Monday, June 11, 2012

High Tea at Gryphon D'Or

Mini pancakes with smoked salmon and a sort of lemon pepper


 
Gryphon D'or 

Whiskey marmalade, warm scones with lemon curd

High tea at Gryphon D'Or is served in casual surroundings with vintage aprons adorning the walls.  Gryphon D'Or is a tea room/cafe specializing in Celtic fare with a little terrace out front for sipping in the sunshine. The overall experience was excellent for the simple reason that the sandwiches were fresh and delicious,  the scones were warm from the oven and the service was excellent.

 Heart shaped egg salad sandwich

My daughter devoured as many egg salad and cucumber sandwiches as we would let her, and tried to eat the lemon curd like pudding. Our server/chef was very attuned to the needs of the children, and when she observed that my daughter's friend was not enjoying what was offered, she brought out a serving of red pepper soup free of charge.  She also served her apple juice in a tea pot so that she could feel more like the moms. My friend and I choose loose Early Grey and my daughter choose a fruitier milder black tea.  There were about 15 loose teas on offer.  My 5 year old has been drinking weak black tea with milk and sugar for several years now, as did I as a child.  My mom is English, and that is just the way we roll.    

New scone recipe

If I could have changed one thing I would have forgone the sweets (which were delicious), for more savory sandwiches.  We were served scones first with our tea which we slathered with in house whiskey marmalade, lemon curd and raspberry jam.  Personally my yen for sweets was satisfied with the scones. They also came with butter and clotted cream piped in little rosettes. I make scones on a regular basis and I love the recipe for classic currant scones in my copy of Joy of cooking, but Gryphon D'Ors' scones were admittedly better.  Less sweet and a little more crumbly. Here is a link to a scone recipe that I tried, omitting the blueberries in order to reproduce the scones I had at Gryphon. They were almost spot on, and I am adding the recipe to my repertoire. I did bring  home a doggy bag of sweet bars that were gone by morning.  The prices for high tea were very reasonable: $20 for adults and $12.50 for children. Our Chef/server mentioned that they were thinking of offering a high tea menu for children, although my daughter was very happy with what was offered.


 Sweets on the bottom: shortbread, coconut chocolate bars, coconut chocolate mint bars, brownies

Gryphon D'Or
5968 Avenue de Monkland
Montreal, Quebec
H4A 2L2
(514) 485-7377
*YOU MUST CALL IN ADVANCE TO MAKE A RESERVATION FOR HIGH TEA!

Lemon scone and lemon curd recipe from a former post

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