High Tea at Brasserie Kensington

High Tea is Served

There’s a new trend appearing here in Calgary and though High Tea has been around for centuries, a recent resurgence of this British tradition is happening in and around our city. High Tea has been available at both Fairmont Banff Spring and the Fairmont Palliser for some time, but this year they received the ‘Royal treatment’ to celebrate the Canadian visit of Their Royal Highness’s the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as Edward and Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex. This surge in High Tea’s popularity has prompted other local restaurants to include it on their weekend menus, with several more to follow suit. 

Brasserie Kensington offers a Unique Take on Traditional High Tea

Tomorrow will be the first official seating of High Tea at Brasserie Kensington with service beginning at 2:15 and running until 4:30 pm. This time in the afternoon is generally very quiet for most restaurants, but rather than closing in between brunch and dinner services, chef Cam wanted to offer something a little bit different; and different it is! In the most traditional sense, afternoon High Tea can be quite stuffy and formal, and though there’s a time and place for this sort of dining adventure, the Brasserie Kensington is not it. Chef Cam has taken the best parts of high tea (vintage fine tea cups, piping hot Earl Grey, finger sandwiches, clotted cream and scones) and redefined them according to Brasserie Kensington’s relaxed style. Instead of cucumber sandwiches, you’ll find Duck Confit Banh Mi finger sandwiches and Truffle Deviled Eggs. 

This new Brasserie Kensington offering has also become a vehicle for local collaboration between Chef Cam and Jonathan owner of The Naked Leaf, a tea shop located right across the street. Learning about teas and how they pair with food has been an eye opening experience for Chef Cam and he’s looking forward to many more collaborations to come. Of course, when I order tea, 98% of the time it just has to be Earl Grey so I’m not sure what it would take to get me to try another with my High Tea.

Of course, High Tea would not be complete without bite sized sweets. For the month of December, Chef Cam has created a stunning array of holiday themed dainties, including Gingerbread Cake, Snowflake Sugar Cookies, and Hazelnut Mousse. There is also a selection of specially created tea-based cocktails for sharing or drinking all on your own. 

High Tea at Brasserie Kensington will be $35 per person, with $1 from every high tea purchase donated to a local charity. For the month of December, donations will be made to the Veteran’s Food Bank, but a new charity will be selected each month.

Brasserie Kensington  1131 Kensington Rd. NW; 403-457-4148

The Naked Leaf #4 1126 Kensington Rd. NW; 403-283-3555