Saturday, August 6, 2011

Having Afternoon Tea with Bernideen in the Garden at The Empress Hotel!!

This Really Does Say The Empress!  Darn Tree!

They Have Been Serving Afternoon Tea Here Since 1908

Strawberries and Cream to Start

The Entire Tea Tray!

Smoked Salmon Pinwheel, Mango and Curried Chicken and Free Range Egg Salad Croissant
Cucumber and Horseradish, Traditional Pork Pate on Crostini and Another Smoked Salmon Pinwheel:)

Raisin Scones, Strawberry Jam and Empress Cream

Battenberg Cake, Lemon Meringue Tart and Raspberry Cheesecake

Rose Petal Shortbread and Chocolate Tulip with Valrhona Caramel Chocolate!

A Very Relaxing Place for Afternoon Tea!
I wish I really was, Bernideen!  The next best afternoon tea would be at the Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia!  I apologize for the lateness of this post.  May seems many cooler days and nights away from today!  We did have a wonderful vacation in Vancouver and nearby places, including Victoria, BC.  We always have a packed schedule and so afternoon tea was just slightly south of Noon (Fortunately, they start serving "afternoon" tea at 11 or 11:30 AM.) and we had a 3 o'clock ferry to catch to Washington state.  Soo our waitress, Marilyn, took great care of us and got us on our way with prompt service.  She was very kind.  The food was delicious and there was much negotiating on the dessert items as usual!  I had jasmine butterfly and The Herbal Husband had his usual Earl Grey.  We each got a small jar of strawberry jam and a small box of "Empress" tea bags to take home.  If you get a chance to go to Victoria make sure you have "afternoon tea" at the Empress.  It is worth it!

11 comments:

Bernideen said...

What a treat to go here! Delightful and truly historic!

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

Thanks Bernideen, it was delightful!

Sharon said...

The answer to your comment, no more corgi puppies for me. Love my three but I'm too old to start over.

I've enjoyed your travels so much.
I loved Victoria! Great pictures!

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Thank you for sharing what I missed, everything looks scrumptious.
We were on an Alaska cruise last fall and stayed in Victoria over night. Had I of known, we would have had a reservation which is the reason why I never got to have tea there.
I did see the prices, pretty expensive huh? But the place to say you've been to for tea. :-)

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

I just wanted to make sure the girls were still around and puppies hadn't taken their places?:)

Hi, Lavender Cottage, oh, you have to go to The Empress at some point. It is just a wonderful place to have tea! Yes, expensive, but worth it! Really! Thanks ladies for stopping by.

Jim Long said...

I've 2 friends who have gone for tea at the Empress. I missed going both times, once to go on a tour at Garden Writers of Am. conference, then other I was just didn't think it sounded like fun. Everyone says you gotta go there, sorry to have missed by so glad for your photos and tempting story! I'm glad you went.

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

Thanks, Jim. You HAVE TO GO the next time you have the opportunity. It is a wonderful experience.

Athena's Armoury said...

I LOVED tea at the Empress. The tea was delicious and that clotted cream was to die for! Overall, the whole experience was amazing. Glad you were able to fit it in!

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

Thanks AA. It was a delicious day!

Pat said...

So regret not going there when we were so near...those opportunities don't happen every day.

The presentation looks fabulous!

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

It was very nice and very brief, TO! Couldn't lean back and enjoy it a little more! Will just have to go again some day.