Camellia Sinensis Tea Room

Bakery: Camellia Sinensis Tea Room
Address: 351 Rue Émery, Montréal QC
Website: http://camellia-sinensis.com
Style: Canadian
Price: $$-$$$

Every time I used to come to Camellia Sinensis - the tea store directly next door - I told myself that one day I'd try out the tea room. Seeing as my dream is to open my own little Asian tea shop with tea-centred sweets, I was curious to see their slightly more upscale interpretation of tea and cake and see what I could learn from it. The quality of the tea needs no comment; that you're getting the good stuff is without question, but how do those accompaniments fare?

 Contrary to my idea of using tea directly in my treats (which I will still stick to!), Camellia Sinensis takes the approach of the sommelier: what flavours pair well with certain types of tea. So, while some sort of matcha cake seems to be a regular menu item, they also have a limited number of seasonal items, both sweet and not too sweet, that can be enjoyed with either Chinese tea brewed gong fu style, a frothy bowl of matcha or a more traditional English teatime. All are around $7.

I tried what was recommended for the tea I wanted to drink: the kazuko cake, a sort of banana bread/spiced coffee cake served with a side of... rose petals. It was pretty good with refined, not too obtrusive flavours. Nice texture, both on the outside and the moist, spongy inside. Perhaps I'm not sure if it heightened my taste experience more than if I'd taken the matcha cake I'd been pining after, but... oh well, it was a fun and tasty regardless.

Rating: ***