Afternoon tea with DD#1: Ruelo Patisserie

I think it may have been Alice in Wonderland which influenced DD#1 and her fascination for tea parties. For the longest time, she has been doing her own interpretation of a tea party conversation (with whoever will play with her)—complete with British accent. So, one day, I decided to take her to have afternoon tea at Ruelo Patisserie.

No need for fancy dresses, hats, gloves or British accents, this experience was just a regular afternoon tea. First, they showed us a selection of tea (you can also choose to have just regular coffee, but why?) from small canisters you can open and smell. 

Tea selection at Afternoon Tea, Ruelo Patisserie

The selected tea was then served in a modern infuser teapot and glass cups. They were totally far from dainty teacups and saucers that one would imagine in any tea party. There was not even a saucer. The table was set with a paper napkin, small forks and small spoons. A single spreader was made available to share.

I would have to say that the Kusmi tea was good, though. Both DD#1 and I enjoyed it.

Afternoon tea at Ruelo Patisserie

With our tea, we got the following treats:

• Two scones with Devon cream and Kusmi jam
• Mini danish
• Mini Atlantic smoked salmon sandwich on a scone
• Italian prosciutto wrapped grilled pepper
• Mini shrimp salad sandwich served on a crispy crouton
• Daily quiche
• Macarons, crème brûlée, daily dessert

Afternoon tea tray at Ruelo Patisserie

The scones were really good and something I would probably order again. The cream and jam it came with were in a miniscule container—about the size of a tablespoon. Combined. Could someone be watching our diets for us? Did you see it hidden among the scones and danish? 

The rest of the finger sandwiches were just ok. I vaguely heard the ping of a microwave some minutes before our 3-tiered tea tray came out. Maybe it was an oven timer. Anyway, these sandwiches were not ENTIRELY bad, but nothing to call home about, either. Also, the tea tray plates were in plain white. And while not chipped (thank goodness!), did nothing to make us more excited about the treats they carried.

The macarons were good—this was a specialty of Ruelo, after all. 

Pistachio and Earl Gray macarons at Ruelo

But overall, as I was computing what each would cost, I was not really saving a whole lot with my Groupon. I do not think it is worth the regular price ($27.50pp), though. Oh, and you have to pay for tax and tip separately.

 A few important things to consider at the end of all of this: DD#1 had an amazing time, we were stuffed, the tea was good, and I did not pay full price. I spent an afternoon enjoying the company of my eldest and watching her enjoy her food thoroughly. When I showed her some pictures later on how High Teas looked like, she claimed that what we had was way better! So, add Graciousness to that mix of positives and I will say that this Afternoon Tea was well worth it!

Ramen series: Noodle soup always hits the spot: Touhenboku Ramen

Red spicy ramen at Touhenboku Ramen

Looking for a place to eat, one cold winter lunch, we saw Touhenboku Ramen at a complex in Richmond Hill. The thought of ramen hitting our bellies when it is minus 20 just drew us in. We didn’t know that this was a third location of a popular ramen house. We didn’t know that the founder trained in an actual ramen school in Chiba, Japan.  We didn’t know that they made noodles fresh, from scratch and with no preservatives or that their mizutaki broth is slow-cooked according to Japanese tradition.

But we found out that it was GOOD! They made the menu easy to follow, in steps, to guide any confused novice.  You get to select the broth—original, light, red (spicy) or garlicky. Then, choose your meat—chicken, pork, pork belly. They also have a vegetarian option. Then you can choose if you want thin or thick noodles. I couldn’t quite tell the difference. The girls got original (added $1.50 for miso seasoning which they love), chicken, thin noodles. Hubby and I got red broth but he picked pork shoulder while I got pork belly (yum). Grandma got her favourite garlicky broth.

Original broth with pork belly chasu at Touhenboku Ramen

The broth was just delicious. It was creamy and had just the right seasonings—like it was cooking for hours. The noodles had a good bite, not starchy and definitely not instant! The serving was not that big, though. So at $10.50 per bowl that was only about 2/3 full, this was not such a value meal. Yet, it was wonderful and service was good. They even had smartly-designed benches where you can keep your stuff. So, while we won’t eat there every day, we would surely return.

Garlicky broth ramen at Touhenboku Ramen

They have other items on their menu. I’d give their donburi a try when we come back. They also have appetizers (Izakaya) and desserts. I believe each location has its own character—with the downtown one having its own “noodle society.” But I am happy that even without a society, this joint is quite accessible. Now that we have found this place, it will not take another cold snap to bring us back.