Victorian Rose Tea Room, Kingsville, Ontario, Canada

Last Saturday, January 26th,  fellow blogger and tea friend, Angela, wrote a post at Tea With Friends, about a cookbook she ordered from Rose and Thistle Tea Room in Kingsville, Ontario, Canada.  When she mentioned the tea room's name was changed to Victorian Rose under new ownership, it sounded familiar.  I went to my tea photos and sure enough, my girlfriend, Sandy, and I visited the tea room on September 26, 2002.  I usually record what I order at a tea room along with a review, and I happily found the information from our visit.

It was a beautiful fall day for a ride.  The tea room is located at 64 Main Street, in Kingsville, Ontario, Canada, about 66 miles from where I live - a little over an hour's drive [providing there are no delays at the U.S./Canadian Ambassador Bridge].  The city is located near the shores of Lake Erie.

We had reservations for 11:00 a.m.

An artist's sketch of the tea room that was printed on a card I purchased.

We were seated on the porch area, with cheery white lace curtains, blue linen tablecloths, and wrought-iron patio type furniture.  Fresh flowers were on each table.

They served loose tea, but didn't decant the tea or provide strainers, so we got tea leaves in our cup and strong tea after the first cup.   The tea was kept hot with a knitted tea cozy.

Their scones were huge - big enough to share with another person, but since we didn't know that beforehand, we each ordered our own.  They were served with strawberry jam and real clotted cream.

I ordered their seafood quiche with a tossed salad.  It was very good. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the food.   I wrote that tea for two was $3.95, and the scones were $5.95, but I didn't record the price of my entree.   I must have been too busy chatting!

View of the enclosed porch area from our table.

I must not have seen the cookbook that Angela referred to, because  I would have bought one.  I wonder if the seafood quiche recipe is in the cookbook?  I'm happy to know the Victorian Rose tea room is still in business over ten years later.

We had 5:00 p.m. reservations at Debra's in Ridgetown, Ontario [about an hour and 40 minutes away], so we had time to stop at gift shops in quaint little towns along the way.  At one shop I purchased a copy of Sandra Kuck's 1998 painting called Innocence Shared, which currently hangs in my office.

Below is Debra's Dining and Tea Room.  It was a memorable experience, but not a good one! A lady gave us reservations over the phone, but when we arrived at 5:00 o'clock they weren't expecting us.  There were no customers in the dining room, and the tables had been set for a large dinner party later that evening.  The owner said they couldn't accommodate us. Needless to say, I wasn't a happy camper after driving 67 miles to get there, but Sandy and I had a great day together in spite of the unpleasant experience. 

I'd like to make a return visit to Canada soon to stop at Devonshire Mall in Windsor [just over the Canadian border] to shop at the Bombay store, and then travel on to Kingsville to visit Annabelle's Tea Room.  We'll see what the year brings.