This is the first time that we have attended tea at The Secret Garden. This review is based off of a visit we made in August 2018.
They offer regular high tea ($35), gluten-free high tea ($40) and they have vegetarian options. As usual, if you would like a specialty option I recommend calling ahead, so that they have time to make accommodations.
Their high tea menus change seasonally, so be sure to check the menu before booking. We received the August/September high tea and it was delicious. We will definitely be back to try their upcoming menus.
Click here to view the August/September menu.
Drinks
Hannah chose the Secret Garden’s Secret listed as their “Bestseller!”. It has notes of Vanilla and a “secret sweet ingredient”. It was definitely sweet and delicious. I will be ordering this next time!
Carmela chose the Iced Creamy Earl Grey listed as “Bright and refreshing. Simple syrup is available to sweeten your tea if desired.” She did not add the simple syrup and she did not enjoy it. I would suggest adding the syrup if you want to try this option.
Diego chose the Lavender Earl Grey listed as “French Blue Lavender joins with Earl Grey.” He enjoyed it very much.
Miranda’s choice was the Organic Creamy Earl Grey with bergamot and vanilla. It was the quintessential cup of creamy earl grey and we all agreed it was tasty.
For myself, I went with the Plum and Cottage Pear. It was very fruity and had good flavour. I added cream to make it smoother.
In general, all of the hot teas that we tried were shared around the table and we were impressed with their pleasantness.
Scones
Each person received one small fruit scone (ours were cranberry scones) and two pieces of tea cake (blueberry). The vegetarian option was the same. We all enjoyed the scones, we especially enjoyed the added flavour from the coarse sugar on top. However, I particularly enjoyed the tea cake. I love sweet loaves, so that isn’t surprising!
Savouries
The savouries were very small, almost “mini” savouries. However, each person received multiples of each one. Altogether, it was quite a filling amount and we enjoyed the ability that the small size gave us to trade for our favourites with others at the table.
- Secret Garden Egg Pinwheels: These were mostly a traditional egg salad sandwich in a swirl shape. I enjoyed them, though some at the table enjoyed them less.
- Harvest Pea and Beurre Blanc Shrimp Salad on Mini Croissants: These were delicious in every way.
- Smoked Turkey Cobb Salad on Himalayan Sea Salt Buns: Universally loved by the entire table. The Sea Salt Buns were a big hit.
The vegetarian options were also well liked by Hannah.
Sweets
- Tangy Mini Lemon Tart: Fresh and tasty. A perfect summer sweet.
- Apple Pie Cupcake with Sour Cream Frosting: This was my favourite and I could have had a few more, they were so scrumptious.
- Decadent Milk Chocolate Cheesecake: These were a well executed staple of afternoon tea sweets.
The vegetarian sweets were the same and Hannah enjoyed them thoroughly.
Ambiance, Service and General Experience
Ambiance:
The Secret Garden Tearoom is a bright and airy space with lots of windows and natural light. It has a refined old world charm with a dash of shabby chic. In general, it is a very nice place to have tea.
There were a couple details that could be altered to add to the experience. The chair covers on the seats where we were sitting need to be changed, as they all had multiple tea stains on them. Also, when one of the staff cleaned a nearby table, she sprayed cleaner with quite a wide radius, and it hit some of the people in our party.
Service:
Our server was very good. She was personable and had a pleasant demeanor. When Carmela told her she did not enjoy her iced tea, the server presented her with many options to replace her choice and insisted on making her happy. We were also greeted pleasantly when we arrived and seated right away, even though we were early for our reservation.
Facilities:
The bathrooms were clean and accessible.
General Experience:
Overall, all of us had a wonderful time at The Secret Garden. We were impressed with the taste of the food, the portions were ample and the service was good. At $35 a person, it is a good value for money. I would definitely recommend this tearoom to anyone looking for a pleasant high tea experience with family or friends.
A few more pictures:
