Alekkz D.
Yelp
I've had this place bookmarked for years! I've only done afternoon tea once when I first moved to California when I was 19 & was so excited to find one in Seattle.
Finally, I found a friend mutually interested in trying afternoon tea out with me so she made the reservation & we finally came in today.
First off, it's really crowded/cramped so be prepared for that if your claustrophobic like I am. Also, don't mistake the tea shop / gift shop as the actual restaurant because that's what I did. The super flowery building is the shop & the blue awning / sign is the actual restaurant.
Second, my friend was running a few minutes late so I got to sit & observe first. I saw the servers explain to other tables what afternoon tea is all about, etc. When my friend came, we weren't even given a proper introduction to how the experience works.
We ordered a pot of Royal Rose tea... looked at the ONE afternoon tea course/set... I was all for the pastries but the savory was not to my liking.
When I sat down I also noticed the bowl of sugar was not covered properly. I mean COVID still exists but not only that, I notice this place is "kid-friendly" & I can't begin to imagine... how many unsupervised kids might be putting their fingers into the sugar bowl because it is enticing to look at being all pink, sparkly, & tempting to touch if I were a kid.
It may be my fault I didn't research the menu before coming but I really dislike goat cheese & cucumbers. There's no substitutions & again, no alternative courses.
So we looked at the lunch menu... everything was meat-based, I personally do not eat meat... so my two options included a $30 veggie sandwich or a $24 meatless salad.
We then asked if there was a separate menu for just pastries, our server brings us a metal tray with some desserts tacked onto it & after spending about 10 minutes waiting for our server to finally come back, we made our decisions & then she reluctantly lets us know... that because we made a RESERVATION, we had to order the afternoon tea OR a lunch item [each].
Is that ridiculous? Or is it just me? Again, my friend mentioned when she made the reservation, no where did it state for her saying that by making a reservation we have to commit to ordering a the afternoon tea set or entree.
So we just let out a huge sigh, she ordered the soup & salad, I ordered a salad... I can't believe how much we were spending on some greens.
Also, the server thought we STILL wanted the pastries... after our salads so I just wanted to double check, I told her after she dropped off our entrees, "just so we are clear, we are going to pass on the pastries we ordered prior to our entrees" ... her friendly attitude immediately turned sour & acted rudely after.
The server didn't visit us again after... our "meals" were dropped off on our table... my friend had to go so we ended up walking up to the front to close out our checks... standing awkwardly.
As first timers, this gave me the impression that they are just trying to rack up our tabs & try to squeeze all the dollars out of us. All of their entrees are $28-30... I don't even know what the portions are like but that's just ridiculous. They really need more vegan options as well. Not everyone is "vegetarian".
Fun fact, I'm also allergic to cherry tomatoes, apples, & other fruits... my salad had cherry tomatoes. Too bad the menu doesn't explain what is in their "seasonal" green salad while my friend's salad came with apples.
This whole experience was extremely disappointing despite all the 5 star reviews this place has on Yelp.