Linda
User's reviews
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Linde Lane Tearoom
I made reservations for afternoon tea for a friend and I today. She arrived about 15 minutes before I did. She said she walked in and waited for a while in the foyer but was not greeted by anyone. She then went to a seating area and waited a little longer. She had just been sat at our table when I walked in. The server, Lourdes, was very nice and took our order for two Duchess Teas with soup. My friend ordered a pot of Genmaicha and I had the Orange Blossom Oolong, both of which were served undecanted. Our afternoon tea began with orange sorbet and shortbread, which was quite good. We then enjoyed a flaky cream scone with a mock Devonshire and a spiced blueberry jam, Very nice. Then our server came back to say there was not enough soup for two, so I ordered a salad instead. Both the soup and salad were good. I didn't care for the orange blossom oolong tea, so I ordered a pot of sencha and asked for it to be decanted. The pot arrived with the bag of tea still in it, so I took it out myself. Lourdes saw it sitting on my plate and apologized. The sencha was very good. Our tiered tea service included two tea sandwiches, one a turkey cranberry and the other cucumber with cream on a small split muffin. They were both good. There were 3 thin slices of apple and grapes, as well. Too much lemon on the apple. The cookies were about the same, but one had a key lime cream on top and the other was a nice lemon glaze. They were good, but too similar. Overall, the food was good and quite sufficient. Then came our bill. Very reasonable for a nice afternoon tea, but unfortunately we waiting for 20 minutes and our server seemed to have disappeared. Finally, a woman who was busing noticed we were waiting, as well as a table of young women who had been sitting for a while and had not even ordered. She went to get help. We eventually paid our bill and spent some time browsing the gift area, which is very nice. Overall, the food was good, the tea was good, our server was very pleasant. Though it is nice to enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea and not be rushed, the wait time to be seated and then to pay our bill was not good. I think the service needs to be improved, but I will go back. It is a lovely tea room, beautifully decorated and comfortable. They have only been open three months, so I believe they can get the service issue in hand. I like the fact that they donate a percentage of their tea proceeds to Safequest Solano, a non-profit organization for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault victims.