Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Fairmont Empress

Victoria, BC, Canada
January 3, 2009


The background:  A friend had gotten married in Seattle over New Year's, and I'd decided to take the opportunity to make a trip of it.  I drove around the Olympic Peninsula - perhaps not the wisest choice, given the weather, but that's another story - and took a day off to make a day trip to Victoria, BC.  Getting off the ferry, the customs agent side-eyed me.  "Why are you traveling today?" she asked.  "Just visiting," I said, perhaps a little too gleefully.  "Visiting with whom?"  "Um... a hotel?  Sightseeing," I corrected.  After asking for my year of birth (in a tone that indicated she thought I was grossly lying about my age), I was allowed entrance to British Columbia.

Our party: This was a solo trip.


What I wore:  As I was headed up to the snowy tundra of Canada, I wore skinny jeans, a white wool sweater, knee-high black suede boots, and a scarf that managed to match the upholstery.  Most people were dressed slightly better than I was - men in suits and women in dresses, or nice slacks - but I think I pulled it off.


The building:  the outside of the Empress is gorgeous - ivy-covered brick with a sharply peaked roof.  It overlooks the harbor, and is one of the main sights as you sail in or out.  Inside, the stained glass window give it an English feel.


The space:  I was seated in the Tea Lobby, by a window overlooking the harbor. The color scheme seems to be designed around the china. Tall white columns punctuate the space, coffered ceiling with rose and slate accents.  My chair was upholstered in a pale red and gold brocade.

The entertainment: If I remember correctly, a pianist was playing.  There might have been a harp.

The service: Maybe it was because it was my first time taking afternoon tea at a fancy hotel, alone, at that, but the service at the Empress stood out to me.  My server stopped by to pour on a regular basis (but not so often as to be annoying), and offered to take a picture of me when he saw my camera sitting on the table.

The tea set: Incomparable, really.  The teacups are the hotel's exclusive pattern, produced by Royal Doulton.  They were designed for a visit by the Queen of England, and are perfectly suited to make you feel just as royal.  They sell the pattern in the gift shop; if I were rich, I would return just to buy it.  My only complaint is that the plates don't match the cups and saucers.  Their pretty blue pattern looks rather plain in comparison.  Tea is served  from silver pots on silver trays.

The savories: were amazing.  Hands down, my favorites so far.  A smoked salmon pinwheel on brown bread, mango curried chicken on wheat, mushroom pate and a fresh cherry tomato half on crostini... even the cucumber sandwich was somehow different - I seem to recall horseradish cream cheese.  Everything was tasty, nothing was repetitive, and each sandwich stood out compared to those I've had since.

The scones: Golden raisin scones served with strawberry jam and Devonshire cream.  Good, serviceable, but the sandwiches remained the stand-out for me.

The tea: The Empress Blend.  Quoting the website, "The Empress blend is a selection of seasonal, quality teas, created exclusively for The Fairmont Empress by the Metropolitan Tea Company. With components from Assam (thick malty and full bodied), Kenya (floral-like flavour and a golden coppery infusion), South India (superb fruity and sprightly flavour), Ceylon (airy, almost piquant flavour), and China (burgundy depth with light oaky notes), it is truly one of the finest blends in the world."  It was an excellent, comforting choice for a wintery day.  At the end, I was given a box to take home.

The sweets:  Loved the shortbread.  The lemon curd tartlet was good, if not exciting.  The battenburg cake - eh.  I vaguely remember something chocolate being rather heavenly, but honestly, but this point, I had to ask my server to box up what was left.  I enjoyed nibbling on it back in my Port Angeles hotel room later that night.

Extras:  I did not go for the champagne this time round.

The damage:  I went in the low season, so the price was under $50 CAD.  Currently, it will cost you $48.95 or $59.95 CAD, depending on the time of year.

What next:  I combined my trip to Victoria with an excursion to Butchart Gardens.  To be fair, it was the middle of winter, with a foot or so of snow on the ground, but I was underwhelmed.  I was glad I did the gardens before tea, as tea at the Empress ended up being one of my favorite experiences of the entire trip.

 

If you're doing a day trip to Victoria, you can set sail from Seattle, or from Port Angeles.  Seattle's sights are fairly well known, while Port Angeles' are well know to a certain subset of girls in their teens and twenties.  The town is right down the road from Forks, of Twilight fame, and makes a great base for visiting Olympic National Park, the beaches, and the rest of the Olympic Peninsula. 

 
This is what it looks like.  Really.

While in PA, I stayed at the Best Western Olympic Lodge, which I would definitely recommend. You can even eat at Bella Italia, the same restaurant where Bella and Edward had their first date.  My love for Twilight is purely ironic, but my enjoyment of their tortellini was entirely in earnest. 

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