NOT GLUTEN FREE: As a Christmas present, my son made us (he & I) a reservation for the Gluten Free Winter Magic High Tea for December 30th. We both have Celiac Disease and eat out extremely rarely, so I was looking forward to it SO much. He took time off work, and I drove from Coquitlam. I was so excited for this experience!
When I arrived I asked the server to please remind the kitchen to be careful when plating our gluten free treats, to avoid cross-contamination. She was very polite, but a little unsure about the kitchen's practices and said she'd check with her manager to make sure everything would be okay.
Unfortunately she came back and told us the manager said everything would definitely be cross-contaminated because in their very small kitchen they prepare the gluten-containing foods and "gluten-free" foods at the same time, on all the same surfaces, in the same cookware & pans, with the same utensils.
This was disappointing and really alarming because the menu clearly advertises "Gluten Free Winter Magic High Tea" with no disclaimer or any indication that all the supposed 'gluten-free' foods are in fact NOT gluten free since they are definitely heavily contaminated with gluten. If I hadn't spoken with the server (that is: if I'd trusted the website), both of us would have become very sick.
The server was very apologetic, and I felt awful that she was put in a situation that seemed quite uncomfortable for her. The manager should have come to our table and handled this herself, but she did not. I asked the server if we could at least be compensated with a pot of tea. She again went to check with the manager, who STILL didn't come out, but at least did 'okay' complimentary tea for us.
The place is a lovely spot, nicely decorated, bright & airy, with beautiful looking goodies served on lovely tiered plates. The Butter Tart and Vanilla Almond tea we had were both delicious. Our server was a nice young lady willing to do her best to accommodate us, and two other servers came by to top up our teapots with hot water, so I will say the wait staff and tea are great (I did tip our server).
BUT: it's just crazy that the manager couldn't spare a moment for us to deal with this situation which NEVER should have happened; the website falsely - and dangerously - advertises "gluten free" but takes ZERO measures to ensure the safety of those foods and for that reason I advise avoiding this spot on principle, if not for one's actual health & safety. NOT GLUTEN FREE read more