If there’s one iconic site in Québec City, it’s Le Château Frontenac, the luxury hotel perched smack dab in the middle of Old Town. And where there’s a hotel that elegant, there’s a good chance one of my favorite things will follow: afternoon tea, of course!
Upon arrival at the Frontenac, we made our way to the tea room, which overlooks the city’s main square. With light streaming in and a great view of the visitors and street performers on the bustling square below, it was a lovely spot for a tea.
Out came our tea and tea tray, loaded down with all the traditional favorites. The tasty, warm scones came with Devonshire cream, marmalade, and jam:
The savory bites included several tea standbys, but many with a twist: a cucumber sandwich with pickle mousse and crunchy radishes, a cream pie with a slice of smoked salmon, a salty tart with shrimp, yellow beets, and turmeric mousse, a smoked ham with sprouts and green pepper brie, and – my favorite – a fun blue cheese lollipop with caramelized macadamia nuts:
For sweets, the selection was vast: a miniature Battenberg cake (my favorite!), a sugar pie with crispy meringue, a pistachio and raspberry Financier, a dark chocolate dome atop a vanilla pear compote, a verrine with cranberry mousse, strawberry syrup, and tonka beans, and a maple butter cookie (how Canadian!):
It wasn’t the most creative tea I’ve been to, but everything was done so well: flavorful sandwiches, beautiful sweet treats, and a very elegant setting in which to enjoy it all. Overall, it was a lovely and pleasant afternoon in Québec!
