It’s almost March, but it is still so très, très cold….
Let us just say that today, the sky sent down rain mixed with wet snow, in-between slush, and then big fat, fluffy flakes. But em and I had an Afternoon Tea date, and we don’t cancel our GDO’s (girls’ day out) lightly, if ever! So I reluctantly got out of my warm hole in the middle of my covers and started rooting through my closet. I just wanted my outfit to be warm for the weather yet simple because I didn’t feel like fussing, but still pretty.
I dashed out the door, and was already in Richmond by the time I realised that I had left my umbrella and gloves on the hallway stairs… I guess they need to keep warm somehow, too. 😛
We headed to Steveston, and got there an hour early; with an hour to kill, we peeped into bakeries, smelt fish-n’-chips every ten steps that we took –causing me to not-really die of hunger and a watering mouth– and my fingers got frozen, and my hair got wet. So I used my scarf the Grace Kelly way, but looked more like a disheveled babushka!
Finally, it was 2:00!! We marched back into Adorabelle Tea Room –it is a historical building and was once a courthouse, so I joked that we were rabble-rousers who were going to hear the judge pronounce our sentences over cups of tea. 😛
While we were waiting to be seated, we took many photos –the place may be butter yellow on the outside, but it is pure pink and white goodness on the inside!
Still snowing…!
I found the decor to be refreshing, girly, but not overdone. Cute touches such as business cards in teacups were simply enchanting, and who could resist a mini pink Eiffel tower? I also adored the signs in French… although ‘toilette’ is a feminine word, so it should be ‘la toilette’, not ‘le toilette’… ah dear. It’s a good thing that I am not 100% fluent in French yet, because otherwise both English and French grammatical errors would drive me crazy!! At any rate, the sign certainly doesn’t detract from the charm, so do not mind me! 😉
We were seated quite quickly, and our server brought us their teas in cute little tins, and let us sniff which ones we wanted to have for our afternoon tea. em picked Paris, and I picked Sakura.
Paris: Paris is home to many renowned tea salons. Their charm is recreated in our careful blend of currant, bergamot and caramel.
Sakura: Cherry blossom green. New harvest Japanese green tea lightly scented with the fresh taste of sakura (cherries) and rose petals.
She poured our teas, and to our surprise asked if we were right or left-handed, and then arranged our teapots accordingly… such a thoughtful touch!
The place differed in that we were not given any menus that listed out what we would be having; all the other places that we have tried so far have provided menus as well as walked us through each item. However, that’s alright, because we still did get a little talk about what was on each tier… although it was hard to remember things midway through our meal. I couldn’t remember what a certain sandwich was, and started to think that perhaps it was tuna with watercress, until the waitress came back and said that it was actually a Chicken Waldorf!! Oops, what does that say about my tastebuds?? 😀 Everything was absolutely delicious though –you can trust me on that! I dislike naming favourites in an afternoon tea service, because everything is so complementary and goes well as a whole.
I am awful at trying to look glamorous in public places, so you get this picture of me with a skewed-up smile instead. I’m wearing the Banana Republic x Issa dress that is the high-street version of the then-Kate Middleton’s famous Issa engagement dress. But no Prada heels for me… just sensible opaque black tights with my ‘Beaumont’ black leather boots from DUO.
At $25 per person, I think it is an affordable way to enjoy afternoon tea –especially for the atmosphere, quality of service, and attention to details that you will experience! I am definitely planning to bring my mum there for Mothering Sunday; especially since Steveston holds so many memories for us, I know she will enjoy it there.
Hope you have a steaming cup of goodness to keep you warm today!!
xoxo,
— Mrs. Cathie
