I had such high expectations for afternoon tea at Potpourri of Silk, and I left very disappointed…read more If you enjoy a traditional afternoon tea that includes finger sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, and delicate sweets with pots of well brewed tea, you may want to skip this place.
During our reservation we were the only table for tea. The staff were preparing for a private event later in the day. Service was friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Everyone we talked to was absolutely lovely. The restaurant itself was very cute and elegantly decorated. I have zero complaints about either of those things. The service and atmosphere were top notch.
The problem was the food and the tea. For the tea, the loose tea was steeped in the tea strainers set over the cups and did not arrive brewed in the pot. Our server poured hot water over the tea at the table and set a timer, then when time was up we lifted the steeped tea leaves ourselves. I do not prefer this method of making tea, it means each cup needs to be individually steeped which is annoying and time consuming, and each cup is weaker than the one before it. You also do not get to select your tea - they offer two teas - one for each part of the experience and each had sweet fruity element that might not be to everyone's taste.
As for the food, I was excited to try the chef driven offerings, but I was left very disappointed. To start we got a cup of autumn broth and what they called a scone. It was two very thin layers of somewhat biscuit like bread filled with apple butter and apple slices and was topped with torched cheddar. This was OK, but not what I would consider as a scone course, and it arrived first, not after the savory course. Next, we were served a kale and pumpkin puree salad with quinoa and feta with a granola on top. This was tasty, but an odd paring with the sweeter flavors of the tea they paired with it.
From here, things took a left turn. I can't be sure, but many of the items we were served felt a bit stale or dry as if they were prepared the day before. One item - a foccacia with pumpkin hummus - was so dry I couldn't finish it. Other items - the pear and gruyere tart and a small pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting - were very tough and unpleasant to eat. There was no actual sandwiches, just the foccacia with hummus, a dry cornbread wedge with butter, and the pear and cheese tart on the tea stand.
To finish, we were served a creme brulee that was overcooked and grainy. The flavor was delicious, but the split texture of the custard made it unpleasant to eat.
Overall, I saw the chefs vision for the fall themed tea, but the execution was poorly done. Perhaps it was a bad day, considering they were preparing for the private event, but for the price paid I won't return.
