AFTERNOON TEA REVIEW: Tea Around Town (Chicago)

 

Location: Chicago, IL (starting point at the Aon Building)
Price: $69-79 per person for Petite menu, $89-109 per person for Luxe menu
Reservations: In advance via website

As part of my semi-regular (but not nearly frequent enough) trip to see bestie Ginger in Illinois, I scheduled us seats on Chicago's branch of the Tea Around Town tour bus. We already know I'm an afternoon tea fiend, and she's much the same after our trip to the UK several years ago. It seemed like a very cool idea, especially since we were belatedly celebrating my birthday.

It's definitely not the type of experience I've had before, and I was aware that (by virtue of being US-run and on a bus) some things would likely be quite different to what's "standard." Overall, though? A really darn good afternoon, with a really darn good menu.

A proviso before I go on, though: Tea Around Town operates in many cities, and thus quality may vary. Please check reviews for each city's branch specifically before booking. This is specifically for the Chicago-based experience, and this review does not (and cannot) vouch for the quality of the experience in any other city.

Since it was a big day and bestie and I both deserve the best, I went with the Luxe menu. According to the menu on the website, this contains all 14 items on the Petite menu plus three extra sandwiches, three extra desserts, and a bonus tea.

The Experience

This is really something I should do for every tea review (and will going forward), because ambience is part of the whole deal. This, as you can see, was on a tour bus. It was very pretty both inside and outside, and all the seating was on the second level with the first level being kitchen and management (and driving, of course).

The tour guide was very sweet and friendly, and interspersed talking about the locations with singing and chatting with the diners. She was extremely friendly, as was our server, which made a rather gloomy day of sightseeing a little brighter. I managed to come to Illinois right at the front of some really ridiculous weather, so things were overcast.

The tour proper runs about 70 minutes, with your stack (see above) waiting for you when you sit down. You also get a branded tea tumbler, which is where your teas are served and which you also get to take home. This experience does lack fancy teacups and pots but, considering you're on a bus in city traffic, that's understandable.

The Savories

A really impressive spread of traditional sandwiches and unique little bites. As you can see above, the Luxe menu is extremely packed. So you know. Come hungry. (Luxe exclusive items are starred.)

• Ahi Tuna Delight*: A small starter bite of tuna with spicy aioli and greens. This was a fantastic little starter.
• Nautical Splendor Lobster Roll*: My first lobster roll. I am a lobster enjoyer and I was relatively okay with this one, though I wasn't huge on the texture of the bread. Ginger really loved it, though.
• Napoleon Alaska*: A nice little smoked salmon bite. Pretty darn good.
• Garden Gala Chicken Soirée: Obligatory chicken salad sandwich. Not bad, but a bit bland by comparison.
• Triple Crown Steak Stack: This was my personal favorite, and I'm not even a fan of steak sandwiches. This is the one I kept thinking about later.
• Earthly Elegance Crostini: Mushrooms and ricotta on a baguette. I liked this one very much and was a little surprised to realize it's on the standard menu.
• Light 'n Green: Egg salad, of course. Not bad, but again a bit bland by comparison.
• Cool Down Cucumber: Despite the other "traditional" tea sandwiches being middling, they nailed the cucumber. This was simple and delish.
• Deviled Egg Basket: It is very difficult to make me dislike a deviled egg. This was nice.

There was also an extra item: a tiny skewer of melon ball, prosciutto, and mozzarella, I think. Very tasty, and a nice little surprise addition.

The Scones

One plain and one cranberry, with clotted cream and preserves. Rather than the Adirondack preserves described on the site, we got standard strawberry jam. A bit of a disappointment, but only because I was really curious about those preserves. The scones were a bit on the hard-to-cut size, meaning things got a little messier than usual, but they were still good scones.

The Sweets

While these are the same items as listed on the menu, some varied visually. Again, from city to city there may be small alterations. As before, Luxe-exclusive items are starred.

• Ferrero Velvet Delight*: On the one hand, I'm a red velvet fiend. On the other, this was rich. I wouldn't dislike it as a stand-alone dessert (it was good!), but as part of a tea menu it's very heavy.
• Espresso Cloud Divine*: Same note as above. Delicious and worthy of being its own dessert, but not necessarily balanced with a larger spread.
• Emerald Dream*: My favorite of the three Luxe additions, a pistachio puff pastry. This one was both tasty and light enough to be in balance with the overall spread.
• Floral Fun Pop: Good, but nothing special. A cake pop of the sort you find at coffee shops.
• Mini Lemon Meringue: Good, but we were both surprised at how lemony it was. Great if you're a fan of really tart lemon desserts.
• Empire City Cheesecake: This one looked significantly different from what's advertised on the site, but it was still very nice. One of the better things in the spread.
• Cream Puff: Good, but as with the cake pop, nothing special.

The Teas

Rather than ordering you preferred tea at the beginning of the meal, there was a tea tasting, with the server pouring about half a serving out at points throughout the trip. In terms of managing the unique difficulties of a tea room on wheels, it's a good idea. However, I did find myself wishing that perhaps we could have one less tea, then have each diner close out the meal with a larger cup of whichever they liked best. Except for the Refresh Rosé, I believe these were all Stash brand teas.

• Refresh Rosé*: This one was waiting for us when we sat down, a cold-brewed non-alcoholic sparkling tea that tasted like a rosé. Ginger called this "the only rosé [she's] ever liked," and I as a rosé enjoyer liked it too. It was a great and clever little start to the meal.
• Maple Apple Cider: A really smooth herbal that absolutely does what it says on the tin. Very maple-forward.
• Cinnamon Vanilla: Another nice herbal. Not bad, though it didn't hit as nice as the maple apple cider before it.
• Breakfast in Paris: This was the winner right here. A vanilla lavender Earl Grey. Liking this one so much is why I went searching it out online and found out where the teas are sourced.
• Tangerine Honey: Two flavors that tend to get done wrong in teas, but this was lovely. They called it a green, but on the site it's listed as a white. I don't care either way, it was excellent.

Overall, this was really nice. It's not strictly a UK-level afternoon tea, but of course it's not. The changes made allow the function to operate safely and smoothly, and with that in mind, anything out of the ordinary didn't much matter.

For us, the sightseeing felt secondary - but I was also with a friend who knows Chicago and could point out things of personal interest to me in addition. If you approach this as an afternoon tea with a bonus tour, rather than a city tour with bonus tea, I think it hits just right. But, as before, check your local branches for reviews. And when they say get there 15 minutes early, do it. It will help.

AFTERNOON TEA REVIEW: Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon (London)

 

Location: Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, Fortnum & Mason, London UK

Price: £84 per person (plus add-ons); prices vary for other menus

Reservations: In advance via website

Normally I like to go to afternoon tea with at least one friend. It’s just more fun that way. But if a good tea awaits and I’m flying solo, then so be it.

The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is one of the poshest affairs you’re going to encounter. Situated on the fourth floor of Fortnum & Mason, it requires booking in advance and fills up very quickly. That said, if you have the time and the money, it is extremely worth it — especially at the holidays.

It was the special holiday menu that got me to go the extra mile (both literally and financially) for this particular engagement. I'm a sucker for themed and seasonal menus, just as much as I'm a sucker for a fancy afternoon tea. For diners less interested in sweets, there's a savoury afternoon tea with different scones and pastries; but I wasn't about to miss out on the desserts on offer.

Before I go into the menu, it's worth mentioning that going alone was not at all an awkward experience. Most diners were in pairs or groups, understandably; however, I was not the only solo diner there, and the waitstaff took extra time to check in on me. So if you want to check out this tearoom but have no one to go with, don't worry. You can enjoy it solo. (Or do like I did and keep sending snaps to your bestie.)

The Sandwiches

The spread came with five varieties of sandwiches, most being variations on familiar standards. Like everything else on the menu, more was available at no extra cost; but honestly a single serving was extremely filling.

• Coronation Chicken: Not something we tend to have in the US; this is a sort of curried chicken salad originally created in honor of Elizabeth II's coronation. I've never actually had coronation chicken before, but this was extremely nice. My second favorite of the sandwiches.
• Cotswold Legbar Egg Mayonnaise: You know egg salad means business when they tell you what kind of chicken the eggs come from. Honestly, though, egg salad just hits different in the UK. Just a reminder that we could have great things if we didn't chemical wash our eggs.
• Kames Bay Smoked Trout with Dill Cream Cheese: Best of the bunch, at least in my opinion. It tasted like a slightly subtler smoked salmon, which I'm always a fan of.
• Cucumber with Lemon and Mint: An old standby, but if you don't like cucumbers, this probably won't change your mind. I do, and I always save the cucumber sandwich for last.
• Christmas Spiced Suffolk Ham: I'm not big on ham (which I know is a sin for a Virginia girl), mainly because it can be so gristly and salty. But this was thin-sliced and very nice. The spice was unusual, but in a good way; very warm and wintry.

The Scones

Rather than one scone, each diner gets two little scones: one plain and one fruit. The menu says they come with strawberry & champagne preserve or orange curd, but I got little jars of both. I'd bought some of the former for myself last year so I knew I'd like it, but the latter was absolutely amazing. I'm kicking myself for not picking up a jar on my way out. There was also clotted cream which was, of course, excellent.

The Pâtisseries

As much as I love a good tea sandwich, spotting these on F&M's Instagram is what lured me over. Each one looked so beautiful, and they tasted amazing, too.

• Rose Éclair: I saved this one for last. Maybe it's my love of anything rose-flavored, but this was the best of the bunch. Very small, not overly sweet, and absolutely very floral.
• Mandarin Mousse: An orange mousse in the shape of a little Christmas bauble, this was one of the two most visually pleasing desserts (while also still being delicious). I loved the glossy outside.
• Chocolate and Cranberry Bavarois: Tied with the mandarin mousse for aesthetics, this was a little Bavarian cream treat in the shape of a shiny apple. Extremely nice.
• Sticky Figgy Loaf: The largest and densest (and sweetest) item on the menu. If I hadn't been at the far end of an afternoon tea, I might have liked it a bit more. But it sat a bit heavy. Delicious nonetheless.
• Mince Tart: Naturally. It was very standard, but very nice. Nothing over the top or inventive, but it didn't need to be.

The Teas

Of course the tea menu here is absolutely massive, considering the catalogue of blends the shop has to its name. And, like the rest of the menu, you can get refills. More importantly, you can switch up your tea if you want!

I started with the Queen Anne blend, which I'd never had before, and I was not disappointed. It's a very smooth Assam/Ceylon blend that's strong without being overpowering, meaning it served as a nice complement and palate cleanser to pretty much everything on the menu.

As I was wrapping up the last of the desserts, I went with the Smoky Earl Grey — which I'd never had but assumed I would like since I love both smoky teas and bergamot. It was as good as I'd hoped, but I was glad I waited 'til after the bulk of the meal to have it. This was a nice one for enjoying after the fact on its own.

And the Cocktail

Later in the week, I'll be making a post about the different themed and seasonal drinks I had while I was on holiday, because I made it a point to give them a go (even if they were pricey). I told you, I'm a sucker for special menus. But this one goes here, since it was part of the tea menu.

The Turtle Dove Cocktail is the drink featured in the photo above, made with rum and citrus. It tasted a bit champagney (to the point that I imagine champagne was actually part of the mix), but that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. It was a nice lead-in to the meal, and I loved how the side of the glass was prettied up.

Again, this is a pricey afternoon, and that's a big part of why I ended up soloing this. But you get what you pay for in terms of food, tea, ambience, and experience in general. It's a lovely space with a friendly staff; and if the holiday menu is any indication, the menus year-'round are likely gorgeous. If you can swing it, treat yourself.

AFTERNOON TEA REVIEW: Prince Tea House (Virginia Beach)

Location: Prince Tea House, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: $30 for one, $56 for two, $84 for three
Reservations: N/A
View the menu

The confidence with which I'm starting an "afternoon tea review" subheading is either stunning or ridiculous. The fact of the matter is, I love it. I will go out of my way for it wherever I go. And when I can treat someone to something nice, this is my favorite way to do it. Since I plan to treat myself (and others) more, because life is short and tea is lovely, hopefully look forward to more of these.

A few Sundays ago, my friend Phoenix and I were celebrating our friend Katy's birthday, which was in two parts: an escape room (Phoenix's contribution) and afternoon tea (mine). I'd been to the Prince Tea House in Virginia Beach twice before and loved it both times, but I'd never actually done the full afternoon tea spread. We'd all had a look around online and got a general sense of what it was like, but ultimately it would be something of a surprise for all of us. A good surprise, thankfully.

The Tea

Prince Tea House has their own line of tea blends, and I've loved everything I had there. Each person gets their own small pot of tea and chooses their own blend. I went with the Du Hammam Leaf Black Tea (rose, berries, and rhubarb), which was extremely nice. The flavor was more berry-centric than floral. I am an enjoyer of rose-flavored things, but if you don't like things that taste floral, be reassured that the rose in this is subtle. (If you're like me, the Rose Lover Milk Tea will be your best bet.)

The Sandwiches (etc.)

The spread came with four types of sandwiches, as well as wasabi deviled eggs. As noted by other, more experienced afternoon tea connoisseurs, open-faced sandwiches aren't how it's "done." And if that is a deal-breaker for you, that's fair to note. But I certainly didn't mind, nor did either of my friends. And the open-faced style made for a very pretty presentation.

• Pastrami with Swiss Cheese: I'm never been big on pastrami because I'd never had non-gristly pastrami before (and I don't do well with gristly meat). But this was extremely lean, and the melted Swiss on top was perfect.
• Smoked Salmon with Avocado: I'm also not a fan of avocado, but I was determined to try every sandwich as presented and not upset the balance of the menu. I still don't like avocado, but the smoked salmon took center stage in this sandwich and was fantastic.
• Cucumber with Tzatziki: I love a good cucumber sandwich. This was fine, but it didn't really stand out for me. Compared to the other sandwiches it was served with, it was a little bland. Not bad, but nothing special.
• Crabmeat with Garlic Aioli: For me, this was the winner among the sandwiches. The crabmeat was surprisingly light, and the very thin slice of lemon on top was a perfect complement.
• Wasabi Deviled Egg: While the crabmeat was the best sandwich, this was the best savory. I love strong wasabi, so I wouldn't have minded if it was overpowering, but the balance was excellent — enough to enhance the flavor, not enough to cause a visceral reaction.

The Scones

What surprised me about the scones was that they were very crunchy on the outside. Not burned or overcooked, just crunchy and sugary like a cookie. The insides were very soft, perfect for spreading the jam and clotted cream. It's not the way I'm used to scones being made, but it was surprisingly nice.

The Desserts

Prince Tea House has a massive menu of amazing desserts, so I was looking forward to seeing which they put forward. Sadly, despite having seen little samples of their crepe cakes featured in photos of the afternoon tea, there wasn't any to be had here. That was fine, though, because what was on offer was great.

• Macarons: We each got one out of chocolate, vanilla, and pistachio. They were good macarons, but if you're an even half decent bakery or tea room, it's hard to flub a macaron.
• Panna Cotta: I love panna cotta, so this was an easy sell for me. Each little serving came with fruit on top, which I liked but which my friends were a little more picky about. I imagine the fruit selections are seasonal, so your mileage may vary.
• Chocolate Lava Cake: I was actually relieved these servings were small, because they were rich. It was very, very good. But much more than we got might have been too much.

The serving sizes were just right per person. Some afternoon tea orders can be a bit too generous; this may sound like a nice problem to have, but not so much when afternoon tea tends not to be a cheap outing and you don't want to waste food. We didn't leave hungry, but we also didn't leave anything behind (except out of preference). I do wonder if going with open-faced sandwiches, and having just a bit less bread, helped with that.

If you're looking for a 100% traditional English-style afternoon tea, this is not it. But also, if you're that stringent about sandwich presentation and dessert selection, there aren't many places in the US you'll be happy. I'm personally not a huge stickler for traditionalism, and I actually enjoy when each venue puts their own spin on their afternoon tea menu and showcases what they do best.

If you're a very picky eater, bring a friend and swap sandwiches with each other. But speaking as a picky eater myself, I'd recommend that you let yourself be pleasantly surprised by the selection.

Visit the Prince Tea House website.