Kathleen San Martino
User's reviews
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Cosy Cupboard Tea Room
I expected a bland experience because the outside of this tea house is an uninspiring square-looking house but our encounter inside left us in awe. My boyfriend and I tried this place on their grand opening weekend and what a delight it was. James Robert, the owner and host made our experience wonderful. Since we were the first arrival of the day, we were introduced to the staff and were seated in the crisp and simple but impeccably designed Rose Room with matching tableware. Their other room, the Cameo Room, is equally as stunning and is in the process of being fully furnished. I must take tea in this room next. I opted for the five course tea service and also an order of quiche on the side. The Italian wedding soup and salad was delicious and the finger sandwiches and quiche were very good. The lemon pound cake I ordered for dessert was excellent. The chicken roulade with Stilton cheese that my boyfriend ordered rendered him speechless (except for a few umms and ahhhhs) so I was compelled to sample it. My reaction was “OH MY” this is absolutely divine! Since they are not in full business mode yet, they offered a slightly limited selection of 9-12 teas but will have 42 teas to choose from in the future. I believe the black tea we ordered was Lady Londonderry and it was excellent. They do leave the leaves in the teapot which can render the tea bitter if you don’t drink it fast enough. We did not have this problem but if you prefer not to have this, I suspect the host would be agreeable to straining the tea before serving if you asked (although we did not ask). The service was superb and the total experience was so relaxing with the addition of the piano and classical CDs playing in the background. As a result of this exquisite tea service, The Cosy Cupboard has now made it on my list of two favorite tea places along with High SocieTea. For my boyfriend, it is now his number one place. Additional info for future patrons: - They are in the process of stocking their gift shop - Parking is in the rear of the building but the entrance is in the front - We found it difficult to find via GPS because Convent Station was not in either of our two GPS units, instead we had to enter in Morristown - The place is located across from train tracks next door to a Montessori school Two suggestions for the tea room: - They must put the zip on their web site so that the place can be found in a GPS and they might want to say on their website “If using a GPS, you might have to enter Morristown.” - They need to spice up their scones as they were way too simple. There’s this English lady who sells scones at the farmer’s market on Sundays from June through October at Olde Lafayette Village in Lafayette, NJ that are absolutely the best scones I’ve ever tasted next to the ones served at High SocieTea. My suggestion would be to try to imitate these flavors. In summary, The Cosy Cupboard surpassed my expectations and will only get better with time.
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Charlotte's Tea Room
On a scale of 1 to 10 I give Charlotte's a 5. It is a nice little tea room but lacks the ambiance of an upscale establishment. For instance, the food is very basic yet it is good, the teas offered are minimal, and the wait staff is nice but not overly enthusiastic. I didn't feel the server knew their teas and her personality was flat, which made my experience here average. Despite all this, I would go back again if in the area to give this place another chance. Charlotte's is not on par with the finer tea rooms such as HighSocieTea in Wayne, NJ or the Tea Hive in Fredon/Sussex County, NJ.
Tearoom response:
We at Charlotte's are always extremely happy with the amount of customers Tea Map brings us. We tea room owners have many things in common - one is that we ALL work very hard to bring our own vision to life. To compare us to each other is just not fair. We are all very special and very different. That's why visiting all of us is FUN! I am sure your favorites are fabulous. I have yet to have the pleasure to visit and enjoy.
I give my best wishes and warmest thoughts to each and every tea room owner out there - and the waitstaff - not an easy job either. There is room for all of us. I see no need to 'run down' any one tea room to benefit another.
Regards,
Joanne Graney
One Very Proud Owner of One Very Special Tea Room
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Tea Hive
I love this tea room and have been here twice. They are so popular that you have to make reservations about one month in advance. Their selection of teas is good and their sandwiches are excellent. My one suggestion is that you request not to be seated by the beahive bump in the wall in the last room because that table is very cramped. Each room has a different theme and color, which is exciting. The view is also very nice from the back since it's located in beautiful Sussex County. I would definitely go back again if it weren't so far away and it was easier to get a reservation at the last moment. To me this place is almost on par with HighSocieTea in Wayne, NJ. The Wayne tea room is absolutely the best I've been too and Tea Hive is a close second.
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Sally Lunn's
I've been to Sally Lunn's several times and enjoyed it every time but once. They are known for their potato salad which runs out fast if you don't get there early enough. There teas are good as well except that they leave the loose tea in the teapot so that the tea becomes bitter by the end of the meal. This place is in the heart of Chester and is very crowded. They also only have a one-toilet bathroom for all the patrons. Overall, I feel this team room is pretty decent but not one of the finest. However, I would patronize them again if in the area.
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High SocieTea House
This place is absolutely AWESOME and always my first choice when choosing a tea experience! The first time I had tea here was February 14, 2010 and since then I have dined here over 6 more times and I just can't get enough. I've already brought a variety of different friends to this tea house and everyone loved it (including 3 men). The staff is pleasant, the food is exquisite, and the decor divine. I invited a non-tea drinking friend here a few weeks ago to join a group of us and he was impressed with the special salad he ordered since he doesn't go in for this 'tea stuff.' He is also a very difficult to please person, yet he was pleased. As long as you have reservations, arrive on time, and are considerate about the fact that you can't stay forever (even though you want to) when they have other reservations coming in you should have a wonderful experience.