Justin L.
Yelp
This is an experience I would recommend! My wife and I had never been to any kind of fancy tea place but we saw that Portland had a couple of them and some would do the High Tea experience, which includes trying various tea and having a light lunch. My wife had just had her birthday and wanted to see the High Tea experience firsthand. And even better, they had tasting rooms in Beaverton and Hillsboro so we could stay local.
We chose the Hillsboro location in the nice block of downtown they have. You have to make a reservation so we did. It wasn't a huge room but all tables were full on an early Saturday afternoon. They sat you at a table with mugs and fine china for a little tea party. The menu was laid out ahead of time and then you could pick the teas to have. I enjoyed them- I am not an expert but I tried a couple and liked the variety. They gave us instructions on when to drink and even a timer for when we should pour.
Then the food came out- first a small bowl of broccoli cheddar soup, which was good, then the pastry and sandwich tray. I did get a picture of that. The High Tea experience is listed as "a light meal of scones, pastries, assorted treats, and finger sandwiches." That is what we got.
The scones were good and about what you would expect from a nice local bakery. There were some small hors d'oeuvres like a mini quiche with bacon and cheese and then a small pastry with tomato and olive, very tasty. The finger sandwiches for that day were cucumber and cream (a British staple I am told), red pepper and hummus, and then turkey lunchmeat with goat cheese and a cranberry spread- that was my favorite.
They also gave a couple treats for the last part, a macaroon and a cupcake, and then a shot glass filled with whipped cream and a strawberry jello/jam type thing. All very good, and not too much to be overwhelming.
Overall, it was a delightful experience. We were happy to give it a try. The only drawback I have is that it cost about $65 per person, which I felt a little steep considering what we got. Again all the food was very good and it is meant to be a light lunch, but the portions were all so small that I don't quite feel like it added up... I could just go to a local bakery and get a variety of things with more substance, for less money. We did get to try several teas so that is part of the experience.