The Cherry Blossoms are here and Vancouver is celebrating with its very own Cherry Blossom Festival from April 5-28. Although not an official event of the festival, The Urban Tea Merchant has one of the most culinary tempting offerings in honour of the blossom, its Sakura Westcaost Afternoon Tea Service is an ideal way to spend part of an afternoon or early evening. Until the end of April Chef Michael Batoux has created a unique menu featuring Japanese flavours with west coast ingredients such as smoked salmon, sable fish, veggie rice rolls and green tea-infused melon cubes.
The Urban Tea Merchant recently partnered with TWG Tea, a luxury tea brand offered exclusively at their tea shops. Along with traditional teas, TWG Tea infuses their tea with fruits, flowers and spices from around the world. TWG Tea also offers tea pots candles and tea gift sets for everyday treats and gifts, so make sure you take time before or after tea to peruse the storefront.
The Sakura! Sakura! tea is now available at The Urban Tea Merchant to celebrate the cherry blossoms. It’s described as “an ode to spring, a fragrant TWG blend evoking Kyoto’s most celebrated season. A scattering of cherry blossoms and green tea yields a most aromatic and elegant fragrance.”
The Tea Party Tea is another favourite for afternoon tea as it works well well with the tea cakes and sandwiches; it’s a black tea inflected with notes of candied sweetness. Another of my favourites is the Paris to Singapore, green tea enhanced with fragrant cherry blossoms and red fruits – perfect for the season.
I am pretty much addicted to afternoon tea these days. I love the ritual of sipping tea and munching on small bites. It relaxes me without my usual alcoholic fix and seems to energize me and prepare me for the remainder of the day. Positive energy and tea seem to go hand and hand and this is an addiction that even my doctor approves of. Urban Tea Merchant is definitely one of my very favourite tea spots in the city, and their Sakura Westcoast Tea sampling is a nice change from the tea sandwiches that are served with the other tea services they offer, although I will still be back for these tasty bites another time.
The Sakura Westcoast Tea Service is 30 per person and you can sample it while sitting in the salon looking out at the blossoms. It includes:
Tea Sommelier’s choice of chilled white tea
Sweets tea-infused macaron, chevron strawberry, chocolate truffle & fresh exotic fruit
Open-faced smoked salmon & wasabi aioli with in-house ponzu jelly
Miso-maple glazed sable fish wrapped in butter lettuce
Spring rice roll with honey & balsamic, shiitake mushroom and crisp vegetables
Japanese fish crackers, crisp soba noodles with tangy seaweed salad and sesame crumble
Edible spring flowers, green tea-infused melon cubes
I came starving and was more than full after the tea. Plenty of sweet and savoury treats. Only until the end of April so get there before the blossoms and the tea are gone.
