High Tea in Victoria BC
May 5th, 2003, 08:28 AM
#2
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The Empress Hotel has the atmosphere and ridiculously high prices. Far better is the White Heather Tea Room on Oak Bay Ave., where the food is freshly made. The not-so-wee tea has a good assortment and costs about $12-14. Chicken sconewiches with soup and salad are delicious as well. Phone for a reservation. If you're on foot, you can hop a bus out there. It's worth it.
May 5th, 2003, 04:57 PM
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I really recommend you not go to the Empress for tea as it is way overpriced for the event! A couple of alturnatives would be the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, or if you have access to a car, Adrienne's Tea Garden at Matticks Farm in Cordova Bay. Matticks Farm is a lovely destination for an afternoon with shops and the tea garden. Another thought is to opt for afternoon tea at Butcharts Gardens which is quite lovely and if you are going to the gardens anyway you could do both at once. I live in Victoria and have had tea at all three places that I have mentioned and all were great.
May 5th, 2003, 08:21 PM
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Hi Charlene,
I agreef with Amygirl on going to Mattick's Wood and/or the Oak Bay Beach Hotel for a spot of tea. We found Mattick's Wood area very charming and, in fact, almost bought a home there on golf course. It is delightful!
But, I do also recommend the Empress Hotel. It may be touristy, but the ambiance/setting in this fine hotel is splendid with all the finerys!
I agreef with Amygirl on going to Mattick's Wood and/or the Oak Bay Beach Hotel for a spot of tea. We found Mattick's Wood area very charming and, in fact, almost bought a home there on golf course. It is delightful!
But, I do also recommend the Empress Hotel. It may be touristy, but the ambiance/setting in this fine hotel is splendid with all the finerys!
May 6th, 2003, 05:40 AM
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Thanks for the info. Yes we have a car and I have heard some great things about the area around Mattick's farm and we have also put Buchart Gardens at the top of our list as a "must see"
Jun 12th, 2003, 12:01 PM
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If you're going to Butcharts' then why not have "high tea" there? It can be pricey but you don't need to order enough for everyone (i.e. if there are four of you, just order food for three and share). You do need to make a reservation though.
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Jul 20th, 2003, 02:35 PM
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I love the Empress and it is really fun to wander around inside. The interior and the shops are wonderful. However I find that the rather modern conference center in the rear an example of "remuddling" having replaced a fine old glass conservatory, if my memory doesn't fail me from previous trips.
Oh and on to the subject of High Tea. It ran to over two hundred dollars Canadian for my family of four including a couple of glasses of champagne. Service was excellent, and the champagne was decent. But my memory of everything else being excellent was not refreshed. The strawberries were the tasteless and rockhard variety of the southern climes, hardy travelers like many of us, but really not meant for casual consumption with tea. The sandwiches were OK but not inspiring. For the price I certainly hoped for a balance of good service *and* good food. C'etait dommage (pardon my french
.
In short I am sure our fodorite community can recommend a more tasty place for Tea. But do not fail to wander through the Beautiful Old Lady.
I will close with a plug for "Bravo" 1218 Wharf Street (250) 386-2900. This restaurant had the coolest and tastiest food for lunch of all the places we visited in June 2003 in Victoria - and reasonable prices. Good view of the harbor too.
Oh and on to the subject of High Tea. It ran to over two hundred dollars Canadian for my family of four including a couple of glasses of champagne. Service was excellent, and the champagne was decent. But my memory of everything else being excellent was not refreshed. The strawberries were the tasteless and rockhard variety of the southern climes, hardy travelers like many of us, but really not meant for casual consumption with tea. The sandwiches were OK but not inspiring. For the price I certainly hoped for a balance of good service *and* good food. C'etait dommage (pardon my french
.In short I am sure our fodorite community can recommend a more tasty place for Tea. But do not fail to wander through the Beautiful Old Lady.
I will close with a plug for "Bravo" 1218 Wharf Street (250) 386-2900. This restaurant had the coolest and tastiest food for lunch of all the places we visited in June 2003 in Victoria - and reasonable prices. Good view of the harbor too.
Jul 21st, 2003, 06:15 AM
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I agree that tea at the Empress is overpriced and a mob affair. For the past years I've enjoyed curry at the Empress's Bengal Lounge for lunch. It is a beautiful room in the Indian British Colonial style with wonderful ceiling fans and warm paneled walls. The buffet lunch was so reasonable- a curry of the day with an assortment of condiments, as well as soup, salad, and Indian breads. A nice alternative to tea and a chance to enjoy the Empress. I believe the price was $16 CAD, far less than tea!
