Urban Tea Merchant Festive Tea Service-2

The Urban Tea Merchant has become one of our favourite spots to relax over a pot of TWG tea and delightful plated savouries and sweets. Tucked away in a little courtyard off the busy downtown Vancouver streets, their tea room makes for a pleasant afternoon or weekend city escape from the shoppers making their way along the Georgia and Burrard corridor.

Urban Tea Merchant Festive Tea Service-1

Once seated, the hardest choice will likely be what tea to order! There’s a wealth of teas that are added seasonally, all for sale in the front in some of the most colourful, original tea packaging we’ve seen in a long time.

Urban Tea Merchant holiday tea selection
[The Urban Tea Merchant: TWG holiday teas]

Before you pass on yet another holiday indulgence, consider that The Urban Tea Merchant chefs create artfully-presented, tea-infused works of art that invite winding down and conversation rather than your quick grab-and-go scone and coffee elsewhere.

Urban Tea Merchant Red Christmas Mocktail
[The Urban Tea Merchant Red Christmas Mocktail]

The Festive Tea Mocktail is served in a rooibos rim-decorated champagne flute, a concoction that includes concentrated Red Christmas Tea, minced ginger, sparkling apple cider and sparkling water.

Urban Tea Merchant Festive Tea Service

This begins the three-tiered celebration, brought to your table with a pot of selected tea (add $30 for Veuve Cliquot champagne or $12 for LaMarca prosecco).

Urban Tea Merchant foie gras mousse on Christmas Lights Tea cracker
[Foie gras mousse on Christmas Lights Tea cracker]

Prepared to be wowed with foie gras mousse on a Christmas Lights Tea cracker, Imperial Lapsang Souchong Tea-infused chicken salad pressed into a black sesame basket, smoked salmon rosettes with wasabi Sencha Tea creme and ponzu gel and Wagu carpaccio with Dignitary’s Tea dijon aioli, brioche and smoked maldon.

Urban Tea Merchant smoked salmon rosette, wasabi sencha tea creme, ponzu gel
[Smoked salmon rosette, wasabi sencha tea creme, ponzu gel]

Here, every dish on the menu is infused with a TWG tea that aids in pairing with TWG’s tea collection.

Urban Tea Merchant Festive Tea savouries

PEI-born chef Richard Charron previously worked with The Urban Tea’s previous Chef Nathan as Sous Chef and has since been promoted to the Executive Chef role.

Urban Tea Merchant Festive Tea sweets

Desserts are no less impressive, from the strawberry dome with creme anglaise and candied pistachio accents to TWG’s famous tea-infused macarons (in this case, Matcha Green). The freshly-made scones are accompanied by the most delicious Victorian clotted cream and 1837 Black Tea jelly.

Urban Tea Merchant Christmas Lights Green Tea
[TWG’s Christmas Lights Green Tea]

Tip: We highly recommend the Midnight Hour Tea (officially launching for Chinese New Year) with the savouries and Christmas Lights for the sweets.

If you’re in need of a tea break, also consider stopping in to sip one of their Christmas Tea cocktails and mocktails to pair with a tea-infused dessert or other afternoon tea service.

Urban Tea Merchant Festive Tea Service-7 Urban Tea Merchant's Red Christmas rooibos tea
[TWG’s Red Christmas Tea]

Children 12 and under can enjoy tea with the grownups. Sugar Plum Tea Service comes on a ‘petite’ three-tiered platter with tasty tea sandwiches (e.g. Nutella and jam), sweets and a fresh scone with jelly and devon creme. Tea choices include kid-friendly Rooibos teas such as Red Christmas or Creme Caramel Teas!

Urban Tea Merchant Festive Tea Service-8

Find The Urban Tea Merchant at 1070 West Georgia Street in Vancouver. Outside their normal opening hours, The Urban Tea Merchant is open for Christmas Eve, 9 am to 5 pm and New Year’s Eve, 10 am to 5 pm; closed on both Christmas and New Year’s Day.

No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.