Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon
Surrey, BC
High Tea – $26.99 each
Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon is in a hidden area, near a car dealership, a hotel, and the perpetually busy Langley Bypass. The store front is almost unassuming, not giving anything away of what magic lies within, but venture in I did! The inside features all white tables, white chairs, walls, and high ceilings. Giant paper flowers adorned the walls and made the place look fun. I went on a Saturday and it was busy! There were reservations for every single table the day that I went, so I would highly recommend making a reservation so you’re not disappointed.
The place settings were beautiful. We each had a cup and saucer, as well as a plate for food. There wasn’t a physical menu for the afternoon tea food items, but there was one for the tea choices. I opted for the Organic White Peony & Jasmine blend. The nice thing about Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon is that each guest receives their own teapot – both of the ones that arrived at our table were white with gold polka dots.
Organic White Peony & Jasmine had a very pleasant flavour. There was the sweetness and floral notes from the jasmine, that went really well with the white tea base, which had its own floral notes to it as well.
The food arrived on a three-tier stand – sandwiches at the bottom, followed by scones and phyllo cups, and ending off with desserts at the very top.
The sandwiches we received were: curried egg salad on croissant, cucumber on herb cream sandwich, chicken salad sandwich, smoke salmon with cream cheese on pumpernickel, and a caramelized onion pinwheel. My favourites from the sandwich tier included the curried egg salad on croissant (such a great amount of flavour!) and the smoked salmon with cream cheese on pumpernickel (for the great flavour combination).
The second tier consisted of cream scones, paired with jam and what Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon calls their Enchanted Devonshire cream, along with Spanakopita phyllo cups. I loved the sugary crust to the scones – I like ’em sweet when I’m slathering on the jam and cream. I found the scones to be delicious – nice and flakey and worked well with the jam and cream! I really liked the presentation of the jam and cream as well, the use of small clear glasses worked well.
Last, but certainly not least, was my favourite tier (always!): desserts. Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon explains that they often rotate through desserts. When I went, it was the brownie, lemon tart with blackberry, and custard tart with blueberry. The brownie was rich and fudgey, just the way I like it. The lemon tart had a nice balance between the sweet and tart, and the shell was buttery. The blueberry custard tart was so good, I just wish it was bigger! My favourite was definitely the lemon tart with blackberry – they did a great job balancing the flavours.
Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon does a lovely job on their afternoon tea service. The best way I would describe it is as a modern take on afternoon tea – with the white minimalism, the blend of modern and classic food items, while pairing with beautiful tea cups and saucers. I really enjoyed the food and tea – I quite liked the tea that I had picked (Organic White Peony & Jasmine). I think if I go back, I’ll try the Organic Cream of Earl Grey (which is my usual afternoon tea choice, but I wanted to try something new) just for a more classic tea choice.
