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Afternoon Tea: The Fairmont Empress Hotel – Victoria, British Columbia

We’ve been talking about having afternoon tea at all the Fairmont Hotels and when we got to stay at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, we tried to join them for afternoon tea without a reservation as we had no idea what time the ferry would bring us in at. We were really luck and got a spot, and it was a nice spot near the window too!

Once we were seated, we were brought the tea that we choose from a waitress that made this experience very memorable. She was absolutely amazing and we even wrote her a recognition card! But in conjunction with our tea arriving to the table, we were brought Fresh Strawberries with Empress Cream, which was really refreshing! We were pleasantly surprised as we didn’t think strawberries were in season just quite yet!

Right after we got our fresh berries, we got a beautiful 3 tier tray of food which was all amazing! We rank our Fairmont afternoon experiences and this was a really close runner up to the best! The food was amazing, the service was top-notch, and the atmosphere was breathtaking!

This amazing presentation had their sandwiches on the bottom tier, scones with empress cream and jelly on the second tier and topped with their dessert tray! I really enjoyed their delicate desserts and freshly made sandwiches. The scones were quite spectacular, but I think I enjoyed the empress cream the most!

So next time you’re in the area, be sure to talk through these doors and enjoy a wonderful and memorable experience of afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress! It’s definitely here to impress!

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Fairmont Empress Victoria – Afternoon Tea

721 Government Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 384-8111

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Roof Restaurant and Bar: Afternoon Tea – Vancouver, British Columbia

We really enjoy having Afternoon Tea as it’s a really special treat. Our favourite is enjoying them at Fairmont hotels, and this time we made an appointment at Roof Restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and the location is in downtown Vancouver.

It was actually just a walk-in reservation, but they were still able to seat us near the window in their dining room. The hotel was going through some renovations and sadly they have gotten rid of their gift shop. Otherwise, the hotel was beautiful! I now see if you go for afternoon tea now, it’s in a different restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, hosted at Notch8 – so I must try there next time!

Once we got seated, we got the tea selection menu and picked some our tea. Shortly after, they came out with Yogurt Panna Cotta with Macerated Fruits which was amazing. The Panna cotta was smooth, thick and creamy. It was then topped with the macerated fruits in alcohol, which wasn’t over powering! It was quite a wonderful start!

After we had the Panna Cotta, they brought out a plate of Asparagus Tartlett and Sausage Roll! The pastry was light and flaky and the filling was quite satisfying! We both really enjoy sausage rolls, so when they had some fresh ones, it was amazing!

Then, a beautiful 3 tier tray of goodies came and it was very elaborate! The top tier had some scones with some jellies and Devonshire cream, then the middle tier had wonderful desserts, and the bottom tier had some finger sandwiches. The food was amazing and the scene was breath-taking as well!

Our overall experience here was pretty good! The food was good, and the tea, service and atmosphere was pretty wonderful! The price of the afternoon tea was pretty average for the Fairmont hotels at about $50 per person.

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Roof Restaurant and Bar

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver,
900 W Georgia Street,
Vancouver, British Columbia
604 684 3131

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Rundle Lounge The Fairmont Banff Springs – Banff, Alberta

We had the opportunity to dine at the Rundle Lounge where we reserved a table for afternoon tea. It was beautiful and romantic – the setting was just picturesque. We didn’t have the best service, but everything else was very nice. We had a fantastic experience regardless of service and sometimes food is all we care about!

Once we were seated, the table was beautifully set and the menu was on our table with all the utensils we would need for afternoon tea, including our tea steeper!

We sat for a long time before the waitress even came to our table where she threw down our Fresh Berries which we didn’t know if we started to eat of what the issue was. So, we left it on the table until we got our tea. Along with the berries, she set down the Devonshire Cream and Strawberry preserve on our table.

I ordered the Empress Orange Pekoe which was quite nice. They describe the tea as black tea from India, Tanzania, Kenya, China and Ceylon. Not much of a description, but I do like Orange Pekoe as it’s one of the teas I consider “normal” and like anytime of day.

After our tea came, and we ate most of our fresh berries, our waitress brought out some scones, a sweet scone and a savoury one – which both tasted amazing!

From there, came the amazing 3 Tier Tower of goodies which is the highlight of the experience.

On the bottom tier, it was the Finger Sandwich tier with egg salad, smoked salmon, heirloom tomato, grilled vegetable, waldorf chicken sandwiches. My favourite from this tier would be the egg salad croissant. It was perfect in every way!

The middle tier had the Tea Pastries which had some mini madeleine cakes with a brownie on a stick dipped on chocolate as well as a mouse tart.

The top tier had the Petit Fours which was basically the sweet tier and the tier I love most. There was a lemon macaroon as well as a pistachio macaroon on this tier which is the best macaroon we’ve tried to date! There was also raspberry cheesecake on a cookie crust which was absolutely amazing!

Our overall experience was decent. The food was really good, the ambiance was superb and the service – well, it could have been better. We did enjoy our time, as we were looking forward to afternoon tea at the Rundle Lounge for a long time! This is definitely an experience you should try at least once!

Rundle Lounge on Urbanspoon

Rundle Lounge – The Fairmont Banff Springs

405 Spray Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-6860

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Afternoon Tea in Fairview Dining Room – Lake Louise, Alberta

I have wanted to experience Afternoon Tea for year now, and I finally got my first opportunity at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise inside the Fairview Dining Room which was a wonderful anniversary present I got. We waited for a table by the window to overlook Lake Louise and it was a fantastic view for sure! We sat down at the table and it was already ready for us which made us really excited.

We started with their seasonal fruit salad which was really perfectly cut and prepared and tasted great! The fruits were sweet and it as just a nice summery treat!

Then, came the star of the show, our 3 tier afternoon tea platter with our dainty sandwiches on the bottom, scones in the middle and desserts on the top! It was as amazing as it looks!

The finger sandwiches was fresh and amazing! My favourite would be this little guy on the croissant and the smoked salmon sandwich. Everything was amazing – so it’s pretty hard to pick just one!

Then, the middle tier was the scones and those were absolutely amazing. With the fresh berry compote and devonshire cream, it was a delight! But, nothing beats my favourite tier, the desserts! The best dessert on this try for me was their Coffee Eclair.

We had such a great time here, instead of waiting 14 years before our next visit, we’re planning to make this an annual event as they do change up their afternoon tea menu – so it will never be the same!

Fairview Dining Room on Urbanspoon

Fairview Dining Room

111 Lake Louise Drive
Lake Louise, AB
(403) 522-3511

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Prince of Wales Afternoon Tea – Waterton, Alberta

Recently, during our stay at the Prince of Wales hotel in Waterton, Alberta, we sat down for afternoon tea in a beautiful dining room in the lobby of the hotel. The view could not be more spectacular as you overlook Waterton, and the dining room itself was beautiful with lots of history.

We were lucky enough to get a table by the window to enjoy our afternoon tea and the view. They had a few flavours of delicious Tea Forte teas and they steeped the tea in a specialize cup. It was just a fun experience with steeping tea alone. The teas were quite delightful as well.

This afternoon tea had a 3 tier tray which started off with dainty sandwiches, pastries, then some scones/biscuits and the topped with dessert. The food was plentiful and it was decent.

Overall, it was a wonderful and relaxing way to spend an afternoon in a beautiful place! The view was amazing, the service was excellent and the price wasn’t bad at $30/person for afternoon tea at such a location! It definitely was relaxing as they do ask you to turn your cellphones off or silent so it doesn’t bother others. Quite a nice treat!

Afternoon Tea – Prince of Wales Waterton Park

Glacier Park Inc., Box 33
Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta