Ashley S.
Yelp
This is all my personal opinion of what I experienced yesterday. In the past, there was a charming traditional British tea house in Old Town Spring that held a special place in my heart. My Mum and I used to frequent it when I was younger, and it always made us feel like we were back in the UK. Recently, I discovered another tea house in the spring and decided to surprise my mum with an afternoon tea reservation, as this tradition holds significant cultural importance for us.
However, our experience at this new tea house was disappointing. The sandwiches were lackluster, with stale bread and an imbalance of bread to filling. The slicing of the bread should be thinner. The scones were undercooked and resembled American biscuits rather than traditional scones. The portion of cream provided was minuscule, far from the normal servings we were accustomed to. You want it to be slathered in cream or jam. There was enough for a crumb but I couldn't eat it anyway as it was undercooked inside. Not sure of course and this is coming from my working knowledge of sourcing but the desserts seemed store-bought and lacked freshness, with an overwhelming sweetness and artificial taste. The selection did not complement the sandwiches and scones well, missing the mark for a traditional afternoon tea experience. Cannolis are great as a dessert option and low labor intense so I get it but not the most complimentary to the other items. Victoria sponge anyone? Actually if you ever are in NYC Tea and Sympathy is fantastic! Best Victoria sponge I've had in the US. Great for research or inspiration. Fortnum and Mason, TWG tea, St Regis, The Savoy, The ritz are all amazing examples of a proper indulgent afternoon tea. In Houston the st Regis and Bistro Menil are decent options. I would recommend studying them and gaining inspiration to serve their clients a lovely experience.
Furthermore, the tea served was not loose leaf I believe, but rather from tea bags, which do not compare in flavor to loose leaf tea. The waitress said it was, but it would make no sense to strain the tea twice. The overall quality of the food and service did not justify the cost, leaving us feeling unsatisfied. The lack of attention to detail and poor service, including a delay in serving tea till we asked and a general lack of efficiency, added to our disappointment.
As someone working in the hospitality industry, I observed these shortcomings with dismay, knowing that they could be easily rectified to enhance the overall experience for guests. It is disheartening to see the Americanized version of afternoon tea fall short of the simple yet classic standards. It seems only when someone from the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Hong Kong, and Japan managed it does it work. The potential for success is there, especially with a British shop nearby that could provide inspiration for improvement. Their frozen scones are of a higher quality and are cooked through. I'd rather that be a food service item than the desserts if they were getting it from a British distributor.
From a food safety perspective I wasn't crazy about all the cracked plates and dishes we were being served on. The cutlery was also very diner like. It just doesn't look polished or nice. As customers we don't just pay for the food but the whole experience. For what was charged you should be able to maintain your equipment.
I had hoped for this new tea house to become a favorite spot for my mother and me, but the missed opportunities and lackluster execution have left me hesitant to return. I believe that with some adjustments and a renewed focus on quality and service, this tea house could truly shine and provide a memorable experience for all guests, especially Mother-Daughter duos like us.
Health and safety standards are not being adhered to here and hopefully the owner takes responsibility as multiple different customers have complained about the same thing. Perfect example of dialing it in and not putting in the work effort to make it a safe enjoyable environment.