Today my Mom, Sophia & I had the most lovely morning at the Queen Mary Tea Room restaurant. Granted it wasn't as exquisite as having afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC, but we thought it was fancy enough. What was the occasion? The recent birth of prince George Alexander Louis to Kate Middleton & prince William of England on July 22nd. I've been following Kate's pregnancy since it was announced & couldn't help but feel happy for the couple.
Ever since watching The Tudors (Showtime), Wuthering Heights (PBS), Call the Midwife (PBS) & the widely popular Downton Abbey series, my Mom & I fell in love with everything British. We dream about a trip to England someday to visit the Highclere Castle where the Downton Abbey was filmed, however, having a royal tea was as close as we could get to England today.
We decided to have a girls' morning out, so my husband stayed at home with our 2 boys. Not that boys can't visit & enjoy tea rooms too, but we decided to test the waters with Sophia only this time. Thanks to a reservation in advance, we were seated next to a beautifully decorated window.
Our afternoon tea started with Queen Mum's shortbread & fruit sorbet. Then the tower of treats came which included scones, crumpets, tea cakes, cookies, quiche, tiny tea sandwiches, crostini & fresh fruit. We also got whipped butter & cream as well as jam & marmalade on the side. Of course, it wouldn't be a tea experience without a big pot of delicious freshly brewed tea. Even though we saw the Russian Caravan black tea, we settled on Irish Breakfast & Golden Monkey.
Besides enjoying the food, I really enjoyed the restaurant's ambiance. From the beautifully framed photos of the royalty on the walls, miniature teddy bears, English ivy, fine china in flower pattern & silverwear to real dove Princess who could be heard cooing right at the restaurant's entrance & the plush miniature toy replicas of the Queen's dogs, no attention was spared to detail.
Sophia received her own tower of treats as well as Queen Mary coloring page & crayons. The word search included such words as angel, cookie, cotton candy, crown, dove, England, princess, royal & tea. Sophia also had a chance to learn about Queen Mary's history through answering the following questions: What is the name of the dove at the Emporium? What year did the Queen Mary Tea Room open? & What is the Queen's favorite color?
We did see a few women wearing formal hats while at the restaurant & loved the idea. We immediately decided that we must dine at the Queen Mary again while wearing one of those. :-) Perhaps for my Mom's birthday & Valentine's Day? I drank so much tea, I had heart palpitations for a couple of hours. I would recommend to drink weak & decaf tea. As fun as it was, the food was mostly made up of refined carbohydrates so I would also advise to eat some protein prior to your tea experience.
