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My son and my mom and I have really come to enjoy trying out tea parlors after we discovered Tyme for Tea across the bay in Fremont. They have always been our level that other places have to aspire to for service, ambiance and food.
This is our sixth tea parlor in places all over California and the FIRST that has even come close to rivaling Tyme for Tea, and might even surpass it.
The location, combined with the crepes place next door, used to be an Italian restaurant that I ate at with my dad a couple years ago so they haven't been at this location long.
The decor is nice, warm, fresh, without being too frilly and too Victorian and not too crowded, as Tyme for Tea can feel sometimes because the tables are kind of close together.. The service was nice and friendl... (more)y, there wasn't too much waiting between the courses.
The cookies on the table were very good gingerbread, my favorite, and were super good when dipped in the tea. They do sell them in the shop area at the front if you can't get enough.
My mom and I shared the royal Tea for Two and my son got the child's selection. It doesn't say it on the menu but you can choose which sandwiches you want as there were some listed in the other choices that we really wanted to try rather than going with the standard 'chef's choice'.
My son is always wanting to try our sandwiches so we did some swapping with him and the little pigs in a blanket were really good, as was the peanut butter and jelly.
My mom and I shared the Blackberry and Jasmine tea while my son stuck with Earl Gray. Our tea smelled really good but it wasn't really for me while my mom really liked it.
The problem I usually have at tea parlors is that they tend to have the same ol' sandwiches, they don't try to create their own. Tyme for Tea has an amazing chicken salad sandwich that we specifically go there to have, as well as the strawberry shortcake. Lisa's Tea Treasures has MANY sandwiches that aren't anywhere else and were very good.
A plus was that dessert for TWO came with our meal and we got the mango cheesecake and the chocolate cake. I wasn't too impressed with the mango cheesecake but mangoes are more my son's thing than mine. The chocolate cake, especially with the whipped cream, was really really good.
They have a nice store area that isn't too much and isn't too little and has a wide variety of items for tea making and enjoying. Some locations have barely a counter and some, like Tyme for Tea, have enough to have a separate store for it all.
Many people complain about the pricing but you have to remember that this is NOT McD's, this is handmade food every time and you are definitely here for the experience and ambiance. This isn't a 'quick bite to eat' but a time to slow down and visit with your dining partners and savor the food.
I definitely look forward to going back again soon!
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