High Tea @ Le Maître Chocolatier

High tea has been something I have wanted to do for what feels like an eternity.  Not entirely sure what had been the hold-up.  My last attempt was while visiting NYC for the first time last summer.  I had booked us for high tea at The Russian Tea Room, a place I have wanted to visit ever since I heard about it.  Unfortunately, our visit was cut short due to hurricane Irene bearing down, and the Russian Tea Room was just one of the many food excursions we had to cancel. 

Having seen a good deal for Le Maître Chocolatier on Living Social, I decided to seize the opportunity to finally give high tea a try, and at a discount no less! 

We were the first to arrive, so we snagged the best table set along the bay window.  The jumping off point was being presented with a plethora of teas to smell and ultimately select.  Our waitress was kind enough to recommend that we opt for one tea for the sandwich portion, while enjoying a second flavor for the scones and sweets.  We opted for the Rooibos, which had a spicy note, followed by Fruit Passion, which was an excellent pairing with the scones. 

A three tier tray was presented shortly following the arrival of our first pot of tea.  The bottom layer had a selection of tea sandwiches, including: classic cucumber, traditional egg, smoked salmon, pear with blue cheese, and finally polenta with goat cheese.  Tasty little bites!

Scones were the next portion of our gastronomical tea event, and these were made with mixed berries and served with cream, as well as, strawberry and fig jams.  The scones were surprisingly spongy in texture and had clearly recently been made. 

Everything was capped off with a selection of sweets.  Ours included chocolate covered ginger (a low point for my date), cookie topped with chocolate pudding, almond cake, and macaroons.  Delish!  

The service runs from 2 to 6 pm, Tuesday through Sunday.  Be sure to reserve as the place was filled to capacity, providing a nice hum in the background.  The ambiance was further enhanced by a solo guitarist.   The staff was fluently bilingual, very friendly and proper.  They also have a boutique downstairs where they sell chocolates and teas. 

My favourite part of the Afternoon Tea Service was by far the scones.  All in all I would say the experience was worth the wait.

Enjoy!