Afternoon tea or high tea is a tradition originating from the English elite. Today, a number of five-star hotels and pastry shops offer high tea between 3:00 to 6:00 as a means to bridge the long hours between lunch and dinner.
High tea usually consists of tea served with milk and sugar, sandwich, scones, quiches and cakes. It is accompanied by a generous serving of butter or margarine and jam. I invited my sister for high tea as she has been requesting it for some time. When she saw my food pictures when I had high tea at Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake, she immediately wanted to try this "fancy meal" for herself. Too cute! I quickly browsed online and saw that Ruelo Patisserie offers Groupon coupons for their high tea. For the price of $27.50, you can avail of their tea for two (originally a $50 value). I bought a coupon for me and my sister, hoping to use it that weekend. However, this was the start of the mildly annoying experience I had at Ruelo. Their customer service is severely lacking! When I phoned for my reservation for the North York location, the lady who took the call was less than enthused to book my reservation. Me: Hello, I'd like to use my Groupon coupon for high tea this Saturday. Ruelo: Sorry, this Saturday is fully booked. Me: Okay, how about on Sunday? Ruelo: Fully booked as well. Me: (slightly irritated) Why won't you tell me which days are available so I can book my reservation accordingly? It's as if they don't want my business at all. When I finally settled on a date and time, the lady told me that I have to send them an email to confirm my reservation! I asked her shouldn’t this phone call suffice? She then informed that it's their policy to have customers email their high tea reservations. After I ended the call, I immediately sent Ruelo an email informing them of the date and time of my reservation. Three days passed and I still didn't receive a reply. So I phoned Ruelo again to inquire whether they receive my email reservation. Ruelo: Which email address did you send it to? Me: [email protected]. That's what's on your website. Ruelo: Oh, that's actually incorrect. You should send it to [email protected]. Me: How would I know that? It's not on your website. Ruelo: The person who initially took your order should've given you that information. Me: Ugh! If you can deal with Ruelo's poor customer service without your blood pressure rising, you will be rewarded with their delicious high tea. The Groupon deal includes: • Two scones with Devon cream and Kusmi jam • Mini danish • Mini Atlantic smoked salmon sandwich on a scone • Italian prosciutto wrapped grilled pepper • Mini shrimp salad sandwich served on a crispy crouton • Daily quiche • Macarons, crème brûlée, and two daily desserts • Coffee or Kusmi tea Also, as a tip for those who want to go to their North York branch, it's best to Google the exact location beforehand. Nestled between industrial warehouses, it's neither the usual nor the ideal place for a patisserie to set up shop. Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed our high tea! Check out some of the photos my sister took for her Instagram:
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AuthorThe Toronto Traipser aims to explore the vibrant city by indulging in its many sights, sounds and flavours. Archives
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