The Cardinal Tea Room will make you feel like British royalty
“One lump, or two?”
That was the first thing to enter my mind as my roommate and I reached the top of the narrow staircase and took in the Cardinal Tea Room on St-Laurent for the first time. Plush, jewel-toned Victorian sofas, worthy of a Downton Abbey set, were complemented by antique trunks in place of tables and a large chandelier in the centre of the tea room. It was a real salon, accompanied by easy-listening soft jazz and folky classics playing in the background. It smelled like coming home to my grandmother’s apple crumble, and was warm enough to combat the fall chill outside instantly. It wasn’t too crowded. It wasn’t too loud. I was in love… And then I saw the prices on the menu.
Photo by Andrej Ivanov.
The menu is chock full of some of my favourite traditional British fare: scones, clotted cream, muffins and a variety of teas including English breakfast, Norfolk breakfast, Irish breakfast and lavender Earl Grey. There were also a few green, white, oolong and rooibos options, though naturally none of those lists compared to the more traditional British black teas. The prices ranged from $4.50 for a two-cup teapot to $8.50 for a six-cup teapot.
There were also sandwiches and savoury dishes relatively well-priced at $5, but then again these were really only cream cheese and cucumber on some bread. Despite that, however, my roommate and I bought one of their savoury muffins (bacon, thyme and cheddar) and a blueberry scone, which comes with jam and butter. Clotted cream is an extra dollar, making this tea-time snack $5 in all its glory. At first, I was a little skeptical of paying $9 for a muffin and scone and, once they arrived, slightly warmed on adorable, delicate plates, I couldn’t help thinking how small the muffin looked.
My other critique is that while the scone came with butter, the muffin did not. It was a little dry and some added butter from the scone’s plate improved it. Despite its size, however, it was quite filling and the consistency, apart from its dryness, was really nice. The blueberry scone, it was decided, tasted like something your grandma would bring over for breakfast. It was good, but it wasn’t the best scone we’d ever had.
The tea, however, made all the difference. I think I’d like to take a bath in the Cardinal’s lavender Earl Grey. Often when you infuse teas with other flavours, the blend doesn’t work as nicely, or it overpowers the original tea. The lavender Earl Grey was a perfect blend of the two. It was mild enough that you could drink it with or without milk or sugar. Easily the perfect tea and, despite my original skepticism about the price, definitely worth the money to split a large pot with someone.
At the end of the day, the Cardinal Tea Room is a lovely little spot in Mile End. It’s the sort of place you take a first date you want to impress, or where you go when your snobby friend from Toronto comes to town and you want them to feel terrible about the fact that they don’t live in Montreal. Either way, I’ll definitely be going back again.
Cardinal Tea Room is located at 5326 St Laurent Boul.
Totem Tea and Spice will surely add a kick to your day
Sara Baron-Goodman
It was a blustery winter afternoon when a handwritten chalkboard sign beckoned me into Totem Tea and Spice, promising hot apple caramel tea lattes. It’s been a beautiful love affair ever since.
The shop is located just a few blocks away from Concordia’s Loyola campus. Radiating warmth, the homey café is an instant mood lifter.
At the end of February, owner Julie Pederson moved the small walk-up, one-room shop to its new location at street level. The vibe is like a modern English tea room — white paint with grey and exposed brick accents, eclectic frames scattered on the walls and teacups hanging from the light fixtures that Pederson made herself.
Totem Tea and Spice (Photo Sara Baron-Goodman)
A handful of tables provide sit down room for a good number of customers, but the space is usually quiet, inviting easy conversation or a good atmosphere to get some work done.
The shop is an expansion of Pederson’s online business of the same variety.
“I wanted a space to be able to grow a local clientele and interact with customers,” she said.
Pederson keeps everything in the shop close to home: all the teas are organic and everything is from local Canadian suppliers.
“That’s something that’s very important to me,” she said. “My customers look for healthy options.”
The new space is bigger, brighter and offers up an improved menu. In addition to tea and tarts, customers can now enjoy fresh sandwiches, soups, cookies and cakes. To boot, the menu is vegetarian friendly; I chowed down on a fresh vegetable and avocado sandwich with a red pepper spread and was wholly satisfied.
Lunch specials are served up daily, and revolve around a hearty vegetarian soup and savory scone, accompanied of course by your choice of tea.
Most importantly, of course, is the seemingly endless selection of 65 loose leaf teas to choose from, each with a cute quirky name. My personal favorite would have to be the Karma Sutra, a floral and chai blend that’s delicate and warms you up from the inside out.
For my fellow chocoholics, I recommend the Red Velvet, a tea that channels the flavours of the classic cake. There’s also the Cocoa Chanel and the Caramel Latte, which are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
Totem Tea and Spice is located on 51 Westminster Ave. N. (Photo Sara Baron-Goodman)
For the health conscious, sip on one of the more holistic organic teas, which boast properties from helping digestion to curing the common cold.
As far as snacks go, the Melting Moment cookies are sure to live up to their name. The orange blossom butter dough pairs decadently with a creamy lemon zest filling that makes my mouth water just thinking of it.
Totem also offers a selection of 100 spices to take home. Packaged neatly in gift sets with or without the loose leaf teas, there are salts for barbeque, baking and everything in between. The Java Love Rub, made with coffee beans, is a customer favourite that pairs well with red meats and chicken.
All the teas and treats are available to enjoy in house or to take home. For the latter option, infuser mugs and teapots come in a variety of shapes and sizes so you can steep your favorite tea wherever you are.
To top it off, Totem is very student friendly; a full meal of a sandwich and tea latte is only $7. A tea alone is $2.50, while a latte goes for $3.50. Everyone from the Royal West Academy boys to the older women who frequent the yoga studio upstairs seem to love this place. Honestly, there’s very little not to love.
Totem Tea and Spice is located on 51 Westminster Ave. N.
Teas and scones will warm the cold soul
Saturn De Los Angeles
As I walked up Parc Ave. on a mild and foggy Friday night, I saw nightclub warriors revelling in their little bubble on the left and students hanging out on the street enjoying each others’ company on the right.
Desperate for a hot drink, I soon discovered this cozy little lounge right at the corner. I walked inside already drenched from the flakey snow melting on my scalp.
The macarons and cupcakes are also a popular staple. Macarons go for $1.75 each. There’s also the option of purchasing a box of six for almost $10 or 10 for $15. (Photo Natalia Lara Diaz-Berrio)
A young lady greeted me, enthusiastically offering a pot of delicious Kyoto Cherry flavoured tea to warm my soul.
I couldn’t resist. I gave in and poured myself a cup. At the moment I took that first sip, I was in heaven.
“We’re a tea shop, and a tea [accessory] shop, and a lounge.” said François Philibert, manager of CHAÏ T’ Lounge.
CHAÏ T’ has been in business since the beginning of last fall and operates as an extension of its more bistro-oriented café called El Mundo. Both establishments have the same owner.
The lounge is full during evenings and weekends with the majority of customers coming from McGill University. There’s also a good blend of tourists, local folks and tea aficionados.
“French people are more used to classic teas than the English people, “ said Philibert. “I see [the French] ask for green tea, but the English order more flavoured ones.”
There is a huge selection of tea available ranging from traditional to flavoured, such as the chocolate mint and a vanilla and grenadine flavoured black tea called the Monas blend. (Photo Natalia Lara Diaz-Berrio)
There is a huge selection of tea available ranging from traditional to flavoured, such as the chocolate mint and a vanilla and grenadine flavoured black tea called the Monas blend. Genmaicha, a green tea with roasted rice, is a staff favourite. Kyoto Cherry and Long Island Strawberry are recommended picks.
A tea pot will cost you $3.99 and will give you four to five cups. You can get an extra refill of hot water for a $1.
The macarons and cupcakes are also a popular staple. Macarons go for $1.75 each. There’s also the option of purchasing a box of six for almost $10 or 10 for $15. Each cupcake will cost you $3.49, while you can get a box of six at nearly $20. But don’t let the prices fool you. They’re absolutely filling — and addictive.
They even have locally made scones from a baker in the West Island. What goes better with tea than freshly made scones? Red Velvet cupcakes also grab a lot of attention. There are also S’More and Oreo flavoured variants as well.
Philibert is preparing a new menu for the summer by creating concoctions with naturally flavoured bubble tea (iced cold tea with tapioca bubbles) and tea soda (steeped tea with sparking water).
Philibert explained that it is important to him that CHAÏ T’ Lounge stand out. “There are four coffee shops on the same corner . . . but we wanted something different. Tea [shops] are getting interesting and getting more popular. We thought at the beginning to make it [as such], but we wanted to be a place to relax and study.”
His passion for tea is something that grabs people’s attention, and it is something that he’ll continue to do as CHAÏ T’ Lounge reaches its first year of operation in September.
It can be hard finding a place to escape from the bustle and stress of university life, but luckily there are places like Orienthé for just that. This Moroccan-style tea and shisha lounge will instantly bring down the midterm blood pressure.
The décor is surely the first thing that will strike newcomers (after the sign saying shoes must be swapped for their pointed slippers, of
Tea Room Orienthé. Photo by Marta Barnes
course). Decorated all in warm reds and golds with Oriental statues and paraphernalia on the walls, it feels like a sunny, exotic escape.
There are cushions and low couches lining the walls and a quaint collection of books leaning on the shelf by the window for clients to peruse. In the back is a luxurious alcove with pillows on the ground and sheer curtains, a space ideal for private get-togethers.
The menu offers a wide range of teas, from black to green to red. It’s perhaps not the best place for someone living on a budget, the average price being $4.50 for a personal pot, or $8 for a large pot for two. The combos, however, are where the savings kick in. For two friends wanting a nice place to chill for the evening, it’s possible to get a hookah, four pieces of baklava, and either two personal teas or a large pot for two for $24. To contrast, the hookah alone would cost $13. Light meals of homemade quiches, soups, and sandwiches are also offered.
The service was quick, and while maybe not overtly friendly, not notably dismissive either. They do not hover, which adds to the feeling that this is a place to stay and relax rather than be rushed out of. That being said, because they aren’t waiting on you, you’ll have to go to the counter if you want to order anything else.
The tea was quite good. Perhaps it’s not as fancy as a traditional teahouse with pouring rituals, but to an average tea appreciator, it satisfies the need for steeped, comforting goodness.
The baklava was fresh, flakey, crispy and sticky with honey. It’s not the kind of baklava you’d find in plastic grocery store boxes or in take-out restaurants where it’s been left to grow stale and chewy.
As for the shisha, it was excellent and perhaps the best part. It turns Orienthé from an average tea lounge into a place worth remembering. Compared to other shisha lounges the price is quite comparable, and might even be less expensive. Personal mouthpieces are provided to each customer, keeping things germ-free.
Over the course of a three-hour afternoon stay, there were only about ten clients who stopped by. Rather than feeling empty it felt comfortably quiet; it wouldn’t be nearly so enjoyable if it were hopping with business. As such it becomes the perfect place to chat with friends, bring homework, catch up on some reading or write an article.
Tea Room My Cup of Tea. By Writer Sara Baron-Goodman
My Cup of Tea is a quaint shop that houses a wide range of holistic Asian teas, packaged for the modern drinker.
The store welcomes you in off the busy Chinatown street with the sound of soft classical music and the subtle smell of blooming tea steeping on the counter.
Loose-leaf teas are sold in Chinese take-out boxes featuring graphic drawings of faces enjoying their My Cup of Tea favorites. By Writer Sara Baron-Goodman
Decked out with a grass-green carpet and wooden shelves, the one-room shop is packed from wall to wall in teas hailing from across Asia, all neatly stacked in vibrant packages.
Loose-leaf teas are sold in Chinese take-out boxes featuring graphic drawings of faces enjoying their My Cup of Tea favorites, lending a bit of style to your basic Oolong or Jasmine tea.
Located on St-Laurent Blvd., just upstairs from the owner’s father’s Chinese medicine practice, My Cup of Tea is in many ways a family business.
“My parents and grandparents were Chinese doctors,” said owner Kenny Hui. He gives credit to them for his acquired passion in herbal remedies. Medicine, however, wasn’t for him.
“As much as my father wanted me to be a Chinese doctor too, I am a very happy person […] I couldn’t deal with a life of seeing sick people every day. I wanted to do something preventative,” he explained.
By opening My Cup of Tea, Hui was able to showcase his knowledge of the natural benefits of flowers and Asian herbs. Right now he’s working with High Mountain Oolong tea from Taiwan, which stimulates digestion and blood circulation. It also acts beautifully as a palate cleanser if you’ve been eating spicy food.
Tea Room My Cup of Tea. By Writer Sara Baron-Goodman
Unlike other popular tea sellers that concentrate more on trendy taste combinations, My Cup of Tea aims to sell teas that are beneficial to the health.
“If you go to Hong Kong or Japan or Taiwan you won’t find chocolate tea or wine tea or popcorn tea, the flavors are very basic,” said Hui. “Nobody says their tea is boring because we know that a good tea, once you drink it, will feel very good in your system.”
Hui’s teas are imported from Hong Kong, but not in a mass-produced “Made in China” way: “I spend a lot of time travelling around and learning ceremonies, from Chinese tea ceremonies to Japanese tea ceremonies,” he said.
My Cup of Tea, though very traditional in many ways, has aunique array of products. It features a line called “Santhé” which is composed of five different tea combinations to aid with some of today’s most pressing day-to-day issues.
There’s the “Workaholic,” made with ginger and lemon peel, that boosts blood circulation and energy while relievingnausea.
Want to trim that waistline? Then the “Fashion Icon” is for you. It is a rooibos tea containing lemon verbena, enhancing one’s metabolism.
Others cater to the needs of the “Insomniac,” the “Shopaholic,” the “Meat Lover,” and the “Public Speaker.”
The shop’s signature “Zodiac Blooming” teas come in single packages of what looks like a mini tumble weed, but is in fact a flower that will bloom as it steepsin hot water. Each flower bulb corresponds with a Zodiac sign, and whichever one you’re born under is the tea you should drink, according to Chinese philosophy.
“If people are born in the summertime they are very hot in their system so we give them something to cool down.If you’re born in the wintertime you’re cooler and dryer, so we give you tea that helps retain moisture,” said Hui.
My Cup of Tea products can also be found at David’s Tea outlets,Archambault bookstores and the W Hotel. A box of the classic collection teas (Oolong, Jasmine Green tea or White Peony) goes for $12, the Santhé teabags are $6.99 for a fair sized pouch of ten, and a single Zodiac bloom is only $3.
In Hui’s opinion, the tea trend is here to stay. “I think the tea business will become better than coffee in the next few years,” he said with a smile.
