HIGH TEA AT FAUBOURG

A lovely cup of “Provence” Green Tea/Vert Provence


In the heart of Kerrisdale right across the street from the Starbucks, there is a relatively new little patisserie called Faubourg.   When I walked down the south side of 41st  one evening on the way to dinner a few months ago, I noticed the patisserie and took a mental note to come back for High Tea.   The display window was quite enticing.  Usually, my favourite place to have High Tea in Vancouver is at The Secret Garden, which is a hop and a skip away—located on West Boulevard.  I go to The Secret Garden at least 2 times a year and now that my daughters are older, I intend to go more often.  Often though, you’ll find nary a male in this store.  It’s very proper and very English and your pinky just automatically starts to stick right up as you sip tea from your beautiful fine bone china teacup. 



This new little shop called Faubourg has much going for it.  It was jam-packed and there was a lineup for seats.  The queue was beginning to snake down the long hallway towards the back of the shop.   On a sunny Saturday afternoon at 12 pm, patrons were eating gorgeous baguette, munching on burnished flaky croissants, tucking into artful sandwiches and sipping foamy lattes.   Get this: there were just as many men dining here as women.  It is no Secret Garden.

The High Tea service is located in a different section of the shop, closer to the kitchen beyond the cafe which is situated at the front of the store.  When you enter the shop, the pastry counter up front is gorgeous and expansive-- showing off the miniature edible works of art that the kitchen churns out of the bright white kitchen.  The feeling of Faubourg is much different than The Secret Garden.  Faubourg is more bistro/patisserie/cafe and its feeling is more casual. You won’t find many blue-haired grannies here.  It has an upscale urban decor and the furnishings are elegant and chic.  The pastry counter has clean lines and if you head off to the back, past the washrooms, you can view the bakers through a large window looking into the clean, modern kitchen.  I was impressed.  It felt like France.  I like.  You know I’m always on the lookout for a recreation of what I ate while I was in France. 

The High Tea menu allows for two major choices:  for small or large appetites.  You know me…go LARGE or GO HOME!
The “Pink Afternoon Tea” (large) for $25.50 includes:

Sandwiches:
Smoked salmon and wasabi cream/Saumon Fumé à la crème de wasabi
Chicken, apple. country ranch dressing/Poulet, pomme fruit et sauce herbes aromatiques
Cucumber, roast beef. coriander cream/Concombre et rosbif sauce crème coriandre
Scones served with cream and jam/Scones à la crème fraiche et confitur

Pastries/Assortiment de pâtisserie:
Fruit Soufflé
Mini  lemon tart/Mini tarte citron
Mini  Opéra
Chocolate mousse/Mousse au chocolat
Parfait
Pastry chef’s suggestion/Suggestion du chef pâtissier
Your choice of tea/Votre choix parmi notre sélection de thés

I loved all the sandiches and my favourites of the pastries were the mini Opera, the airy warm fruit souffle, and the lemon meringue tart.  The little tart had the meringue as the filling inside the buttery shell and a dome of yellow lemon curd resting on top.  It was upside-down! Loved it!  My buddy doesn’t like chocolate (she says she prefers KitKats!) so I had her share of the chocolate desserts.   She thought the scone was the best she’s had.  It was melt-in-your-mouth and speckled with poppy seeds throughout accompanied by a tiny sealed jar of fine apricot preserves and clotted cream. Yum.

For smaller appetites, there is the “Purple Afternoon Tea” which is $16.oo and includes:
Choice of two of the sandwiches/Choisissez deux sandwiches parmi la sélection
Scones served with cream and jam
Scones à la crème fraiche et confiture
Your choice of two pastries/Deux patisseries au choix
Your choice of tea /Votre choix parmi notre sélection de thés

I enjoyed the atmosphere of Faubourg and will definitely come back again to try the sandwiches and coffee. 

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