The Origo Club is a new restaurant in Richmond that specializes in French inspired cuisine. They now have an afternoon tea service which is offered on Fridays and Saturdays from 1:30-4:00pm, and on Sundays 11:00am to 5:00pm. There is a 2 hour limit for afternoon tea and they reserve the right to enforce it if they need the table. We would recommend calling ahead of time or using the OpenTable app to book your tea, just to be sure that you will be able to get a table. We attended this afternoon tea on Saturday, March 23rd.
Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten-Free options are not available for the afternoon tea. They suggest ordering something else from the menu and will not make substitutions.
You can view the menu by clicking here.
This tea costs $45 per person with an option to add Baron de Rothschild Champagne Brut for and additional $35 a glass. Needless to say, we skipped the champagne.
Drinks
“Afternoon Tea” Tea: A blend of green and black teas that was created for sipping along with sweets and savouries. I enjoyed this tea quite a bit, though it was too floral for Lily.
English Breakfast Tea: Lily ordered this and it was what she expected.
Honey Vanilla Chai Latte: This sounded so yummy that I had to try it as well. It was very delicious, sweet with a hint of chai spiciness. I would order it again. However, lattes are not included in the afternoon tea, so it was an additional $5.
Latte (Coffee): The latte was smooth, but not warm enough for Lily.
Savouries
Chou à la Mousse de Foie Gras choux pastry, foie gras mousse. The choux pastry was nicely executed, but the foie gras flavour was a bit too strong for us.
Tarte Forestière tart shell, mushroom, coppa, gruyère, egg, nutmeg. This was a delicious savoury with a strong mushroom taste, so if you like mushrooms, you will enjoy it.
Sandwiche au Saumon Sockeye white bread, smoked sockeye salmon, capers, crème fraiche, chives. This was our favourite savoury by far. The capers and salmon worked perfectly together, and the bread was moist and tasty.
Canard et Poire Pochée au Thym seared duck breast, thyme poached pear. This was our least favourite savoury. The duck was too gamey for our liking.
Scones
Scone au Beurre butter scone, served with butter and honey. The scones were fluffy and had a good consistency, but they lacked flavour. Possibly the addition of some fruit in the scones, or chocolate, or even just a bit more salt could improve the taste of these scones. Also, we do prefer to have jam and clotted cream with our scones.
Sweets
Coeur Noir dark chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, hazelnut crunch, raspberry jelly. This is a small but scrumptious dark chocolate delight that we thoroughly enjoyed.
Gâteau Opéra almond cake, chocolate ganache, coffee buttercream. The Opera Cake was well done and tasted fresh and creamy.
Tartelette à la Pistache tart with pistachio pastry cream, vanilla whipped cream, raspberry, crushed pistachios. We really like pistachios, so this tart was one of our favourites.
Gâteau Abeille honey mousse cake, apricot & passionfruit jelly, pistachio sponge cake, almond brittle, brandied raisins. This cake was excellent. It was a beautiful mixture of flavours.
Macaron (Matcha) The macaron consistency was very good, but neither of us love anything with a strong matcha flavour. We prefer it to be a subtle addition. However, if you love matcha you will like this macaron.
Biscuit Sablé à la Cardamome shortbread cookie with cardamom. Shortbread is one of our favourite kinds of cookies, so it is no surprise that we enjoyed this one.
Ambiance, Service and General Experience
Ambiance: The ambiance is very pleasant at the Origo Club. The music is instrumental and at a low volume, to allow patrons to have conversation. There is a hushed tone, most people are speaking quietly and this creates an atmosphere of calm and relaxation. The lighting is soft and appealing. The tables, fixtures and decor are beautiful and create a feeling or elegance.
Service: The service at the Origo Club was good. The servers were polite and helpful and they maintained a very professional demeanor. We were also treated to a few items “on the house”, including a Double Baked Almond Croissant, which was incredibly delicious.
General Experience: Though not the least expensive afternoon tea available, the Origo Club does deliver a delightful experience. The atmosphere is very pleasant, and the desserts and teas are tasty. The scones and the savouries are where the most improvements can be made. We would suggest less items with duck and more flavourful scones. If you live in Richmond or will be in the area, you will not regret checking out this afternoon tea.
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