Review: Afternoon Tea @ DEQ Terrace Ritz Carlton, Toronto

The Bottom Line

Great for celebrating a special event with your favourite person. A very elegant affair with plenty of food to satisfy all ages.

Overall rating

• Overall rating: 5/5

Time to Spend

• Budget: 2 - 2.5 hours

Recommended Set

• The regular tea set is sufficient in my opinion.  I'm not sure if paying the extra money for a glass of champaign is worth it (unless it's for a special occasion of course!)

DEQ Terrace

We headed downtown to the Ritz Carlton for high tea one windy Sunday afternoon. Never one for valet parking (or valet anything really, never liked the idea of people serving me other than bringing me food at restaurants), I opted to park at self-park lot across the street at Metro Center. It was Sunday, so the flat $10 flat was pretty good for downtown indoor parking.

DEQ Terrace is located at the back end of the hotel, past the reception area. Our reservation was for 3:15pm, and when we arrived, the place was somewhat full. As this was a special occasion, for my mom's birthday, we had a special table away from the rest of the guests. Guests celebrating an event also have a pair of balloons tied to their chairs, which was a nice touch.

We were presented with the tea set menu, which was really just for choosing the option of bubblies. $40 for the regular tea set, $50 with a glass of sparking wine, $56 for blush sparking wine, and I presume $69 is for an even more expensive glass of bubblies. I wanted to treat my parents, so we opted for the $56 menu for my mom, and the $50 menu for my dad. I had the regular tea set.

After taking our orders, we settled in and had a chance to look around. The tea area is clean and well structured, with a bar in the middle.

Our very elegantly dressed server came, dressed in a black dress and a string of pearls, just like in Breakfast at Tiffany's, and presented us with a tea box with 12 different kinds of tea leaves, and proceeded to explain to us the selection as well as her recommendation.

After spending some time playing around with the various tea boxes and opening them up and sniffing each  of the samplers, we decided on Oolong and a fruity Celebration medley for me.

Our first dish was a warm bacon and cheese soufflé. It was warm, fluffy, and oh so delicious. I probably devoured it in two large un-ladylike bites. The fact that I woke up late and skipped breakfast might have something to do with my hunger. 

Next we were presented with a beautiful oriental-style round rack with various savoury pastries on them. There was a curry mini burger, an egg salad sandwich, tomato bruschetta, cucumber slice open top sandwich, and a salmon croissant. 

I found most of the bread to be a bit on the dry side, but loved the salmon croissant. They were pretty to look at, and I suppose decent enough in taste.

Next we were presented with a dessert tray, again with all sorts of petite goodies on them. Red velvet cupcake, lemon meringue tart, profiteroles, tiramisu, raspberry macarons, and raisin scones.

I had so eagerly devoured my savoury treats that by this time, I was getting full, and I could tell the same with my family. We all just sat there and stared at these beautiful treats in front of us, each silently wondering if we could possibly finish them all.

Tried as we might, we just couldn't touch them. Not wanting them to go to waste, we had more than half of them doggy-bagged, and the result was that I could thoroughly enjoy them at the comfort of my home, when I was actually hungry and could enjoy them. I must say, those raison scones were delicious.

Our total bill with tax and tip came to about $250 for 4. It's a bit on the steep end, but considering the elegant environment and the exquisite care that had obviously gone into making these treats, it was money well spent. Most precious of all, seeing my mom from ear to ear the entire time.  

Tips

• Make a reservation in advance. You will need to complete a form (with your credit card information) to confirm. Cancellations within 72 hours will be subjected to a penalty.
• If you're there to celebrate an event, let them know in advance and there will be balloons waiting for you when you arrive.  :)
• Don't be embarrassed to ask for your treats to-go if you can't finish them. They will pack it up for you, no problem.

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