A visit to Pheonix Tea was on the cards again, but this time, not the wonderful Phoenix Tea of Burien, Washington State, USA, but Phoenix Tea of Hong Kong. Google Maps suggested walking in a strange loop out of our way, instead I insisted we cut a path straight to where it should be. And […]
It’s fair to say that when we are out and about, we do not always love the tea menu. If one is at a specialised tea house, then there’s likely a fair chance. Even if it’s a specialised, specialised tea house, i.e. it’s not just 50 teas from around the world, but all pu’erh, or […]
In my first post since Christmas Eve – that’s pretty well a month – I am going to attempt to cover a bunch of things, using my own tea Roulette Format for the third time. If you have not read one of my previous efforts of this kind (shame on you!) it’s where I make […]
When we arrived in Vancouver, we went through the usual travellers’ ritual of trying to have a nap, and then staggering out in a jet-lagged haze to look about. Rolling downhill to 4th Street Kitsilano, the first commercial premises we entered was an amazing fruit and nut shop. Really amazing. We bought stuff. The second […]
It may amaze you to know I am flawed, but yes, I am. One of my problems is I often fail to do something as I am hoping for better. For example, I won’t hydrate with a cup of water or with a drink from Starbucks when I get the chance because I’m optimistic that […]
With lots to do in Vancouver, our approach to tea shops has mostly been to just find them while walking past and drop in. On a recent walk we came across two that were totally different and loved them both. We were vaguely searching for Neverland Tea Salon when we stumbled across Bayswater Tea Co just […]
What does it really take to know a city? More specifically, can you get to grips with a city by visiting a representative sample of it? And is three restaurants, two Asian style gardens, a rose garden, a back yard and two days of continuous teas in seven different locations a representative sample? I say […]
Every so often, I find in response to a picture that I or someone else posts there is criticism of the drinker or the server in relation to the drinking vessel. Opinions as to what type of cups one should, or more likely should not, sup from are a mainstay on Facebook. Well, I have to […]
I have a passport that says I have never been to India. However, standing in a confusion of sounds and sights that suggested otherwise, we soaked up music, dialects, scents, the sound of blaring car horns and parping motorbike horns, rows of saree shops and grocers with spices piled high. Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam all combine to […]
It is obligatory, when travelling, to enjoy an afternoon tea. Admittedly, it’s not always easy. If you’re in London, it’s easy to find. The Australian Antarctic Territory, not so. Most places are somewhere in between, and Penang certainly is. The afternoon tea to be had in Georgetown is that at the ‘1885’ tea room at […]