Afternoon Tea at the Ritz

Nearly every year, at around the same time, my bestie and I go for afternoon tea. We do this to celebrate our (made-up) mid-year holiday, which falls on June 27. We've been to the King Eddy, the Four Seasons (old location on Avenue Road), the Royal York, and the Windsor Arms. This year, we celebrated at The Ritz-Carlton in Toronto, and we had a marathon tea session filled with delicious nibbles and lively chatter.



We were provided with a selection of teas from Tealeaves. I love the Aged Earl Grey that Tammy sent me in my care package so I excitedly chose the Lavender Earl Grey. I wasn't a huge fan of this tea as I didn't taste the lavender or the bergamot. Instead, it tasted a little like chocolate. I checked the tea bag and it was the right one so I dunno... perhaps my taste buds were a little off that day. My friend chose the Monsoon Chai, which smelled really nice!



While I wasn't a huge fan of the modern, dark decor (I prefer a traditional, ornate, bright tea room), I really liked this non-traditional tiered stand. Instead of everything coming out at once, we received our savouries first.



This bacon, spinach, and mushroom quiche tartlet was my favourite savoury treat... which amazed me because I don't really like mushrooms.




Two little sandwiches (cucumber and egg) - I usually love miniature sandwiches, but these were just ok. I thought they were super pretty though. Hubs and I went for afternoon tea at the Ritz in London during our honeymoon in 2009 and the sandwiches were surprisingly plain and boring (not tasty either).



Mmmmm, smoked salmon croissantwich!



I never guessed how much I would like clotted cream until I tried it for the first time years ago at afternoon tea at the King Eddy. Scones, I've always loved thee.



The sweets tray wasn't as pretty, but I'm glad we got two of everything. It drives me crazy when some afternoon tea services only give one of each and we have to split them all. My friend and I have actually asked for duplicates in the past and been given a hard time about it.



I don't remember what this was but likely an apple spice cake...



Cute little berry tart with custard.



Caramel profiterole... think there was a coffee custard inside?



As much as I love chocolate, I don't really like chocolate desserts. This mini piece of cake was gorgeous though!



Chocolate madeleine. :)



Lemon meringue tart! I love lemon desserts.



What I liked most about afternoon tea at the Ritz was that it didn't feel rushed... we were there for 4+ hours! And just in case you're wondering, I'm one of those rare people who can polish off the entire set of afternoon tea snackies in one sitting. I've done it every single time! :)



Outfit! I wore my Target dress with my sky high blue Zara peep toes.