Alice Y.
Yelp
Summary: 5 stars for high end US afternoon tea experience; smaller portions justified by the quality and taste in my experience though I have some critique
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My friend and I enjoyed the afternoon tea at Madeline Garden Bistro on a Sunday at 12pm. The venue was fancy and beautifully decorated. I specifically made reservations at noon to catch the harpist!
Unlike some reviewers, I preferred the smaller portions in comparison to the amount you get at $100+ high tea places in LA. The reduced quantity of Madeline Garden was priced proportionally without a dip in quality. I liked that I didn't leave with my gut busting, and I was hungry by 5:30 pm -- but note that I'm only a moderately active person. Someone who regularly lifts at the gym probably needs an extra protein bar to feel satiated after coming here.
PARKING
Their parking entrance is down on Catalina Ave behind the building. I missed it of course, but all was well: I found free street parking very easily on S. Wilson Ave. I later asked the host for clarification. He said that guests could also park in the medical plaza somewhere near Catalina. I would double check the signs if you do this.
SERVICE
Seating was prompt with a Yelp reservation. There are apparently various rooms on the property, which I was not aware of when I booked online. Perhaps we got lucky being placed in the tea room we wanted. Our server was prompt with check ins and well-time plate clearing, but we did not feel pressured to turn over our table. We chatted at a leisurely pace, soaking up the vibes.
Speaking of the table, it was small and a bit cramped for two, but I've found that to be standard around LA high tea places.
FOOD ORDERED
We chose the Green Garden High Tea, which was about $62 per person after tax and gratuity. The variety of dishes included 1 salad, 1 scone, 3 tea sandwiches, 2 hors d'oeuvres, and 2 desserts per person. For our pot of tea, we chose Earl Grey. I was pleasantly surprised by the volume of tea, which appeared to be double the amount I've received at other places. My friend and I had at least 4-5 teacups each. The tea quality was standard but good.
- Misto salad. Mixed spring greens, crunchy croutons, freshly grated parmesan, and a sprinkle of sundried tomato. The salad was lightly dressed with a flavorful and umami vinaigrette.
- Scones (not sure if cranberry or some other dried fruit). The warm scones were fluffy and crisp on the edges, so good! Unfortunately, the spreads could have been better. I think the jam was apricot since it was a little tart and otherwise not very flavorful. The menu listed the other spread as clotted cream, but I think it was just regular butter because the scoop was solid and lacking in dairy flavor.
- Egg rolls. I didn't expect to see this, but I wasn't mad because it was even better than Panda Inn's (restaurant version of Panda Express): crispy with flaky outer layers, filled with carrot and rice noodle, topped with a dab of soy sauce. The ginger in the egg roll did not overwhelm the rest of the bite.
- Garden Crostini. The bread was evenly toasted all around, a great vehicle for the cream cheese, watercress, and edible flower petals. I'm not sure what made the savory spread pink, but it was really good.
- Eggs Canape. I think this counted as a tea sandwich. It was soft crustless grain bread cut into a heart shape, topped generously with egg salad and dill. Cute and tasty!
- Cranberry Cucumber Mint Sandwich. Soft crustless white bread with a sweet and tart cranberry cream cheese, thinly sliced cucumber, and julienned mint. I enjoyed this riff on the classic cucumber tea sandwich.
- I'm not sure what the final tea sandwich was, but it was on soft wheat bread, garnished with edible flower petals. The inside might have been some sort of fruit salad. It was much sweeter than the cranberry cucumber mint, but not excessively. It might have been more balanced to present only one sandwich on the sweet side. If I had known, I would have alternated between the sandwiches and hors d'oeuvres.
- Macarons. The delicate cookies had a good chew and crisp, airy shell. It was hard to discern the flavors, but I preferred the cream colored macaron because there were tasty crunchy bits in the filling.
- Creme Brulee. It was well executed. Smooth creamy custard, not too sweet, topped with a hard sugar barrier that we cracked open. I forget it if was served warm or cold. The blackberry was also good.