thumbs up, and green tea Madeline, which was not so memorable. Overall, my date was not blown away by this tea box. It was nicely presented but the taste was a little bland to his liking.
After all the tea drinking and noshing we did, it was nice to just sit and chat for a while. The atmosphere allows for a relaxed feeling and service in not rushing anyone out. The service is attentive and professional but not intrusive. This weekend culinary experience was just that – an experience. I would not shy away from brining a date, a group of friends and especially parents out for a nice Afternoon Tea rather than the usual dinner scenario. It poses an interesting alternative to all the birthday/anniversary dinners and a definite alternative to brunch. Or it could be a great date idea.
