Tea Time in Palo Alto

At Tea Time in Palo Alto the regulars get to keep their mug of choice in a cabinet that has a slot with their name on it! Who could resist this personalized service?
If the weather is nice grab a table outdoors, plus if you're not sure which leaves to pick for your tea pot, they usually have a sample available outside that might tempt your tastebuds.

 
We took the time to adventure down on Caltrain to check out this little tea shop since we want to give readers a wider scope on Bay Area Afternoon tea spots. Tea Time is just a hop, skip and jump from the station even if you aren't big on walking. Plus you can reward yourself with lovely treats and delightful tea before a little bit of window shopping and venturing back to the train. Of course there is plenty of parking if you prefer to drive...

If the weather is chilly your tea pot may want to stay cozy, but if you feel the heat yourself feel free to ask for a glass of ice and cool down. We did both while we deliberated our food order. Angela chose Strawberry Cream Rooibis and J. K. picked out Japanese Cherry a green tea. 

Cozy little pots

But we were ready to feel the chill!

Lovely cheese and fruit plate

We were quite peckish after all the travel, so we started with the cheese platter (it comes with a pot of tea as well). Lovely honey and several options to pair with the cheese came out on the plate. Tea Time also chose the High Tea for One (with added side salad) that comes with your choice of 2 sandwiches plus desserts/scone and a pot of tea.

Turkey Left, salmon right

After we cooled off and had our nosh we people watched for a little while. Once we felt refreshed and ready to wander it was time to step out onto the wide sidewalks of Palo Alto and explore before our train ride home. If you're in the area and looking for a spot of tea, check out Tea Time. You might even become a regular and get to keep your personal teacup on the shelf.

Rose Tea Flowers and Lounge

UPDATE: Rose tea has changed into a new restaurant. It also serves tea, but no flowers. (sad face) Once we make it over to Irving Street and check it out we'll post the link here. 


This afternoon tea adventure happened over on Irving street at Rose Tea San Francisco / Tea Lounge and Flowers. We don't make it over to the Inner Sunset often, but it's worth it for a destination lunch. We first visited Rose Tea over a year ago and a little bit has changed in her lovely store. Flowers and nature still abound, with oak leaves rustling on the floor in addition to the wonderful flowers both to view and purchase. There is now a section dedicated to truffles instead of the dried fruits and candies they had  out for purchase during our  last visit.  Yay, chocolate!

Truffles galore--3 for $8

Flowers tempt you @ the door.

A relaxing and lovely space.

Spy into the kitchen.

 Angela arrived first with a rumbling stomach and after some consultation texts ordered a feast. Of course we had to get the Tea Time for 2 which comes with a bottomless pot of tea, 2 french almond cookies with jams and a scone. When JK arrived, our server brought a lovely platter and we dug into the fresh blueberry/apple scone which was fruity and had crunchy sugar sprinkled on top. Our tea was their "Tea Time" blend made with green tea, rose petals and safflower to promote mental focus, help circulation and warm the spirit. Since the weather has been blowing a cold breeze this past couple days in SF, this tea really hit the spot. For an interesting twist, our server suggested we could sweeten our tea with the jams from our tray. The rose jam stirred into the rosy tea was a treat. Rose Tea has a short and sweet list of house blends that are geared towards specific healthful properties with that information on the menu.

Tea Time for 2!

Thoughtful presentation on appropriate dishes.

This Tea Time for 2 would certainly be a great snack for one as well. Bring your book or laptop and enjoy a lazy (or productive?) afternoon after you order this carbohydrate indulgence. The almond cookies are light with a sweet almond crunch, also great dipped in the jams offered.

Blueberry/Apple scone with butter.

House made white cherry jam, lower right. Rose jam, upper left.

Rose Tea does not have a tiered tray service like the previous afternoon tea places we have posted blogs about because their menu is a la carte. Therefore, we also ordered a cheese plate, salad and sandwich. Told you we were hungry! This cornucopia of food turned out to cost about the same as a tiered tray service at other businesses. The cheese plate is a great value itself, enough for two people to share or one hungry person to hoard. This visit the cheese plate featured tangy feta chunks, creamy goat cheese and a wedge of soft brie along with cucumbers, tomatoes, walnuts, apple slices, thin pita-like bread, and a melange of fresh herbs! There was also a sweet melon syrup, almost like honey to drizzle over your creations. A bit of Brie cheese, some mint plus a walnut. No, wait, feta with basil and tomato and a drip of melon syrup. The combinations are endlessly delicious.

Brie, Feta and goat cheese + fixin's.

Best deal in the city for $12.50!

It was hard to choose our main dishes as it was a toss-up between the Salmon or Eggplant sandiwches, but in the end we opted for the Salmon Avacado salad with organic greens and walnuts plus the Eggplant sandwich, which featured soft smooth eggplant puree, mootz, tomatoes, fresh basil  and olive oil on toasted multi grain bread. Win win in our book. That did mean we  had a lot of salad though, because the sandwich also comes with an organic greens side salad. Tea Time is so healthy! (right?) The smoked salmon on our salad was nice and probably makes a great sandwich (we'll try that next time), but our greedy selves wished for more avocado. Although we didn't get to choose our dressing, it was okay because the salad wasn't drowning and the flavors enhanced the crunchy lettuce. Our sandwich was creamy with eggplant, crunchy with the bread still warm from toasting. If you cut the crusts off and sliced it again, it would make a perfect 'tea' sandwich.

Squeeze the lime!

Smoked Salmon and Avocado Salad.

Eggplant sandwich with organic greens.

For dessert we, of course, had to try a truffle. JK was stuffed so we split one. It was full of creamy ganache and had a rich chocolate outside. A great way to finish our leisurely afternoon tea after the pot was topped off with hot water so we could chat a bit more about where to walk after we were done there.

The local truffle maker.

Almond Toffee Truffle.

Rose Tea does not have a current website, but just stop by!

When Tea Time finishes this round of one afternoon tea a week, we'll have to start again, and Rose Tea will be near the top of the list. Even though their service is not traditional, it has both good quality and quantity. The idea of a flower and tea shop is delightful and enjoyable. Have you thought of a business concept that would marry well? A deli near the beach that sells beach towels? What about a laundromat plus cafe? (That's a money maker in any bigger city!) Eating and laundry, two things the population can't avoid!