Afternoon Tea at the Gryphon d'Or Tea Room, Montreal

I may have gotten addicted to high teas in Hamburg, but my very first ever experience of afternoon tea was in Montreal at the Gryphon d’Or tea room in 2012. I started this blog a year ago and so was quite impatient to review the Gryphon d’Or tea-time five years on, so here we go:

Cliquez ici pour la version Française

Freshly bakes Scones (served warm)

Toppings (butter, sweet cream, marmalade, fudge, jam and lemon curd)

Afternoon Tea / High Tea
Gryphon d’Or tea room, Montreal, Canada (Map)

Overall mark: ★★★★☆

Afternoon tea price: 25$/person (including taxes)
Cream tea price: 15$/person

Tea refills: Yes; Food refills: No

Opening hours: From 12 pm to 9 pm during the week
From 10 to 6 pm on weekends

The Gryphon d’Or Tea Room Setting ★★★☆☆

I’ll say it straight away: the place itself does not look very glamorous. Nothing is reminiscent of a proper tea room, at least by English standards.

There are board games and the tables are big enough to play, which is pretty good!

Salon de thé Gryphon d’Or tea room, Montreal

The Tea & Beverage Selection ★★★★★

There are 12 teas to choose from and guests may try out several of these, as is usually the case in England (while most Canadian venues only allow for a single choice of tea). The flexibility and variety of the afternoon tea menu is among the Gryphon d’Or tea room’s strongest points and that’s how is differentiates itself from other high teas in Montreal.

The tea quality is excellent and each tea is prepared at the right temperature. I recommend the “Mango chai” to people who enjoy black aromatic teas. I found it most excellent.

There is also a service station from which all customers can help themselves with tea and coffee. It’s generous and highly appreciated!

Salon de thé Gryphon d'Or tea room, Montreal

The tea selection / Sélection des thés

The Savouries ★★★☆☆

The savouries are quite nice but also average: cucumber sandwiches, egg sandwiches and salmon blinis. The latter felt quite dry, as if something was missing (a drop of lemon perhaps?).

The quantities are generous and they whole taste good despite lacking in originality.

Savouries (Salmon Blinis) / Le salé (Blinis au saumon)

Egg and Cucumber sandwiches / Sandwiches aux oeufs et aux comcombres

Gryphon d’Or Montréal Afternoon tea / Thé de l’après-midi

The Scones ★★★★★

Food wise, this is the best part of the Gryphon d’Or afternoon tea. The scones are brought separately so they are nice and warm, while so many tea rooms mistakenly bring them along with the savouries and the cakes. However, the scones were brought first, although most people would rather ask for them after they’re done with the savouries.

Another strong aspect is the choice of toppings: butter, sweet cream, marmalade, fudge, jam and lemon curd. The whisky, orange & peach marmalade is heavenly, as is the lemon curd. Conversely, the jam and the cream are a tad too sweet.

Scones

Toppings (butter, sweet cream, marmalade, fudge, jam and lemon curd) / Garnitures (beurre, crème sucrée, marmelade, caramel, confiture et lemon curd)

The Cakes & Sweets ★★★★☆

There is a good choice of afternoon tea sweets: Lemon cake, Shortcake, Pecan cake, Chocolate cake and a small Beer glass filled with cream & red fruits.

I especially loved the beer glass dessert as it tastes good and looks cute. The chocolate cake was too sweet and creamy for my taste though.

The Cakes & Sweets (Lemon cake, Shortcake, Pecan cake, Chocolate cake and a small Beer glass filled with cream & red fruits) / Le Sucré (Gâteaux au citron, Biscuit sablé, Gâteau à la noix de pécan, Gâteau au chocolat et une Petite Pinte à la fraise et à la crême)