High Tea at the Chateau Laurier

While in Ottawa hubby and I decided to have high tea at the Chateau Laurier, a lovely spot just east of the parliament buildings on Rideau Street. We checked out the times Friday night and learned a reservation was not really necessary--not like high tea at the Empress in Victoria--and planned to lunch there on Saturday.

As we toured the Hill Saturday morning, watching the colourful parade of the military bands strutting their stuff on the gently sloping hill before the centre block of our national parliament, I was struck by the grandeur of those old buildings. They have seen a lot for a hundred and fifty years or so. On this day, however, all was quiet as spectators sweated under the steamy sun, straining to get a glimpse of the band over the heads of the early birds in the front. (In front of them many were sitting on the grass waiting for the parade.) A woman older than I made a nuisance of herself pushing in among people to try and get a place for the little kids with her and her husband. The grandparents obviously had the grandkids for the day. Back and forth she went into the crowd and back out, taking in one kid, then another, pulling in her husband and, finally, the empty stroller! All the while she created quite a commotion, distracting us from the spectacle at hand. As soon as she got her party settled, the band started marching and the whole crowd stood up to see better. The couple looked at each other, picked up their kids and, pushing the stroller, forced their way back out through the crowd. Some people! If we had come late in the same circumstance we would not have disturbed others like that, but would have watched from behind even though I'm pretty short and can't see well. Better than upsetting everyone else.

Soon it was time to head for the Chateau Laurier and air conditioning. By this time I think it was the cool air that was most appealing and not the elegant tea we were about to experience. We walked across the Wellington Street bridge, over the Rideau Canal, pausing to check out the view and into the wall of cool air at the Laurier. No, we didn't have a reservation. Yes, we wanted the high tea. No, we weren't there just for a drink--there seemed a lot of questions before we were admitted to the almost empty tea terrace overlooking Rideau Street. Once there, we relaxed, ordered one 'tea' between the two of us and soaked up the atmosphere. There was no way we were having hot tea but we were easily able to substitute. Hubby had fresh lemonade, to which he added his own sugar, and I had an iced herbal tea. Very lovely. They served a small glass of sugar water to add, so that the sweetener would blend with the cold tea more easily. Out came a lovely fruit cup of real fresh fruit--not that imposter from a huge bottle that has no individual fruit taste but has all melded together--it was succulent! Next came a three-tiered tray of goodies, little sandwiches with the crusts removed, and several varieties of cakes, some sweet, some not so much. And I can't forget the jam pot! Bright red strawberries so tasty they seemed to have been picked that morning were presented in a silver bowl; next to them, some buttery cream that tasted like the Devon cream I first experienced on the long gone Wardair plane from England many years ago. Hubby was a convert!

The experience was restful and sweet, restoring our equilibrium, readying us to, once more, go out and face the heat of the day as we headed for the ByWard Market a few blocks away. A few years ago my daughter and I had enjoyed the tea at the Empress in Victoria and, I have to say, it was better. There was more to eat, and at the end we were presented with a lovely wooden box of the tea we had chosen to drink, a pleasant reminder of the experience. There was no such gift here. Nevertheless, if you like snowy white linen, shining silver utensils, succulent tea munchies and a lovely view of Rideau Street, head for the historic Chateau Laurier for their English high tea.