I was so excited to be invited to The Urban Tea Merchant's "Eternal Summer Iced Tea Party"! I arrived and was welcomed by these beautifully fun & colourful Iced Teas! They're unveiling their line of TWG Iced Teas, and we got to try 3 of them - Pink Flamingo, Eternal Summer, and Cocktail Hour. They all smelled delicious, and were very tasty iced cold - perfect for a hot summer day!
Next, we were treated to their new tea set, available all summer, the "Summer Westcoast Tea Set"! Here's everything that is offered on the menu for $45 per person:
TWG Tea from their extensive tea list
SAVOURIES:
Miso Maple Sablefish, “Place Vendome Tea” Black Radish
Lime and Chili BC Halibut, Alaska King Crab, “Matcha” Drawn Butter
Sea Scallops Crudo, Fresh Goji Berries, Coconut White Balsamic Splash “Passion Fruit Tea”
Uni Chawanmushi (Dashi Soup Custard), Trout Caviar, Pickled Shemiji Mushrooms
SWEETS:
Passion-Framboise Tart, “Valentine’s Breakfast Tea” Raspberry Coulis
TWG Tea Macaron
“Tokyo-Singapore Tea” Ricotta Cheesecake
White And Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberry
Mélange of Fresh Fruit
My absolutely favourite was their very unique Uni Chawanmushi! The Uni custard was so smooth, paired perfectly with the flavour & texture of the Trout Caviar. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! Thank you Chef Cliff for this amazing creation!
Of course, they included their iconic Sablefish. I was told that this item is, by far, the most popular on all their tea sets since offering a food menu, and they wouldn't dream of taking it off their menu!
Summer West Coast Tea Set
Uni Chawanmushi (Dashi Soup Custard) with Trout Caviar & Pickled Shemji Mushrooms
Sea Scallops Crudo with Fresh Goji Berries & Coconut White Balsamic Splash
Lime and Chili BC Halibut & Alaska King Crab, with “Matcha” Drawn Butter
Miso Maple Sablefish, with “Place Vendome Tea” Black Radish
Sweets: Passion-Framboise Tart, TWG Tea Macaron, Ricotta Cheesecake, White & Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberry & Mélange of Fresh Fruit
We were lucky enough to try 2 of their desserts, created by Pastry Chef Tom, who is new to the Urban Tea Merchant family. This is their Raspberry Tart Au Passion Ganache - look how pretty it looks! Every bite was very light & flavourful - perfect for the summer!
Raspberry Tart Au Passion Ganache - Fresh Raspberries, Passion Fruit Au White Chocolate Ganache & “Valentine Breakfast Tea” Coulis
Lastly, we tried the Jivara Chocolate Mousse, infused with French Earl Grey, and is gluten free! Most people who know me, knows that I'm not a huge dessert fan, but this mousse was so light and airy that I had to gobble up the whole thing! Each bite melted in my mouth, and the caramel added a very interesting crunch in my mouth!
Jivara Chocolate Mousse - “French Earl Grey” Classic Decadent Chocolate Cremeux Cake - Gluten Free
I highly recommend heading in to The Urban Tea Merchant to pick up some Iced Teas, fill up your pitchers, and enjoy some refreshing glasses of Iced Teas this summer!
Words & Photos: Jenn Chan