Kelly's ParTea Room Afternoon Tea

    How long has it been since I had a three-tier afternoon tea?  It feels like years!  Afternoon tea is one of my favorite luxuries, and I recently got to go to a shop I've not been to before with my friend Kamiko.  She introduced me to this shop, who recently moved location.  It's called Kelly's ParTea Room.  We visited in late February.

    The owner is very kind and knowledgeable, and pays close attention to detail.  She even offered to swap out the set of dishes we had in order to match our clothing better!

Hearts Hair Clip: iColor
Cardigan: off-brand
Blouse: Little Dipper (taobao)
JSK: Angelic Pretty
Socks: BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT
Shoes: Secret Shop (taobao) I think?

    The three-tier set was NT$680/person with 11% gratuity on top.  There was a 10% discount at the time we went, however, so it was pretty nice!

 

    Kamiko and I chose the same tea, an Earl Grey with rose.  I normally don't care for Earl Grey tea, yet thoroughly enjoyed this one!  The flavor was not too heavy and the fragrance of the rose was beautiful.

    We were each given a regular teacup and then a smaller teacup.  This is normally so friends can sample each other's teas, but since we ordered the same tea, Kelly gave us a small pitcher of milk (on the plate with the doily) so we could try making our tea into milk tea instead!

    The tea was lovely both ways, though I did end up drinking the rest of the tea without milk to enjoy the original flavor.

    The three tiers of the afternoon tea were all amazing!  The sandwiches are cucumber and chicken flavor.   Since I do not eat chicken, Kamiko and I swapped sandwiches.

    The cucumbers are sliced very thinly so they are flexible and don't slide out of the sandwich when bitten.  They tasted fresh and the creamy spread was a good balance.

    The sliced bread had marinated tomatoes that are prepared at the shop itself.  There is a slice of camembert cheese under the tomatoes and a drizzle of vinaigrette on top.  I really really enjoyed the flavor of the marinated tomatoes!  Savory and tangy~

    The center tier is the scones!  There were four flavors so we each had two.  I'm not very knowledgeable about scones, to be honest.  I did enjoy these ones!  The inside was soft and not too dry or crumbly.  I sampled it with and without the cream and jam provided.

    My favorite tier is always the desserts tier!!  This one had Earl Grey cheesecake made with the tea leaves they use in-house. It tasted so good and the fragrance of tea leaves matched the creamy cheesecake base well.  It wasn't terribly sweet, so the toasted sugar layer on top was a great balance.

 The blueberry tart had really fresh and juicy blueberries!  I love berries.

    The powdered pink balls were actually a cookie!  I thought they were cream puffs at first, but it tasted like an almond cookie covered with raspberry powder.

    Kelly and the shopstaff were all super polite and explained everything in detail, which is why I was able to say so much about all the food haha!  They were so sweet!

    Kelly also let us take photos in the downstairs area, which was actually not fully set up yet from the relocation.  It has antique tea sets and tea goods as well as antique Alice in Wonderland things!  It is referred to as the "bunny hovel" because it's small and has a low ceiling. The decoration makes it seem cozy rather than cramped, however!

    Kelly actually told me to stick teddy into the shelf with all the antique Alice in Wonderland things.  I was so nervous about being too clumsy and breaking something!!

    When we got back upstairs, Kelly offered each of us a small glass of the rose soda, which is normally a drink you can order as well!  It is really good!  I'm not a big fan of bubbly drinks, so this small size was perfect for me!

    Though it was rainy, I felt warm and sunny inside after being able to meet up with Kamiko!  It had been maybe two or more years since we last hung out I think?

    Kelly's ParTea Room also offers classes on tea.  I believe there are also classes on literature of Alice in Wonderland as well.  It's definitely a shop opened with a lot of love, and a wonderful experience!

What is your favorite snack to have with tea?  If I'm not having a full afternoon tea like this, I like to have something like cookies that are not too sweet, or melon seeds.  We used to have melon seeds and some other Chinese style snacks for our tea time when I was growing up so it's nostalgic.