I find it quite ironic that after spending just over a decade living in Britain, it is here in NYC that I have had my first experiences of the supremely British tradition of taking afternoon tea. This tradition suits me so well, and warms me up (not just in the literal sense) so much that I want to share my experiences with all you so-rushed-off-your-feet-that-you-may-be-looking-for-a-way-to-rediscover-tranquility-without-going-to-yoga New Yorkers, and all you British who have only experienced tea in the "good ole cuppa" format. I adore both yoga and a cuppa, but let me tell you, taking afternoon tea is my new novelty past-time -- not to be confused with high tea, which is a different ceremony altogether.
I first googled afternoon tea when my sister told me that she and my parents had taken high tea in London and enjoyed it enormously. (Just a little aside regarding googling -- yelp.com is a new brilliant discovery for me!) At the time, I was looking for something unique and romantic to do for the man that I am dating. His birthday was coming up, and I really wanted to introduce him to something he wouldn't yet have done in NYC, and I thought that having some sort of tea ceremony (he loves tea) may be the ticket. As I researched, I found many interesting tea places, but nothing quite fit the bill. They were either too cutesy, or didn't serve enough food, or served enough food but didn't have a large enough tea selection, or were totally out of the way (my second surprise was a murder mystery scavenger hunt at the Metropolitan Museum in the evening and I didn't want to venture out too far from the area. The scavenger hunt was so awesome, I may need to write a blog about it). I am a notorious stickler when it comes to making plans, and if I was going to experience afternoon tea and treat my beau to it properly, it was going to be exactly what I wanted, dammit. I have tendency to stray from the mainstream, and as I looked at menu after menu of traditional afternoon tea, I wasn't quite sold, and felt as if there was just a little something lacking. Thanks to yelp.com, I eventually found a place right in midtown Manhattan called Radiance Tea House. It is not an old-fashioned English tea shop, but a contemporary Chinese tea house, and their afternoon tea menu is an Asian take on a British tradition: dumplings instead of finger sandwiches, mochi instead of cake, and edamame instead of clotted cream! WOW! My date and I both love Asian dining, and so this looked just perfect, with the right amount of uniqueness, AND the tea menu was HUGE.
I booked us into afternoon tea a month in advance (I told you, I am a freak when plans have to be made) and decided to give Radiance a test run one day when I was not on a schedule and in the mood to enjoy my book over a nice pot of luxurious tea. Author C.S. Lewis said, "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me," and he expresses my sentiments on books and tea precisely. It had been awhile since I'd had the time (and attention-span) to get lost in a good book in between perfect sips of tea, and I was so excited to return to that inner-nook of comfort and solitude. My experience at Radiance was absolutely delightful. I walked out of the noisy, determined city into a room where the pressures of time and agendas were forgotten, or, at least, temporarily ignored, and was immediately greeted by a waitress whose smile was as genuine as it was broad. I ordered a pot of Taiwanese Oolong tea called Golden Lily, which they served with a little green tea digestive biscuit for me to munch on while I was waiting for my food. The tea is sipped from these adorable little glass cups, and they give you enough tea leaves for as many brews as you like, though even I, who can consume copious amounts, only needed one pot during my meal. To eat, instead of having the afternoon tea menu, I ordered a la carte and had a rice box, which came with your choice of 3 different rice balls. I chose wasabi shrimp (what a kick!), spicy salmon (wrapped in soy paper, yum!), and sour plum (wrapped in nori seaweed and absolutely gorgeous). The box also included a side salad that came with HOMEMADE FROM SCRATCH dressing which was delicious. Yum yum yum!!! Every bite and sip was like discovering a whole new joy each time! For dessert, I ordered the mochi platter which came with your choice of 5 different flavors, and I picked honeydew, lychee (which had actual lychee bits inside!), taro, black sesame, and green tea, the last being my favorite and one of the most intense and unique tastes I've ever experienced. The mochi was also made from scratch, and I daresay it was the best mochi I've ever had, and I've had alot of mochi in my day!
I was absolutely stuffed after dessert. I was full of rice and tea and joy and niceties and homemade goodness. Gosh, was I CONTENT. I absolutely couldn't wait to come back for my afternoon tea date (so obviously I went back TWO MORE TIMES before my date and keeping my discovery a secret from him was a challenge!) and walked out of my little oasis not with a bounce in my step, but rather a sway in my stride -- and a halftime sway at that. I felt a physical manifestation of "inner-peace;" that feeling that you have in your muscles after a great massage is what I felt on the inside and for the rest of the day I just sort of floated around in my little glowing bubble of harmony.
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea," (Henry James, "Portrait of a Lady") so if you find an hour or so when you have some time to relax, or you are looking for an excuse to catch up with a good friend, or even just catch up with yourself, then I hope my musings will inspire you to treat yourself to take afternoon tea. Okakura, Japanese scholar and author of "The Book of Tea," said, "Tea is a religion of the art of life," and don't we all deserve a bit of time to ourselves to indulge and worship our own personal art? I say, YES! Let's sip!
copyright (c) 2010-2011 Celia Mei Rubin
