This is just a “tea”ser….
“Teas” the season to try new things. And one such thing was experiencing the elegance and sophistication of a High Tea event.
At the recommendation of a friend, a tea time experience was booked at a local establishment called Tea with Kip for Valentine’s Day. Just judging by the outside of this small shop squeezed into the end of a strip mall, one might be surprised at its lavish interior. (My human mentioned that it reminded her somewhat of Dolores Umbridge’s office from the Harry Potter series, only without the underlying malevolence. And fewer cats.) Upon entering, she was immediately greeted with a warm hug by the owner and shown to her table. The rest of the party (excuse me, par”tea”) soon joined and tea orders were placed.
Now, those who know me remember my humble origins. I grew up a simple monkey lizard like any other. After spending so much time in the dumpster pile of Jabba’s palace (quite literally), I confess to feeling a certain….timidity at the opulence surrounding me. The dainty doilies covering floral tablecloths, the soft hues of pinks and creams, the patterned china with a variety of petite utensils (conveniently the perfect size for me!) In truth, I spent the majority of the time hiding in my bag with the occasional peek out into the tea room.
The girl, on the other hand, appeared to be more at ease and went so far as to fashion a persona for herself called Lady Rhomlizabeth, complete with wig, a white hoop skirt, gloves, and a parasol.
Unlike a typical cafe where the patrons come and go at their leisure, this High Tea was a structured experience lasting about 2 or so hours. A choice of teas was served for the entire table (blueberry was our favorite!) followed by either a cup of soup or a salad per person. Next, came a personal tier of an assortment of bite sized Hors d’oeuvres (cucumber cracker, chicken salad, etc.) and then the sweet finish of the dessert platter including a homemade scone, chocolate covered strawberry, brownie bite, and cookie. While the presentation was lovely and the careful thought and precision that went into it was appreciated, our small table did get rather crowded and there seemed to be a frequent shuffling of tea cups and saucers.
We were highly pleased and impressed with the dietary modifications that the staff was able to accommodate (even upon short notice as the girl decided that day that she was going to go dairy free). All of the members of our group had different dietary needs and it was interesting to observe the variety of offerings on each platter, even if we didn’t sample them all.
The pacing of the entire experience was relaxed and allowed for calm conversation and general perusal of the decor and small shop in between “courses”. The room was fully booked and all of the tea patrons seemed to have an enjoyable time. The portions, though small, were sufficient to constitute a meal all together. We thoroughly enjoyed satisfying our culinary curiosity with each item and were relieved to not feel overly full and pressured with large amounts. Sampler platters are the way! I have spoken….
Overall, the Lady and I were very glad to have had the opportunity to experience a High Tea. The staff was pleasant and helpful, the ambiance was attractive and exuded the kind of charm and hospitality of a bygone era, and the provisions were quite tasty. Would we do this again? Hmmm….perhaps. Not a fast “yes” but also not a hard “no”. While the girl did enjoy embodying the persona of Lady Rhomlizabeth, we both questioned whether this level of formality and decorum truly suits us at this time. She later admitted to me that her wig was painfully uncomfortable at times and it was rather cumbersome to navigate in her heavy skirts (though I did find it highly amusing to watch her attempts to fold her garb together taco style to fit inside her car). Should we return, it would be under slightly different circumstances and with more simplified attire. Is this going to be everyone’s cup of tea? Probably not. But you’ll never know unless you “chai”!
And so, we conclude another delightful Adventure of The Crumb! Sometimes the price may be “steep” but we are grateful for what this is “tea”ching us about ourselves. They say hones”tea” is the best policy. We won’t feel guil-“tea” about it. Tis a “brew”tiful journey. Tea pun. Tea pun. Tea pun. Okay, we’re done….
We’ll “tea” you next time.
(Yeah, we weren’t done.)
Written 2/20/26
The Adventures of The Crumb 