Afternoon Tea at The Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver

While I was in Vancouver at the end of November, enjoying all the Grey Cup festivities with the Roughrider Pep Band, I took time out to go to afternoon tea with my friends Jason and Kaori. They recommended that instead of the usual, traditional afternoon tea experience, we try afternoon with an Asian twist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. I'm glad to have had the experience (and especially to have had the time with Jason and Kaori), but afternoon tea at The Pacific Rim doesn't measure up to the exacting standards set by many places.

Afternoon tea at the Pacific Rim is served in the lobby, as is appropriate, and is served on low tables in a pleasant setting. Unfortunately, the remainder of the lobby has tiled floors, and the overall ambient noise level is far too high for a relaxing afternoon tea. Also, as I entered the section set aside for afternoon tea, it was clear that we were going to be seated at a large square table and that others would be joining us and sharing the table, something I have never experienced before. My guess is that many people would prefer that setting because it was near a huge fireplace; but I prefer the intimacy and quiet of a smaller, non-shared table, and asked that we have a private table to ourselves. The server immediately complied with the request.

After Jason and Kaori arrived and were seated, the server presented us with a box of about sixteen different teas to choose from. Jason and Kaori had little difficulty finding teas that they wanted, but I was at a loss because there was no lapsang souchong tea in the box. The server knew little about tea, and in fact had to ask for help when we couldn't read some of the fancy labels because the calligraphy was too ornate.

After much discussion and investigation, we were able to determine that the BC Forest Tea was a smoky tea that might be similar to my favoured lapsang souchong tea, and I ordered that. I was delighted with it. It was smoky but not overly so.

The server was quite content to pour the hot water into the heavy iron tea pots and walk away from us, but I asked that the tea not be left to steep too long. She said it should steep for 15 minutes, but then checked the label and saw that the BC Forest Tea should steep for only a few minutes, lest it become too bitter (just like lapsang souchong tea). In fact, I find that far too many tea servers don't realize that tea shouldn't steep so long and don't understand how bitter tea can become if it does. Maybe they expect us to mask the bitterness with milk and sugar, but those things just adulterate the flavours of teas in my opinion. Another negative: we had to request additional hot water several times because the server was quite unattentive; and heaven forbid we be offered fresh tea leaves.

The food portion of the service began with a small plate containing one small scone apiece for Kaori and me (Jason ordered sashimi since he was on a zero-carb diet). The scones were not very good, which is too bad, since they should be a major part of a proper afternoon tea. They were small and dry, and there was only one per person (with no replacements offered). However, the clotted cream was superb. Kudos to the Pacific Rim for getting that right.

When we had finished the scones, a serving tray with sandwiches and desserts was presented. It was a two-tiered arrangement with sandwiches on the bottom and desserts on the top. 

As you can see, the "sandwiches" were quite different from the usual afternoon tea sandwiches. There was the standard egg salad on white bread, and there was chicken but it was on focaccia. The remaining sandwiches seemed more like sushi than sandwiches to me: crab on rice, wrapped with cucumber; shrimp on rice; tofu on rice, wrapped with seaweed; and raw tuna on rice. They were all interesting and, for the most part enjoyable. But I felt slightly awkward eating some of them:

The desserts seemed rather standard. As I expected, I quite enjoyed the tart, but the others were good, too, and seemed relatively fresh.

Overall, as I said at the outset, I am glad to have had the experience of this variety of afternoon tea. This, despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of sushi or sashimi. The B.C. Forest Tea was superb, the sandwiches were .... well ....  interesting; and the desserts were good.

For me that major disappointments were that the server didn't seem to know as much about tea as she should and even seemed a bit resentful of my requests for more intimate seating and for more information about the tea. Also, the scones were downright pathetic. And, finally, I have given up expecting that places in Canada will offer additional scones or sandwiches with their afternoon tea.

If you are looking for something quite different from the standard afternoon tea, you might want to consider the Pacific Rim. But I doubt if I will go back before trying other places in Vancouver.

- - - - - - - -

My previous reviews, ranked in order of preference:

      These three were superb. Highly recommended:

• The Four Seasons, London, England
• The St. Regis Hotel, Houston, Texas
• The Lanesborough, London, England
  

Those in this large middle group ranged from very good to just okay. I would consider returning to them, but those in the upper portion of the list were significantly better than those in the lower portion of this section:

• Claridge's, London, England
• The Dorchester, London, England
• The Ritz, London, England
• Brown's, London, England

           ----------

• Scolfe's Tea Room, Boreham Street, England (superb, but not really afternoon tea)
• The Pump Room, Bath, England (also superb, but not really afternoon tea)
•  The Windsor Arms, Toronto, Canada
• The Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, British Columbia (this review)
• The Saskatchewan Hotel, Regina, Saskatchewan
• The Boathouse, Guelph, Canada
• The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne, England 
• Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Canada

These next two were unacceptable:

• The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath, England
• The Queen's Hotel, Portsmouth, England

 

Comments

[Jason]

I heartily agree with all that I can. I expected it to be much better. Still, my sashimi and shrimp were delicious! But like you, there are many more places I will go to before heading back.

[Kaori]

I totally agree with you. Scone was so tasteless and tiny. I liked the focaccia sandwiches. But I was very excited and happy to chat with you and that's the most important for me. I can't wait to see you and try other places again. Or I would rather serve you Afternoon Tea myself!

[matthew carnaghan]

Ever been to the Empress in Victoria for tea?

I have the opportunity to move from Victoria to Regina. What are your views on Regina?

I enjoy your blog.

[EclectEcon]

No, Matthew, I haven't been to the Empress, yet. If I'm ever in Victoria, believe me that will be on my to-do list!

I really like Regina. I've visited here for a year and a half and have lived in the south end both times, not far from "The Ledge" aka the legislative building, and a couple of miles from the university. The trees along so many of the streets are gorgeous, the walks along the river and lake are beautiful, and the city is alive and active. The main drawbacks are (1) housing prices are sky-high due to the boom in demand (oil and potash) and (2) winter. The winter can be bitterly cold, and the city has absolutely no idea that spending a little money on snow and ice removal from the side streets might be a good thing.

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoy the blog. I'm hoping to do more writing for it after exams are marked and I become unemployed .... 8-)