The Old Curiosity Tea Shop (2nd visit)

Date: January 2010
Location: 91 Main Street Markham North Markham, ON L3P 1X7
Website: www.cuppa.ca

 
I just love the Old Curiosity Tea Shop so much that I revisited it again. We almost didn't get a table as we didn't reserve. This place was packed with customers again,, so I guess I better reserved a table next time. For this visit, I ordered from their regular menu and ordered the Steak, steak and kidney pie and baked beans & Shepherd's Pie. These two dishes are cooked fresh as we order them and it usually takes approx 20-25min. 

We also order 2 pots of tea. Their teas are truely excellent and the finest I have even encounter. It is only $3.85/pot which is cheaper than a lot of bubble tea. This time we ordered their Ice Wine tea and Prince of Wales tea. The Ice Wine tea has a sweet aroma while the Prince of Wales has a strong earthy scent.

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop is now open most Sunday from 11:00 until 4:00 which features their special menu e.g. Quiche, and Battenburg cake which is not found on the regular menu. I guess I will visit the store again later on a Sunday afternoon.

Side Salad with English Salad Cream imported from England

The English salad cream tasted like the sauce in fillet-o-fish

The waiter mention a Canadian version of the cream can be found in Loblaw

Steak, steak and kidney pie and baked beans

 Chunks of meat in gravy with a flaky top crust with imported English baked beans

The baked beans tasted a lot better than those from a can

Chunks of meat are delicious and not dry at all

Shepherd's pie

Delicious mince beef with vegetables, topped with creamy mashed potatoes

I love the crusted mashed potatoes very delicious

The fillings were hot and the last bite was still warm

Ice Wine Tea 

Ice Wine tea is a blend of black tea with an unique sweet taste

It is good to drink alone or with milk and sugar

Prince of Wales Tea

 A Royal blend of black tea and the owner added in some green tea leafs

It tastes best with mike and sugar because of its complex flavour

Tableware

Strainer used to separate tea leafs

A teapot and a beautiful tea cup for lady because I can use my little fingers to hold the cup

Milk Container

Forks and Beautiful Napkin

Decorations in the shop

Beautiful tea ports on the wall

Wallpapers are elegant

Fireplace with tableware for sale on top

I love the roses on the beam and beautiful molding on the ceiling

That's the table I want to sit in front of the window

Ruelo Patisserie

Date: January 2010

Location: 550 Highway 7 East, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

Website: www.ruelo.com

I always want to find a pastry store which sell macrons in the uptown area. Luckly, I found Ruelo Patisserie and their macrons are delicious. From now on, I don't have to travel all the way to mid-town when I have a craving for macrons. The store is operated by Chinese yet the chef was studied in France. Ruelo Patisserie also features afternoon high tea for $9.99 per person. Their high tea tray has three different layers with sandwiches, tea biscuits and some sweets. After I found out about their afternoon high tea, I immediately reserved a table and brought my C.C. with me to try it out. Originally, I thought each of us will receive a high tea tray but it turned out only one tray is served for the two of us. I found that to be a bit pricey.

The sandwiches were very refreshing . My favorite sandwiches is the smoke salmon sandwiches with a tiny bit of lemon on it. Their tea biscuits were crispy, however the blueberry jam they served is not homemade and it was from a jar. I was a bit disappointed with the jam. I enjoyed their sweet the most. Creme brulee and macrons are the best after all. We also side ordered a blueberry cheesecake and some extra macrons. Out of all the macrons, my favorite one is  wasabi grapefurit. On my first bite, I tasted wasabi then the flavour of grapefurit slowly came out. These two different flavours was balanced very well together.

Raspberry Green Tea

The tea pot has a button on the lid. When pressed, tea will passed through the filter into the pot

Jasmine Flower Tea

High tea tray for two people

 This is not enough for two people and it is a bit pricey

First layer

Smoke salmon and ham & egg salad sandwiches

Second layer

Tea biscuits with butter and blueberry jam

Third layer

Mini creme brulee and my favorite walnut macrons

Side Orders

Blueberry cheesecake & wasabi grapefruit macrons

Caramel macron (too sweet) and Ruelo macron (chocolate hazelnut fillings)

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop

Date: December 2009
Location: 91 Main Street Markham North Markham, ON L3P 1X7
Website: www.cuppa.ca

Once I stepped into The Old Curiosity Tea Shop, I felt like I travelled back in time to the Victorian period of England. The shop is decorated with lot of tea pots all over the wall and on the ceiling. Beside the tea pots, the tea shop has a very high ceiling with decorative molding. It is very elegant. The Old Curiosity Tea Shop is not big so reservation is highly recommended. 

My honey C.C. ordered "afternoon tea for two" and it must be reserved in advance. Afternoon tea of two includes two dual layers high tea trays and choice of a pot of tea. Their tea list has over 40 different kinds of tea to choose from. We picked their famous Victorian Markham Tea and get to smell the tea leafs too.The waiter said it is a tradition for the customers to smell the tea leafs. Each meal is served on Royal Doulton china. The first high tea tray contains some sandwiches. The second tray contains some scones with different kind of jams. I didn't know the price for high tea but our bill turns out to be ~$40 for two people. I found it totally worth the price.

The front of the Old Curiosity Tea Shop

First high tea tray

Turkey sandwiches, refreshing creamy cheese and cucumber sandwiches served with yummy cranberry jam

Egg slices sandwiches + unknown delicious cream cheese pine wheel

Second high tea tray 

Puffy savoury raisin scones

Devonshire cheese with mint leaf, black currant jam, + apricot jam

Strawberry jam and Gooseberry jam

Beautiful Tea Pot

The waiter said we should brew the tea for 15min before drinking it

Tea cups