CT
User's reviews
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Abbey Garden Tea Room
Sharon's comments from 6/10 are still valid. Attended tea here about 2 weeks ago. Sausage rolls were indeed like bricks, and the fillings on the sandwiches was all but nonexistent. Each one was pulverized to the consistency of baby food. More like a flavored mayonnaise sandwich. Scone was more like a sweet. Their desserts were okay, but nothing tremendously special, and could not make up for the lackluster savories or the oddity of being served raspberry and lemon sorbets with parsley sprigs. Most bothersome thing was having the server bring us our check about halfway through, we both looked confused, since we hadn't even received our desserts (which had been ordered already). Won't return.
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Queen Mary Tea Room and Restaurant
Have been to this location multiple times over almost a decade. It is very petite, and can become quite crowded, which does dampen the experience a bit. Fantastic selection of teas, staff seems to know their teas, interesting vintage tea cups are different at each table. High tea is enjoyable, food is always good (with the exception of their shortbread, which is more of a sugar cookie). It is quite clear that items are made in house, which is really nice these days as so many 'tea rooms' serve awful stuff out of a box. They serve a sorbet cleanser which is nice. They change their high tea menu by the season. Decor is nice, although too cluttered and fru-fru for my taste, it is done well by those standards and they do modify the decor by the seasons. Mary is often there, all though she looks harried most the time. Have had real difficulty with their staff though. They are often rude, constantly slow with items or paying attention to the tables. I don't know if this is an issue with training or if they don't have enough staff. (I've been going here for 7 years, and the service level has stayed the same). Because this establishment is popular, reservations are a must. A challenge is often that they can't seat you on time even with reservations (luckily there is a charming toy store next door to occupy the time). Another challenge is that at least half the time I'm here there is a party or event. Since the space is so small, professional photographers can all but be in your lap while they are photographing other clients, and the noise and flashes become distracting. Certainly worth the visit, but attend during the week if your schedule permits.
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Have been to this tea room probably 20 times in the last year. While the food is quite good (scones are some of the best I've ever had in a tea room) their service both in person and over the phone are constantly problematic. It has now reached the point where I am canceling a reservation for this weekend and looking elsewhere. General problems are slow service, staff not bringing items requested, general rudeness on the phone or in person regarding reservations (everything from making reservations to arriving on a slow day without reservations, and being told, while standing in a room with only two tables full at the end of the day) that they just aren't sure they can serve us, etc. This establishment has been in business long enough to have ironed out these challenges. I worked in the food service industry for many years. Quite honestly, there is no excuse for these sorts of continued challenges other than poor management and poor training.