Followers of my blog would know that I love tea and I love macarons (why else did I name my blog Macarons and Mischief?!) Both of these edible cravings can be solved at The Urban Tea Merchant, located in Downtown Vancouver. I was recently invited to try the Sakura Tea Service; it’s a beautiful ensemble of food that fits the spring season perfectly. Prepare to have a feast for the eyes!
Instead of a traditional three tier tea service, The Urban Tea Merchant’s Sakura Tea Service is spread out the sweets and savouries on a large glass platter. The vibrant colours already draw my attention, let alone it being food, which makes it extra captivating. And if you do not know yet, The Urban Tea Merchant is a carrier of luxury tea, TWG Tea, and the kitchen incorporates tea-infused food for their tea services. To infuse teas with food items is extremely creative, think about all the different flavours you can get with the same food, just depending on what sort of tea it is blended with!
The teas that I was introduced to complement the meal were: Geisha Blossom Tea, Sakura! Sakura! Tea, and the White Spring Tea. The Sakura! Sakura! Tea is one of the limited edition Haute Couture teas at The Urban Tea Merchant. It is a blend of cherry blossoms (yes, they’re edible!) and green tea. The White Spring Tea also contains cherry blossoms, but it is a white tea (using tips of Yin Zen white tea). Yin Zen tea is extremely luxurious and one of the most expensive and high grade white teas, due to the fact that only the top buds are plucked to make this blend. The Geisha Blossom Tea is a blend of green tea and southern fruits. The most aromatic tea out of the three was the Geisha Blossom, as when the teapot was set down, I could smell peaches.
The savouries have a few of the original customers’ favourites as well as some new bites. The miso-maple glazed sable fish in butter lettuce, “Dignitary’s Tea” chicken cone, and the smoked salmon ribbon with ponzu jelly have been reintroduced into The Urban Tea Merchant’s tea services because they are too delicious to leave it out. Out of the many times I’ve been here (if you seen my instagram, I have quite a few of pictures featuring the tea services,) the quality has never wavered.
The miso-glazed sable fish is my favourite out of the three; each layer of the sable fish is so soft and buttery, it instantly melts in my mouth. The smoked salmon ribbon open faced sandwich contains wasabi aioli, which adds a good kick in flavour combined with the smoked salmon; I find that it tastes exotic. And also, if you ever had chicken and waffles; they’re a mouthwatering dish and the “Dignitary’s Tea” chicken cone is a miniature size of something in that fashion. Dignitary’s Tea is a black tea blend that has a earthy, smoky aroma.
Other savouries (that aren’t always available!) include the “Red Chai” beef carpaccio with horseradish foam and the “Singapore Breakfast Tea” seared tuna tataki. As a foodie, I am a bit abashed to admit that raw looking meat isn’t my thing, but these savouries were anything but. My steaks and beef are usually at least medium rare, so it was a surprise to me how much I liked the “Red Chai” beef capaccio. I suspect the touch of horseradish foam helped mask any raw flavour, but it was quite decadent and gone in a bite. The “Singapore Breakfast Tea” seared tuna tataki is eaten like a wrap; the tuna was fresh; the seaweed and onions gave it a light crunch.
There’s no tea service without sweets, and macarons! The assortment of desserts included TWG Tea macarons, “Sakura! Sakura!” dessert sushi, “Matcha Nara” madeleine, and “Rum Tea” pecan tart.
The macarons at The Urban Tea Merchant are one of my favourite- they have perfect feet that bubbles and doesn’t stick out of its shape. The shells are smooth top and bottom, and there is a good proportion of shell and filling. Lastly, they’re airy soft. The two flavours I had was “Bains de Roses Tea” Macaron and “Lemon Bush Tea” Macaron.
I didn’t snap a picture of the “Matcha Nara” madeleine, but it reminds me of a light green tea cake. I could eat it for breakfast or dessert! A newly crafted dessert is the dessert sushi that is infused with “Sakura! Sakura!” Tea. I thought the concept was cute, creative and fits in with the theme of the tea service. The rice used in the sushi is cooked with condensed milk and on top of it is jelly. The rice was stiff and dense; it felt glutinous when I took the first bite, and then it disintegrated into a powdery texture.
On the other hand, the “Rum Tea” pecan tart was full of buttery goodness and chewiness and there was no sign of any brittle bits. I also liked the cape gooseberry garnish, although my boyfriend thought it was too sour for his liking. However, those who love sour flavours and citrus notes, hooray!
Besides afternoon tea services, The Urban Tea Merchant is also a retail store. You can purchase its deluxe teas by the gram or in tins, perfect for a gift! There’s also fancy saucers that would be a warm addition to any home.
Macarons, that are shipped from TWG Tea in Singapore, can be purchased individually or by box as well.
The full menu of the Sakura Tea Service ($38 per person) can be viewed online here.
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