Rich's mum took the ladies in the family and I out for afternoon tea earlier in the month. This is an annual little get together that has been happening since her granddaughter Hanna, was wee small! She's twelve now. Super cute, right? This year included, was my third year and it's always such a treat. In 2011 and 2012, we had tea at the King Edward. This year we visited the Royal York.
Afternoon tea is served in the Library Bar from 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m on the weekend. One unique thing about having tea at the Royal York, is that there are various designs of tea pots, cups and saucers at the table. Everyone's is a little different!
I selected to have the Jasmine Butterfly #1 tea.
Generously floral cup imparts a peerless Jasmine bouquet. Highly aromatic nose. Delicate white blooms said to resemble butterfly wings.
Butterfly wings, flowers and tea, sounds good enough to me!
In honor of the birth of William and Kate's baby boy, Chef Collin Thornton, Executive Chef at The Royal York arranged a special menu to celebrate.
The cake plates are filled as reservations arrive. See the little metal cart over there on the left? Inside of it holds glorious piles of scones, nice and toasty warm!
St. Mary's Smoked Salmon with Fairmont Royal York Lemonade Aioli and cucumber
Farmer's Egg Truffle Chive Salad
Smoked Aurora Turkey Breast with Cranberry Emulsion
Kate's Tomato Caprese Salad with Organic Baby Arugula, Pesto Mayo, Vine Ripened Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella
The sandwiches were delicious. The bread soft and fillings flavourful and with just the right amount. While they were all tasty, my favourites were the smoked salmon and egg salad!
On the bottom: Sun dried Cranberry and Blueberry Scones with Denvonshire Cream
The scones...droooooool....were pillows of delight! Seriously. They were so damn good, all warm and fluffy and light slathered with all natural premium fruit preserves and rich Denvonshire cream. I think I'd be happy just snacking on these all day!
Close up of the mousse, adorned with a ground cherry, blueberries, raspberry and black berry. The guava and raspberry mousses were layered, so it was nice to taste the change of flavours with each spoonful. It was light and refreshing!
The banana flan was a rich and dense little bite of buttery pastry and creamy custard. The shell was a little wet for my liking and not flaky, but it's probably from absorbing the moisture of the custard in which it holds. As a result, the custard was firmer and more dense than expected.
Below, is the Royal York's version of William's favourite cake which he had chose to be served at his wedding. It's a fridge cake, which is made of rich tea biscuits and a truck load of chocolate. For any chocoholics out there, this is the cake for you! It's dense, rich, sweet, a touch bitter and totally indulgent. This little one by two inch piece was more than enough to satisfy a craving!
I've never had sticky toffee pudding before until I took a bite out of this one. It is deliciously sweet with natural caramel flavours due to the dried dates that are used to make it. (Dates- this cake is healthy then, right?) It had just the right amount of spice, which makes me think that this may make the perfect cold weather comfort snack. According to the recipe from BBC Good Food, it's not too difficult to make either!
That's a Blueberry and Cucumber (virgin) Mojito that Hanna ordered. It's on the drink menu in Honor of Prince George of Cambridge. I think her mum enjoyed it more than she did. :)
Here are some photos of the main lobby. It certainly is pretty!
Overall, afternoon tea at The Fairmont Royal York was great! Service was attentive, efficient and friendly and the food was excellent. A huge thanks to Fern for taking us out!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! <3
