Sandwiches and mini scones with fruit garnish
The 1910 Clubhouse of the We and Our Neighbors club (established in 1892!) was the scene of a delightful afternoon tea today–the first in what it is hoped will be an annual fundraising event for the club. Ten of us from the San Jose Tea Room Lovers Meetup, along with one guest, were in attendance.
Close to sixty guests at this sold-out event were seated in the two largest rooms which were separated by a huge pocket door opening. Every place setting included two party favors–a replica Victorian fan and a small gift box containing three individually wrapped Biscoff cookies, a tiny jar of lemon curd, and a raffle ticket for their drawing for door prizes.
After just a few minutes of introductory comments on the background of the club and house, the tea began with volunteers serving the plate shown above to every guest. The caterer was Paris Baguette rather than a tea room, the latter of which is more the norm at fundraising teas in my experience. This resulted in sandwiches that were overstuffed compared to those typically served by tea rooms. Of course, the flip side of this slight loss of daintiness was that the food seemed far healthier than most afternoon teas provide. Four overstuffed sandwiches plus a puff pastry filled with an herbed cheese spread constituted a good-sized quantity of protein!
The two mini scones were quite small, another plus for the tea’s healthful score. The only scone condiments available besides the tiny jar of lemon curd in each guest’s gift bag were a pat of foil-wrapped butter and a tiny jar of strawberry jam, both of which were part of each guest’s place setting. The lack of clotted cream and having to open one’s gift bag to get lemon curd were both less than ideal, but I was pretty forgiving after that superb quintet of sandwiches!
Each table of six guests was kept supplied with one large china teapot of black tea and another of decaffeinated tea.
The dessert tiers were less impressive than the individual plate of sandwiches and scones. The bottom tier featured overly large pieces of white cake with white frosting; it tasted fine but seemed more suited for a wedding than a tea party! The middle tier contained small fruit pastries, which again, tasted good, but seemed more like breakfast pastries than desserts. And the top tier featured purchased cookies–more Biscoffs plus Lorna Doone shortbread. All in all, the desserts were fine but uninspired.
One of our members was astounded with the quantity and quality of the food, given the $40 price ($41.59 with Eventbrite service charge). This price is in the lower end of our group’s typical afternoon tea costs, which range from $30 to $55.
Overall, this was a lovely afternoon tea fundraiser, particularly given that it was the first one that We and Our Neighbors has put on in recent history! The San Jose Tea Room Lovers Meetup will certainly be returning for their next tea, at least if the Meetup Organizer can manage to procure tickets in time!
| Ambiance | ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Service | ★★★★★ |
| Food Quality | ★★★★ |
| Food Quantity | ★★★★★ |
| Tea Quality | ★★★★ |
| Value for Money | ★★★★★ |
| Overall | 4.5/5 |
A Tea Room Lover Opines! 