To celebrate Lunar New Year, one of Vancouver's top-tier destinations for traditional afternoon tea has a special new themed offering.
Notch 8 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver always goes all out for its themed tea service, and the Year of the Dragon is no exception. The tea room is beautifully lit and decorated for the occasion, with red paper lanterns and plenty of gold accents, all cherished symbols to ensure a prosperous new year ahead.
The immersive tea experience features a selection of Lot 35 custom tea blends, as well as scones with jam and cream, including a special Almond Cookie scone that is the perfect nod to the beloved post-meal sweet.
Rather than a traditional tea tower of plates on a metal frame, the Lunar New Year tea comes with sweet and savoury courses laid out beautifully on a duo of stacked woven basket-style trays.
There are no cucumber sandwiches here; instead, guests can nibble on a feast of flavours with bites like a Shrimp & Egg tart with a fiery chili kick or a mini scallion pancake topped with duck confit. A turnip cake is adorned with briny salmon roe, and there's a flaky puff pastry filled with chickpea keema.
The standout savoury is a chilled char siu pork belly sandwich on soft white bread with pork floss. It's so tender and packed with big, bold, comforting flavours.
The treats (which are fortunately very easy to take to-go, since you can easily feast to fullness on the scones and savoury bites alone) feature a visually stunning array of options, including a sesame macaron, a fruit tart, a matcha and red bean opera cake slice, a "Dragon Ball" creme puff, and a coconut pandan Swiss roll. Of course, don't forget the lucky red envelope filled with gold (in this case a chocolate gold coin).
The iconic Vancouver hotel's Lunar New Year Afternoon Tea kicked off on January 4 and is available through February 25, with service Wednesday through Sunday (and including the holiday Monday, February 19). Seatings are available at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and the tea is also available to-go.
Afternoon Tea is priced at $69 per person; a special modified Children's Tea is available for guests 12 and under for $34.50. Notch 8 can accommodate dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free) if the restaurant is informed at the time of booking in advance of the reservation.
Video: Year of the Dragon Afternoon Tea in Downtown Vancouver
@forkingawesomevia One of my favourite restaurants for Afternoon Tea in Downtown Vancouver has gone all out for Lunar New Year. An elegant and tasty way to welcome the Year of the Dragon. 🐉🫖 #forkingawesome #vancouverbc #afternoontea #yearofthedragon ♬ Daisy Lofi - fiksiadit
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