DT Bistro - Afternoon Tea

Beautiful pastry/dessert counter

DT Bistro is a wonderful little patisserie and lunch/dinner spot on Harbord Street in the Annex.  Simple yet elegant decor, it's a lovely spot for catching up with friends, a leisure meal, or just dessert and tea.  I had gone to an event here many years ago and had always wanted to come back.   A couple of weekends ago, I finally did for afternoon tea and my friends and I had a wonderful time!

幾個周末前, 我終於拜訪 DT Bistro, 喝下午茶.  大家都吃得非常暢快!

Ordered the Crown Ceylon tea.  Light astringency so I didn't need any sugar or milk.

Started with the savory items at the bottom tier and the mushroom soup was recommended first since it was warm...rich and full of flavour, loved it.  

$30 per person, minimum 2 persons for afternoon tea

The spring rolls and mango salsa was balanced and the smoked salmon croissant was so flaky and good.

The braised short rib, tender and with a spicy kick to it.

Scones were light and buttery...and ohhh the devonshire cream, heavenly!  Lemon curd and house made jams were also enjoyable.

Goat cheese onion confit crostini, good strong flavours.



Top layer was a variety of desserts we shared.  Enjoyed the raspberry macaron and the tiramisu in chocolate cup; nice and light.

We all were completely stuffed!

Service was so patient as we had several questions, took a while to decide, and some of my friends ended up ordering other items besides afternoon tea like desserts from the display case or brunch items. (They raved about the Veal Curry and the Ahi Tuna Sandwich.) I thought it was also good that they also do a half-tea option where you only get the desserts if you're not a big eater, but I would really recommend the whole afternoon tea as the savory items were all flavourful and well made.  When we also left, there was another table that forgot their leftover dessert and the server ran outside after them!

Quite the enjoyable afternoon!

Ceiling decor, stunning!

First floor seating area

There were also these fruit shaped marzipan creations.  So cute!  I bought one for a friend's party we were going to that night.  Contains walnut and sugar, unfortunately I don't know how it tasted.  

DT Bistro
154 Harbord St.
Toronto, ON M5S 1H2
T: 416-916-8155
www.dtbistro.com

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!

Fahrenheit Coffee - For Tea and Baked Goods?

Fahrenheit Coffee
120 Lombard Avenue
Toronto, ON M5A 4J6

Who goes to a popular coffee house and orders tea?!

Me...(I say quietly)
Well, I was actually looking to have a ginger molasses cookie.

Huh?!  (Would be the response of most people.)

Yes, I've been seeing ginger molasses cookies at a lot of cafes and started to have a craving.  I tried to bake some in the morning, but I'm either a truly bad baker or the recipe I found online was not quite right...

Anyway, I wanted a cookie and of course going to a coffee house, it seems a little weird to just buy a cookie so I ordered a drink.  I wasn't in the mood for something strong like coffee so got a Sencha Tea Latte.  The milk was nice and foamy and I really enjoyed it (the tea was okay too). But, don't expect any latte art, cause well, I don't think it can be done in tea.  Overall, a nice beverage.

This makes me want to buy my own milk frother, the expensive over a hundred dollar kind.  It's actually been on my wish list for some time, but it is another gadget I just don't have the space for...and let's face it...I'd probably only use it a few times a month.

So, aside from the tea latte, I got a scone.

What?!  Thought you were looking for a ginger molasses cookie?

Yes, well, they ran out when I went (I hear laughter somewhere)...so since I was in the mood for a baked good, I got a white chocolate cranberry scone.  Not much white chocolate but very buttery!  It's quite different from other scones I've had in that the texture is different and it seems double baked.  Before they served it to me they also heated it up in their oven which was nice.

Space is small so this is not a place to linger/chat/work.  Maybe during off peak hours you can stay a bit to chat especially since there are a few items that are only served in-house, but this is more of a to-go kind of place.  Baristas are nice and you do feel like they want to be there.

Although I didn't get the coffee, looking at other people's drinks, they look well made.  If you like tea lattes, this is also a good place to go.  Ginger molasses cookies...I'll have to let you know another day.

  

 

Scribbles in Hong Kong - Tiny tea shop with amazing iced masala chai

As you can probably tell, I'm trying to post about my vacation to Hong Kong before too much time has passed.  Especially about trekking up hills just to get to a tiny tea shop that had the best iced masala chai I've ever had!  Really small but cozy place, serving up some flavourful teas!  (The menu might have changed since I was there but I think this place deserved a write-up.)

Teakha tea shop (and zakka store) was our destination, located in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.  Be prepared, getting there from the MTR required walking up some steep streets!  The owner, from reading her blog has put a lot of thought and effort into designing and promoting her tea shop.  Some of her inspiration comes from her travels and she has created a really nice little shop that embodies a slower pace to life set in the fast paced world of Hong Kong.

Shop B, 18 Tai Ping Shan Street, 
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong 

http://teakha.com/

Outside

Inside

Baked goods counter

Tea cannisters

The menu is small but with a nice variety of teas.  Some breakfast and lunch options are also available.

Tea menu

Small seating area - I was sitting at the other seating area which was a communal table.

The best iced masala chai I've tasted so far!  It was really flavourful and well spiced, not the bland cups you often get in most places.  It also had the right balance of milk nor was it watered down.  I don't proclaim to be an expert in masala chai but I think this was quite stellar.

Iced masala chai

Lemon iced tea

Since we came all this way, I tried a scone, the strawberry basil one sounded interesting.  It was different than other scones in texture as it was similar to a muffin scone hybrid.  The strawberry flavour wasn't as strong as I expected but there was some basil you can detect.  Overall, not bad and you get a discount when ordered with a drink - definitely a sweet deal.

Strawberry basil scone

Interior decor - retro and clean

The back or side - seems like there are folding chairs

So, if your in the area check it out.  This was my first time to this area in Hong Kong and it was definitely an area with less tourists and more of a local feel.  Here are some pics of the area.