Of travels far and near

Do you remember the poem we learnt in kindergarten-

I am a little tea pot, short and stout,

This is my handle and this is my spout!

This beautiful little restaurant in San Juan Capistrano deserves its own blog.

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Reservations and availability

I was introduced to this place on Mother’s Day . Tia made reservations at least , a couple of months in advance through OpenTable in 2021 (COVID was still very real) . I was thinking that she had book so far ahead since it’s Mother’s Day. It turns out that the place is busy all times of the year. Also , it closes by 5pm on weekends and weekdays. So there is a waitlist of a waitlist.

Location and ambience

Located in a quiet beach town in San Juan Capistrano , this restaurant exudes old world charm. You feel you have gone back and time passes a little slower than usual.

The entrance is a white picket fence and it takes you up a few stairs with a nice trellis. Perfect Kodak moment.

The decor

The decor is that of a perfect doll house- the one that all of us girls would have ever imagined as a kid. Everything is so small and delicate, I did feel like a bull in a china shop, literally.

The ‘tea’ experience

The menu is all about the ‘Tea ‘ experience- 3 courses or events, I must say. The first is to pick your own tea from about 45 flavors, with a warm scone. Next course- an assortment of finger sandwiches and the last course is the dessert. The ‘Tea’ experiences start at about 37 dollars per person and are well worth it.

It was really nerve wrecking – when it’s hard to decide which one to have out of the 45 flavors. They all sounded good, mine was their house vanilla tea , with a dash of milk. Could absolutely taste the vanilla in the tea. Loved it.

The tea and the scones (baked fresh in their kitchen) come hand in hand, like buddies. The scones are not for the faint of heart, will recommend having a bit and packing the rest to have with coffee next morning.

Second course- the small but mightly sanwiches. Packed with flavor, they were 6 types.Don’t be deceived by the size. We got through about 2 or 3 and packed the rest.

By now, we had a nice sized take-home bag filled with the goodies; but, we were not done yet. They saved the best for last- homemade chocolate cake. Since we were celebrating a birthday, the got us a little candle. All the items were tastefully decorated and well laid out.

The extra..

We were very impressed by the personal touch- a handwritten birthday note from our lady-in-waiting. Our birthday girl also got a small sample to take home -enough for brewing a pot. Isnt that nice:)

Overall..

It was a wonderful ‘tea’ experience. Since my first visit, I have been there with many sets of friends and we have never been disappointed. I recommend this place highly. its not just for girls, the guys like it too. For them, the restaurant caters to their palate with a-la-carte menu items like salads and seafood. However, the ‘tea’ experience is well worth the penny.

Happy sipping….