Julie W.
Yelp
If I'd have reviewed Apothica Teas the first 2-3 times I was here, I'd have given them 5 stars. The high tea was fabulous those times. A friend and I were going each month to experience their latest menu. Then two months in a row, the high tea menu was ... not great.
On the good side, they did a salmon pate on a cracker that was scrumptious, and some of the tiny finger-food dessserts have been fabulous. Great variety - love their clotted cream and their scones! Tea selection is unparalleled! Had a menu item that was in a phyllo dough that was fabulous.
The have a fun system of selecting your own teacup and saucer ensemble, the atmosphere is lovely, the service is charming. They have a fun "Order of the Brown Octopus" thing going on there, too, which I like :)
There was something called "jam coins" which was like someone took two piece of white bread, spread thin jam between them and used a cookie cutter the size of a quarter to cut them out. The cucumber sandwiches also feel like a cop-out - I understand it's an English tradition, but basically it's two tiny pieces of white bread with just a couple pieces of cucumber, pretty flavorless. For a set price of over $30 for finger foods, I'm thinking I'd like better than this.
Around this time there was a finger food dessert that was called "Raindrops" - I couldn't even try it. I was like a round glop of clear gelatin formed into a mound about as big around as a quarter. Just couldn't face that one. My friend tried one and said, "They just taste like nothing - really don't have a flavor to them." On on visit, instead of a salad or soup option to start, they did "bread with herbed oil" - not on the same level as soup or salad - and the bread was baked rolls that were really sweet served with a plate of olive oil that didn't have much herb flavor at all. Another bad moment was a tiny dessert that was "rose" something. If you remember your grandmother having pink, rose shaped guest soaps in her bathroom, the dessert tasted like those soaps would have. Last time we were there we were served tiny quiche - a little larger than a quarter - and it was served cold. Would have been a lot better if it were warm/hot.