Ritzy Tea

Good grief! Have we really not been out for tea since 2009?? Yikes. I guess that's what happens when half the group is busy parenting vast hordes of children (vast hordes to a spinster = 1 or more). I think we've had some afternoon teas at home with the husbands and kids since then but none of our memories are what they used to be so don't ask me when and how many.

This afternoon, we all gathered again at the Ritz-Carlton for afternoon tea at noon. The usual funs were had but spoiler alert: I am leaning towards not returning.

Of course, the hotel is beautiful and the tea aesthetic was similarly spectacular. A lit tea box with comprehensive descriptions, Le Creuset teapots to keep the tea hot and the food itself was beautiful.

Photo credit: M. Kim

The tea itself is from Sloane Tea in Toronto. I stuck with my old pal, the Darjeeling, and was not disappointed. However, the other teas were just okay. We had the Heavenly Cream, Oolong and Earl Grey. I didn't see the advertised Spa My Blend by Clarins anywhere on the list.

I'm adding one of these Le Creuset puppies to my weight lifting programme Amazon wish list. I suspect the 22-oz size (2 oz more than a Starbucks venti) is sufficient for a spinster.

The sandwiches on the "wellness" tea menu are listed as:

Furikake Crusted Itsumo Tuna: Avocado, Pickled Daikon Relish, Togarashi Mayonnaise, Sesame Brioche Roll

Ham & Cheese: Aged cheddar, ham, parsley butter, multigrain bread
Sumac Eggplant Mini Pita; Hummus, Grilled Halloumi, Mint, Flash Pickled Cucumber
Smoked Turkey: Aged cheddar, cranberry relish, whole wheat wrap
Mushroom and Asiago Quiche

And the desserts include: 

Chocolate and sundried fruit mendiants
Apple, cranberry and oatmeal crisp
Coconut milk, chia seed pudding
Organic whole wheat, carrot and orange cup cakes
Battenberg 
Freshly Baked Raisin Scones

With preserves and Devon cream, naturally. 

Photo credit: M. Kim

I had similar sandwiches which accommodated my dietary restrictions but my desserts were a bit different. The coconut milk chia seed pudding and apple cranberry oatmeal crisp are worth trying to repeat at home.

So let me tell you what lost them points:

1. Slow service. We waited to order our tea. We waited for sandwiches. We waited to have both hot water and cold refilled. We waited to pay our bills. Lots of waiting. The staff could have been more attentive. Maybe they weren't because they knew their tip would be automatically added to the bill?

2. Small portions. I mean, I get this is haute cuisine but I'm used to feeling full after tea. Maybe "wellness" is Ritz secret code for starving yourself post-holidays.

3. Although they did a wonderful job of accommodating my dietary restrictions (eggs and dairy), they didn't actually call me back in response to the voice mail I left earlier in the week. Had we been able to have a conversation, I could have told them that I can eat butter and perhaps have tasted a scone. Apparently they were good.

So, for the price point of $44 for afternoon tea at the Ritz Carlton, I don't feel my expectations were met. I can't recommend it unless the venue and the tea are more important to you than responsive service and feeling satiated.

Ladies, did I miss anything?

Love letter to HK

Dear HK
I love you. This free Internet all over the place makes me warm and fuzzy. Blogger links in Chinese characters are a bit of a challenge though.

Saturday afternoon blog entry without internet

Traveling with parents is a pain in the ass. Also a pain in the ass, a locked iPhone. I'm hoping to temporarily jailbreak my phone on Monday morning. Sssh don't tell my cell phone carrier!

If I was traveling alone, I would not be on the train to the Blue Mountains this afternoon. And, if I were, I wouldn't have just missed the earlier train. The parents are slow and confused and won't listen to me when I have figured out where we want to go. They also had Hungry Jacks for lunch. This is apparently the Aussie equivalent of Burger King. Shudder.

I almost ditched them this morning. It's raining on and off today and they didn't want to go out. So I said I would go off and do my own thing because I'm not made ofsugar and I didn't travel to the other side of the planet to just sit around. Plus I don't have the luxury of time to wait for good weather. They seemed to think I had the right attitude but so here we all are. I hope I can ditch them for a while when we get there. Killing an hour at a train station is not my idea of a good vacation. Through Central Station is Sydney's oldest and I got one or two decent shots with the ultrawide lens.

So, predictably for me, I have been working on my list of things to do over the next 4 days:
Manly. I'm thinking I need a full day for that. Probably Monday. That way I can get my phone unlocked and also go to the bank.
The Rocks and Sydney Botanic Gardens. Maybe wander around the CBD and window shop.
Darling Harbour and the Wildlife Centre if I can manage it. How much does it cost to cuddle a koala? It'll be worth it right? Chlamydia and all??
That takes care of Monday through Wednesday when I will be blessedly free of parents.
I'm thinking I might try to get to Bondi tomorrow. That way, the folks can tag along and I can ditch them as necessary.

Suddenly I feel much less cranky. I'm going to Queensland on Thursday and spending Good Friday/Earth Day sailing to the Great Barrier Reef.

Okay time to stare out the train window at Australia rushing by...
Food review tonight.

A million and one ways to improve air travel

Okay, I really only got to 9 but here they are:

1. Take a lesson from IKEA: better use of vertical space. Bunk style stacked seating so you can fully recline or sit up.

2. Be more like the Star Trek Enterprise NCC-1701D. Get rid of flight attendants and make all food and beverage self-serve. Added bonuses: not being woken up for meals and bussing your tray-table as soon as you are done. Nothing worse than the lingering smell of airline food. Well, not anything I'm prepared to discuss.

3. Be a bit progressive about food allergies. Hello 21st century? Not worried about lawsuits are we airline industry? At least tell me the ingredients in both standard options when I check-in. None of the special meal categories allow me to specify that I am allergic to eggs and slightly lactose-intolerant. What is the opposite of a lacto-ovo-vegetarian, you ask? Me. Let me think about new terminology and get back to you. Monisa-tarian doesn't seem quite appropriate.

4. Don't board passengers and then push back from the gate if the systems need to be rebooted. Or at least quit giving us a hard time if we need to pee before reaching cruising altitude. Especially on a mid-morning flight. Because, turbulence schmurbulence, this coffee has to go somewhere dammit.

5. Don't bother keeping this morning's Globe and Mail for the return flight. After a full business day, as 680 news puts it, it's history. Also, I didn't watch the debate but it seems to me that Harper is using the same campaign strategy - stick to your message - as Bob and Doug, no?

6. Put some sort of seal on the plastic blanket wrap to indicate the last time it was cleaned. Or at least a bio-hazard warning. And my mother laughs at me for traveling with my own pillow and blanket.

7. There's no need to remind us that smoking is not permitted anywhere on the plane. When was the last time you saw an ashtray in a public place? Indoors, I mean. Patios don't count, especially if you're sitting out there at rush hour in downtown (insert Toronto or other bustling North American metropolis here).

8. It costs about the same to fly to Vancouver now as Hong Kong. The same level of customer service would be much appreciated (newspapers, booze, experienced cabin crew).

9. It's great that there's power onboard. Now when can I get free wifi?

So, I managed to clear immigration in less than 10 seconds at Hong Kong International Airport courtesy of my HKID chip card and thumbprint scanner. Why can't everyone be so efficient?

Four Seasons Tea

I'm going to start by saying that the Four Seasons is my new favourite tea place. The ladies had all been here before but it was my first time and I will definitely be going back.

When I arrived, we were all seated around the tiny table right at the entrance to the Lobby Bar. This was probably the only thing I didn't like about the Four Seasons: that you can see the driveway from this tiny little table. But it was cozy and we're not *that* classy. As usual, Dining Queen was late (!) so the waiter started us off with a round of iced blackcurrent juice (this is Ribena, for all you connoisseurs of fruit juices) and little shot glasses filled with whipped cream and strawberries. God, so yummy!

I phoned ahead about my egg-allergy and they were very good about it. Not only did them substitute out the egg salad with an extra cucumber sandwich, but they served them to me on a separate plate. Now, this was not at all necessary - it's a digestive, not anaphylactic, allergy - but I was grateful all the same.

The scones were wonderful, although we had to request more Devon cream a couple of times (yes, we're pigs) and the petits-fours looked lovely. I have stopped eating these though. It's bad enough that I'm awake most of the night without having to deal with egg-induced catatonia in the early afternoon.

I had the organic Assam tea (no Darjeeling, strangely enough) and it was perfect. I have come to the conclusion that you can tell the best tea places because the waiter is Indian. Perhaps I should find me an Indian man and train him to serve me tea every weekend...

http://www.fourseasons.com/toronto/dining/lobby_bar.html
(Sticker shock warning: the cost of afternoon tea is not listed, with good reason!)

Tequila Bookworm

This place won't be around much longer but I figured I might as well write about it anyway. It's current location (moved recently, I believe) is on the north side of Queen Street West, between Spadina and Bathurst, across from the burned out hole in the ground that was the huge fire of last winter.

Now, Tequila Bookworm is cute, eclectic, eccentric, comfortable. Please don't go there if you have a stick up your butt. I have eaten there once before and decided to repeat my usual brunch standby: smoked salmon and a bagel. I don't know where they get their salmon but wow is it ever good. It's plump and fresh and pink and tasty. And not overpriced like Eggspectations (although I will continue to eat there, I guess). The Montreal bagel was a treat too, not overtoasted and the cream cheese was perfectly chilled. Plus, my plate wasn't smothered with red onions and capers; they came in a tidy little pile, looking like sophisticated, understated garnish. Seriously, really good salmon.

I have to confess though, the service... well, like I said, don't go there if you're uptight. Our waiter forgot my coffee and had to be reminded. And my water glass had a short, dark (straight!) hair on the rim and smelled overwhemingly of bleach. In their defense, the other waiter brought me a very clean glass of water with a straw and lemon wedge when I asked for a new glass of water because the old one smelled "bleachy". Also, loads of plugs for laptops. Some in unexpected places!

Lola's Commissary, 634 Church Street

Last Sunday, before heading to the One of A Kind Show, I had brunch with some friends at Lola's Commissary at Church just south of Bloor (Hayden). It was my first time so I decided to check out the brunch menu ahead of time to make sure there were at least a couple of options for me. I phoned to ask whether the multigrain waffles were egg-free (they aren't) and talked to the owner/chef, Therese.

Since I phoned ahead, she suggested vegan French toast. Now, I haven't had French toast in maybe 20 years and I really miss it. When she said that she could do it, I was so thrilled and excited that she had agreed to accommodate my allergy. Therese said she had a background in nutrition so I figured that she must know what she's talking about.

Turns out, she does. Absolutely. She made the French toast with vanilla and tofu and served it with a compote of strawberries, rhubarb and beets (okay, not crazy about those) and bananas. The toast was amazing, not too sweet and very much like the French toast I remember. Except, perhaps less sweet than my mother used to make - this is a good thing! The compote was tangy and the bananas balanced it all out perfectly. And, if you love coffee, the decaf soy latte was so good I almost had another. It was definitely a brunch to remember!

I would love to phone her and talk to her some more about vegan breakfast foods. Perhaps she has some other tasty treats up her sleeve?

http://www.lolascommissary.com/