Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Afternoon Tea @ The Matsuri Tearoom

It's been awhile since I've been out to afternoon tea at anywhere special.  While I was looking up places for a fabulous afternoon tea experience, I stumbled across the Matsuri Tearoom in Mong Kok.  It was praised for their wonderful maid service.  Yup, a made service!  Doesn't that make you want to check it out yourself?

At first I actually booked an afternoon tea session with Cafe Matsuri, which, I believe, is just another branch of the Matsuri Tearoom.  The day that we went, the Cafe called and notified us that there wouldn't be any maid service available.  It was a Tuesday.

So, they transferred our reservation over to the Matsuri Tearoom, which is only a few blocks away.


Cafe Matsuri Location
Room 44 Hang Lung Mansion
578 - 580 Nathan Road
Mong Kok 

Matsuri Tearoom Location
Shop 3, Ground Floor New Man Lee Building
1 - 7A Kam Fong Street
Mong Kok

NOTE:  It's easiest to get to the Matsuri Tearoom by exiting from Yau Ma Tei MTR Exit A1.  Walk in the direction of Mong Kok along Nathan Road.  You'll pass Hamilton Street and Dundas Street.  When you see Soy Street, turn left.  You'll be walking past a bunch of iron bar and equipment shops before hitting Kam Fong Street.  The Matsuri Tearoom is just at the corner of Soy Street and Kam Fong Street.

Contact Information
Tel. 9417-3354


NOTE:  Tea service begins at 3pm on weekdays and 2 pm on weekends.

When we entered, we were humbly greeted by a pair of maids.  They were so polite and so accommodating.  Their only request was that we didn't take photos of them. 

They recommended the scone set, which included:
1.  A tea of your choice
2.  Two scones of your choice


The Matsuri Tearoom is comfortably small.  Everything is so delicate and precious!  If you are looking for a great place to just spend time drinking tea with your friends, this is a great place.  It reminds me of movies where little girls would play "teatime" with their friends.  This place has that type of feel.


Though the tearoom is located in the oddest of places (amongst construction, plumbing, wiring, electrical, and whatnot type of shops), it has quite a lovely view of the surrounding areas.  It makes entering this little Tearoom all the more special.


Some of the great little details that I liked about my experience here are the bells that the maids gave us to ring.  If we wanted their attention or a refill on our tea pots, we would give our bells a little ring and they would be at our side in a second.


The scone options were also really unique.  I got an Earl Grey flavored scone and one cranberry scone. I loved how they came in little baskets.


I got an Earl Grey tea, which was loose leaf…


And my tea pot came with its own little cozy.  I think that it was meant to keep the tea warm, which it may have done…but, my tea cooled off after an hour, which is totally to be expected!  I didn't mind though because we could get hot water refilled into our pots.


We all got different tea cups and saucers, which I thought was such a lovely detail of the Tearoom.


The Review:
1.  Presentation (5 out of 5)  I liked the simplicity of how our scones and toppings were presented to us in little baskets.  I liked how everything was also quite dainty. 

2.  Taste (5 out of 5)  I feel like you can never go wrong with a scone.  It was pretty good.  It tasted like what Earl Grey Tea and Cranberry.  The tea was also quite good.

3.  Service (5 out of 5)  The maids were every so nice.  They even helped us take photos when we finished our tea service.  It felt like a photo shoot.  They would tell us to move over a bit, adjust the flowers in the background, and take multiple shots.  They were really a nice pair of women we had on this day.

4.  Atmosphere (5 out of 5)  It was quiet!  I loved it!  But, it wasn't too quiet where you felt awkward to speak.  It was a really pleasant environment.

5.  Return-ability (5 out of 5)  This place is so affordable.  It is in such a great location as well.  I'll definitely return!