From day 1 of my maternity leave, Stephen and I talked about taking a trip to Asia before I returned to work. The idea of a long haul flight was daunting but after a successful visit to Seattle when Alivia was 5 months old, we crossed our fingers and booked tickets to Japan with a three day layover in Taipei. In hindsight, we were way too ambitious (4 cities, 5 stops, 3 layovers, 6 flights and 3 train rides) and there’s lots of things we’d do differently, but one thing we got right was starting our trip at The Ritz Carlton in Tokyo.

We decided to stay in a hotel in Tokyo for ease of taking taxis, location and honestly to be a bit pampered after surviving the flight over. Using Stephen’s hotel points we booked a 5 night stay at The Ritz Carlton, which was centrally located in Roppongi and had a ton of restaurants within a 10 minute walk. I also loved that room service offered complimentary baby food suitable for babies from 6 months old to over a year. This saved us at the beginning of the trip when Alivia’s appetite wasn’t the greatest. While staying at the hotel, we had the opportunity to enjoy Afternoon Tea at the Lobby Lounge with a spectacular view of Tokyo and 14 delicious sweet and savoury treats.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

The Lobby Lounge was located on the 45th floor with windows spanning two storey ceilings that offered a stunning view of Tokyo. Stephen, Alivia and I settled into a corner table with a comfy loveseat and armchairs facing the view. Our server came by to welcome us and introduce their tea selection. After taking in the aroma of each, Stephen chose the darjeeling while I opted for Royal Bouquet, a green tea with floral tones. Next, a cart was wheeled to us with a selection of artisanal jams for the delicious scones later and petit fours. I chose the yuzu jam that was more tart than sweet (I can’t resist anything yuzu) and complimented the clotted cream.

To begin, we were served a cup of the Ritz Carlton Tokyo special blend tea with our tiered serving tray of delectable treats. After which, our server brought over a cup of our personal selection. Cups were refilled but we did not have the full teapot at our table. Our server was also kind enough to find us an order of baby food from room service for Alivia. The Ritz Carlton also offers a special Kids Afternoon Tea menu for children under 12. A definite future mommy/daughter date.

As for the bites. Wow. Stunning in presentation and taste. The menu changes often to reflect ingredients that are in season but consistently includes traditional Japanese flavours like yuzu and sakura. During our visit, kumquats were in season and featured in a ham & cheese finger sandwich with chorizo and kumquat pepper jam. Other key ingredients of the savoury bites were foie gras mousse, crab, ikura and prawn. Each was paired with a sweet or acidic component that balanced and highlighted the ingredients natural flavour. Foie gras mousse with apple, prawn with pear, crab with lime. The sweets were just as delightful. I loved how they were lightly sweet, which meant I had no trouble finishing all 6 bites. My favourite was the strawberry tart with yuzu cream while Stephen liked the champagne jelly.

Overall, Afternoon Tea was a truly lovely experience from the live piano performance to each heavenly bite. I loved how flavours were present and pronounced without being overwhelmingly sweet or rich.

Since having high tea in London, I’ve been enamoured with the concept. Sipping tea while munching on scones and clotted cream is a pretty awesome way to spend an afternoon. While most hotels in Toronto only serve tea from 2pm-5pm, the Tea Room at Windsor Arms offers Twilight Tea with seatings at 5:30pm and 6pm; perfect for 9-5’ers.

Atmosphere: While the decor in the Tea Room is refined, elegant and traditional with a fireplace and heavy armchairs, I was comfortable and relaxed. Dark walls and white linens created a stark, modern contrast in the room that housed an impressive chandelier. Conversations were contained at each table and was little distraction. My friend and I visited on a Tuesday night and only 4 tables were occupied. Each corner of the room was set up to accommodate larger groups.

Service: There was one server taking care of all the room, who was quiet and unobtrusive. Once we settled at our table, he took our tea orders and provided steeping instructions on the pots arrival. He also described each sandwich and petite four when our tower of treats arrived. While we were quickly offered our first refill of hot water, while we lingered, the server was busy clearing tables and we weren’t comfortable asking for a second.

Food: When I’m at tea, I’m really there for the clotted cream and scones, then the tea and then the sandwiches and petite fours. Based on these priorities, Twilight Tea at Windsor Arms scores well. On scones alone, they’d be top notch.

Separated by types, the selection of tea in their menu was impressive in its breadth. I ended up choosing a Japanese green tea while my friend went with Snow White, a white tea with apple. Each place setting had a personal strainer and rest. Our meal started with a slice of quiche that was savoury and cheesy but seemed like it was made much earlier in the day.

For a table of two, we were served two bites each of every sandwich type. The portion size was plenty for us but I have seen larger squares. Each bite of the rolled up creations were fine, the bread a little soggy. I liked the salmon the best and would have loved an airier bread. The goat cheese tart was soft, strong in flavour and more satisfying.

I did love the perfectly flakey scones. A generous portion of clotted cream was served along with fresh currant and strawberry preserves. This was my favourite part of the meal. The scones were dusted with powdered sugar, the cream was rich and the preserves tart. After these, we were pretty full and only nibbled on each of the remaining sweets. There was no real memorable bite of the petite four and we were so satisfied by the scones that this wasn’t disappointing.

For my visit to The Windsor Arms Tea Room, I was able to grab a Groupon, making the total cost for two ~$85 vs $120 normally. I would come back based on the discounted price (for the scones!), but the full price is more daunting.

Located in Northtown Plaza next to Dumpling King, Sharetea is a bubble tea chain that originated in Taiwan. With locations all over the world, I’m lucky that their Toronto outpost is within a short walk from home. With my frequent check-ins at another popular bubble tea chain, friends on Twitter (@janetkwan) suggested I check out Sharetea as well.

The shop itself is cute, little and consists mainly of the ordering bar; it was a grab and go kind of tea shop. I have to point out that I love their carrying strap! The design is simple but so useful, creating a plastic handle to easily carry your drink. Sharetea also has a stamp card and offers a free drink for ever 10 stamps. Stamps are received for every full priced drink purchased.

I ordered a matcha bubble tea with red bean topping, 30% sugar and less ice. Being able to choose my levels for sugar and ice is now a must for when I order bubble tea. The matcha flavour was strong, natural and you could still taste the base tea flavour. The red bean topping was a touch overcooked and a few grains didn’t hold up well to being poked with the straw. Overall, I thought the drink was comparable to other popular bubble tea places in the city. The menu is focused, consisting of classic flavours, and not overwhelming with choice. If you live in the neighbourhood, Sharetea is a great spot to grab a tasty, good quality bubble tea to go.

Ruelo opened their second location near Yonge and Eglinton over a year ago offering Asian inspired macaron (ie. yuzu, green tea and wasabi) and cake flavours. Since La Bamboche closed their Manor St. location, I’ve been stopping by Ruelo more for my dessert needs. Recently, I ordered a birthday cake from them for the BF’s birthday and while pricey, we enjoyed the sesame, green tea and red bean treat. When I saw a Groupon offer of tea for two for $27, I didn’t hesitate to make the purchase.

I called ahead to book a time for us. Tea seatings were available every hour from 1pm to 6pm.  There are limited seats so it’s necessary to call ahead. Ruelo is also closed on Mondays and they do not have an answering machine. I found the easiest time to get ahold of them was around 11am.

When we arrived, we greeted the girl behind the counter and told her of our reservation. She directed us to pick out a tea from their wall of Kusmi Teas. There was a wide selection of green and black teas with sample tins to smell. I chose the Prince Vladimir, a fruity black tea with hints of vanilla. We sat at a table and the girl brought over our teas and instructions on when to stop the steep. A timer would’ve helped. Also I could see the tea steeping on the counter for awhile before they were brought over the timing would’ve been off.

Overall the service was unenthusiastic. There was only the one girl and it was hard to get her attention to refill hot water. It almost seemed like she avoided eye contact. We were done out first cup of tea before the tray of snacks arrived.

In terms of food, everything was good and there were a few stand outs like the quiche that was flakey and rich. I liked the bottom savoury plate the best, which is usually the case at High Tea. The salmon and shrimp tartines were good. I would’ve loved a bigger serving of clotted cream with the scones, but maybe that’s best for my diet. The scones themselves were buttery and airy. I was a little disappointed by the top layer. The creme brulee was decent and the loaf cake, but the mousse cake didn’t hold up through the meal. By the time we got to the top layer, the mousse had started to soak the macarons. A different cake was served at the table next to us and it looked much more appetizing.

Generally, all the baked goods are Ruelo range from good to great, the service was a bit lacking. If they do continue with High Tea service this would be an area that could use some attention.