Afternoon Tea / High Tea at Le Parloir Tea Room, Montréal

I spent a whole week in Montreal, more than enough to review all the proper afternoon teas served in the city (a total of 3 as of today). Last but not least, I will finish this series of articles with the Le Parloir tea room afternoon tea:

Pour la version française, cliquez ici

Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

Afternoon Tea / High Tea / Service de Thé at Le Parloir tea room, Montréal, Canada (Map)

Overall mark : ★★★★★

Afternoon tea price: 26.50$/person (excluding taxes)

Tea refills: Yes, 1 choice per person; Food refills: No
(4.50/6.50$ for an extra teapot if different sort of tea)

Opening hours: From 11 am to 9 pm from Saturday to Wednesday from 11 am to 9 pm Thursday and Friday (closed on Monday)

The Setting ★★★★★

This tea room is located right in the heart of Plateau Mont-Royal and a five-minute walk away from the eponymous subway station.

The interior decoration is so nice that you may feel like you’re in England. There are many tables of various sizes and plenty of space between them so you’ll never feel cramped. It’s exactly the kind of place where I could stay for ages even while on my own, simply sipping tea and eating delicious food.

Salon de Thé Le Parloir Tea Room, Montreal

The Tea & Beverage Selection ★★★★★

There are 19 teas to choose from (6 green teas, 7 black teas, 1 oolong tea, 1 white tea and 3 infusions), mainly sourced from Camellia Sinensis and the Metropolitan Tea company. The excellent reputation of these suppliers is already a solid indicator of quality.

This large choice of loose-leaf teas is among the strongest aspects of Le Parloir tea room. It is even possible to smell each tea one by one as they are brought in a small metal case. The owner is very knowledgeable about each tea and will happily issue some recommendations, should you need help for choosing.

Vintage teacup / Tasse de thé – Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

Tea menu / Carte des Thés – Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

Metal tea boxes / Boîtes à thé métalliques – Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

The brewing technique is worthy of the leaf quality: teas are brewed in a cast-iron teapot (see above) and are brought with an hourglass to control the strength of the infusion. The teacups are very cute and wouldn’t feel out of place in an actual British tea room.

I especially recommend the “Oolong Blue Spring” (brilliant), or the “Kenya green Chapchorua” (powerful taste!) and the “Matcha kawa” (see below) for the most adventurous souls.

Cast iron teapot and hourglass / Théière en fonte et sabliers – Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

Matcha kawa – Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

Teapot & teacup – Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

The Savouries ★★★★★

The savouries are as tasty as they appear to be. There are five savoury bites which will all be a delight for the gourmets:

Smoked salmon, cream cheese and Aneth sandwich ♥
Cucumber and cream cheese sandwich
Foie gras canapé topped with cranberry chutney
Ham and butter sandwich
Confit duck toast topped with fig jam ♥

The devil is in the details and it’s the small things that make the savouries shine: the cranberry on the foie gras or the fig jam on the duck. Food wise, this is the best part of Le Parloir afternoon tea.

The Savouries / Le Salé – Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

The Scones ★★★★☆

Our scones were served with two delicious jams (strawberry and raspberry) along the obligatory Devonshire clotted cream. It is quite unusual to get proper clotted cream in Canada (as it’s often replaced by sweet cream) so I’m sure afternoon tea purists will appreciate that.

The scones are not served separately so they will be cold if you start with the savouries. It’s possible to order some to take back home, should you wish to enjoy your scones in the comfort of your own home.

The Scones & Toppings / Les Scones & Garnitures

Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

The Cakes & Sweets ★★★★☆

Each guest is served with 4 sweets to share. It’s better to go to Le Parloir as a group in order to try out several cakes and sweets, in the spirit of the English afternoon tea:

Vanilla & Passionfruit crumbled Pannacotta (in a glass)
Pistachio Macaroon
Litchi & Raspberry Macaroon (now replaces by strawberry and lemon)
Raspberry tart ♥
Lemon & poppy-seed tart
Earl Grey and Coffee chocolates

While not quite as good as the savouries, the cakes & sweets were tasty and beautiful. I especially enjoyed the raspberry tart, while the litchi and raspberry macaroon disappointed me due to its artificial flavour (it has now been replaced by strawberry and lemon macaroons).

Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

Tha Cakes & Sweets / Le Sucré – Afternoon Tea at Le Parloir tea room / Afternoon Tea au Salon de Thé Le Parloir

Service ★★★★★

Service is perfect. The owner is nice and knowledgeable (both about tea and food) and provides excellent recommendations.

Le Parloir tea room opened up 3 years ago and enjoys a well-deserved reputation. It may be busy on weekends or booked for private events, which are always announced on Le Parloir’s Facebook page. I recommend booking, as always.

Below is a video detailing the contents of the afternoon tea (in French):

Conclusion & Overall Mark ★★★★★

Le Parloir tea room serves the best afternoon tea in Montreal, all criteria considered. The teas are excellent, the food is delicious and the English tea room atmosphere is perfect.

I especially recommend it for lovers of tea and savoury food, as this is where Le Parloir afternoon tea shines brighter than its Montreal counterparts.

+: The English tea room atmosphere
+: The tea selection
+: The food
+: The service
+: Best afternoon tea in Montreal

-: That pink macaroon

Facebook

Phone number: +1 514-596-2205

Address: 4354 avenue Christophe Colomb, Montréal, Québec H2J 3G5, Canada

Pour la version française, cliquez ici