High Tea at the Fairmont Laurier

“What are those rocks?” said my nine-year-old cousin, poking the contents of a stainless steel bowl in the middle of the table.

“Sugar,” said my aunt. “It’s meant for putting in your tea.”

“Can I eat them?”

“No.”

Table manners aside, afternoon tea at the Fairmont Laurier Hotel was the perfect finale for our day trip to Ottawa. We sat by a window in Zoe's Lounge, beneath a sparkling chandelier, and had our hot water poured from a silver urn. I chose the Orange Spice tea, a zesty and powerful blend suitable for cheering up even the most exhausted of summer tourists. My father chose Lapsang Souchong. "Tastes like smoked salmon," he said. (Coming from him, a descendant of Baltic Sea fishermen, that's a compliment.) My aunt chose Earl Grey, with perfectly calibrated amounts of milk and sugar. My cousin ordered a pot of hot chocolate, which was served with whipped cream in place of a lid.

We ordered the full Chateau Laurier Tea Experience: scones with jam and clotted cream, finger sandwiches, macarons and cake. "Classic," was my father's verdict. "Not too adventurous." (That's also a compliment.)

My aunt, who had never heard of clotted cream, picked up a tiny portion with the tip of her knife. Her eyes lit up. 

For my part, two days later, I'm still daydreaming about the lemon poppyseed chiffon cake. If the name makes you think of smooth and delicate layers, you're absolutely right. The layers consist of cake, raspberry jam, and the finest possible sliver of vanilla pudding. 

"Pink cookies!" said my cousin, and proceeded to set up a brisk trade across the table: sandwiches, scones etc. in exchange for our macarons. The small sizes of the food made it ideal for trading. 

"Look at this," said my father. "We're wheeling and dealing here!"

"Salmon roll for a lemon cake?"

"Sure."

(Photo by Dirk Peters.)

If I had to rack my brain for something less than perfect, I'd say it was the waiting time. To be fair, though, we did arrive twenty minutes before our reservation. Also, my cousin objected to the frosting on his cupcake - he found it impossible to bite through - but that may have been fatigue.

The Fairmont Laurier has always had a reputation for being inclusive as well as beautiful, ever since its construction in 1912 (see this article in the Ottawa Citizen). When it first opened, rooms cost $2 a night, which amounts to $50 in modern currency. That may have been the reason they let us in, even though one of us (yours truly) was dressed in jeans and carried a clunky backpack. I haven't been this relaxed in such an elegant environment for a long time.
Then again ... I'm not the one who had to pay the bill.