If a very cozy afternoon tea is what you're after, you might prefer Chelsea's Gerry & Isobel's or The Tea Party in the market. The Chateau is perfect if you feel like a bit of a production-when you want a luxurious fuss made over you or if you are marking a special occasion. Although the official dress code is casual, Zoé's atrium with its high ceilings, giant picture windows, huge crystal chandeliers, potted palms, and tinkling piano creates an atmosphere of formal comfort-after all, the place is named after Sir Wilfrid's wife. And the white-gloved, charm-schooled wait staff presiding over the silver and porcelain at your linen-draped table, attentive to your every need, will certainly make you feel pampered.
Obviously it isn't cheap. But if tea prices seem a little steep (no pun intended) at first, you'll soon see you get what you pay for.
I was initially tempted by the Champagne Tea's delicious bubbles (Moët & Chandon Blue Label Nectar Impérial) and extravagant hors d'oeuvres (for example, Yukon gold blini with Québec Sturgeon Caviar), but in the end the Canadian High Tea won me over, as it did all four of us.
True to its name, high tea was definitely a meal in itself. We selected our preferred loose tea in an elaborate tableside ritual with Benoit, our "tea sommelier" (I played it safe and boringly chose a Darjeeling
Next came our cheese plates: wooden boards holding generous portions of velvety Sir Laurier, five-year-old Balderson white cheddar, and Ontario borgonzola (a soft blue cheese), with some Carr's water crackers and fresh green grapes. (It was at this point we realized we probably wouldn't be needing dinner later on.) While we were still nibbling away at the cheese, out came the three-tiered trays of the more traditional tea treats.
We started at the bottom tier, sampling delightful little open-faced sandwiches: Nova Scotia lox and cream cheese on tiny bagels, Canadian beef tenderloin with horseradish and cornichon on a little rye cushion, and fresh fig with Ontario chèvre. Next up were plain and blueberry scones served with Devonshire cream and wonderful strawberry preserves. I slathered both toppings on generously, resulting in a very tasty bite, although I'm sorry to say the Scone Witch's are better.
We could only manage one or two dainty forkfuls by the time we got to the top tier's rich pastries, a high-end Nanaimo bar, a meltingly sweet maple-mousse cake, and a maple wafer (yes, three pastries per person after all that other stuff!). I was tempted to ask for a doggie bag, but it seemed a little déclassé.
Our conversation tapering off and the pots of Lady Grey, etc. nearly empty, we reluctantly started to think about leaving as we saw the streetlamps flickering on outside-we had been there for 2-1/2 hours!
I can't think of many nicer ways to spend time or money, and I have a feeling we'll come up with an excuse to do it again sometime soon.
ZOÉ'S LOUNGE FAIRMONT CHATEAU LAURIER, 241-1414 AFTERNOON TEA (RES. REQUIRED) MONDAY-FRIDAY, 3 TO 5:30 P.M. SATURDAY-SUNDAY, 2 TO 5:30 P.M. TRADITIONAL: $24, CANADIAN: $32, CHAMPAGNE: $49
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