aring75
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2001
- Messages
- 320
Just got back from Afternoon Tea at The Garden View Lounge at Disneys Grand Floridian Resort and Spa with my sister, my mother and my grandmother. We live in Tampa, so we drove up for the day to do some WDW sightseeing and have tea.
We wanted to look at a few hotels first, so we stopped by Gaylord Palms on the way. Wont go in to any detail (since this is the Restaurant Thread), but if you have questions, just ask. On WDW property, we looked at Disneys Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disneys Wilderness Lodge (where we stopped for a hold-me-over snack) before going over for tea.
Our PS reservation was for 2:00. We arrived at the GF around 1:15 so we could look around a while first. We walked over to the Garden View Lounge around 1:55. This is a room at the back of the main building with many floor-to-ceiling windows that let in lots of light. It was cloudy and overcast when we were there, and still it seemed very bright and cheery, due to the windows and floral décor of the restaurant.
The staff called for PS groups first. All those with a PS will be shown to their tables. The restaurant is set up with the following seating configurations: round tables with chairs that offer seating for 5, comfy settees and wicker chairs in groupings for 4, and there is a booth seat that runs along the wall. Smaller tables are placed at intervals along this seat, and a single chair is placed on the other side of each table. These tables offer seating for 2. (I hope that makes sense the way I described it.) Even though there are quite a few tables in this room, we never felt crowded or intruded upon by other diners.
After you are shown to your seat, your server will come by and place your napkins in your lap. They will take a few moments to go over the menu, and even describe the teas to anyone who is unfamiliar with them. (So there is NO REASON to be intimidated if you have never done anything like this before! Go and have a good time.)
We ordered Tea for Four, a modified version of the Tea for Two that is on the menu. We each chose our own flavor of tea. I enjoyed the Irish Breakfast (full-bodied tea, dark in color and rich in flavor), mom and sister got the English Breakfast (rich, but not quite as full-bodied as Irish Breakfast and very smooth), and grandma tried the Formosa Oolong (a light tea with a fruity aroma good for first timers, because it tastes a lot like Lipton).
Our tea was brought in small, individual teapots. Sugar cubes are in a dish on the table, and your server will bring milk or cream if desired. The tea is brewed loose, so you must pour it through a strainer into your cup. Your server will do this the first time to show you how.
Along with the tea we each received a plate of tea sandwiches. They are actually quarters of a whole sandwich with the crusts removed. We received five different kinds. First, was a watercress and cucumber on multi-grain bread. This was light and refreshing. It had a cream cheese-like spread that gave the sandwich a little more flavor. The real flavor was in the bread, though, and the light flavor of the cucumber was perfect, as it did not detract from the richness of the bread. Second, was an egg salad on potato bread, also very light and tasty. Third, a salmon pâté on wheat. I thought the salmon might be a little strong (Im not a huge fan of salmon), but it was not strong at all. Mixed as a spread, so not heavy and not an overpowering fishy taste. Quite good, actually. Fourth, (and my favorite) chicken salad with almonds on mixed pumpernickel/wheat marble bread. Fifth, was a grilled pear sandwich. This was the most interesting of the bunch. The chef sautéed and grilled a slice of pear and put it on pumpernickel bread with a cream cheese spread. It was excellent, and very different.
Along with the sandwiches, we received an onion tart. This was a pastry shell filled with caramelized onions and baked. It was surprisingly sweet, although the strands of onions were difficult to eat without being just a little messy. Remember, you dont get a knife and fork. These are supposed to be finger foods.
After clearing the sandwich plates, our server brought the next course. This consisted of a warm scone (a kind of dense, slightly sweet biscuit with golden currants), a strawberry tart, Devonshire cream (heavenly), and a small jar of strawberry preserves. Everything was superb. It was very fresh and tasted great!
Our final course was a maddening choice! You could get a bowl of strawberries and cream, a bowl of English trifle, or a choice of two dessert pastries from the tray. We all opted for choices from the tray, because everything looked so interesting! I got a pastry swan with mixed berry cream filling. This was light and fluffy and wonderful! I also got a chocolate parfait. It had layers of dark and milk chocolate topped with an orange fruit gel and whipped cream. Perfect combination of flavors! Other desserts that were tried (and loved) were a chocolate covered strawberry (Huge!), mango mousse (mom said this was so light and airy that it melts in your mouth), and a German chocolate petit four.
We ate everything and felt quite full afterwards. You could easily do this for lunch and have plenty to eat. The server will continue to refill your pot with hot water (the tea will continue to brew) as many times as you like. So you never run out of tea!
The service was GREAT, the atmosphere was very relaxing, and overall we all agreed we would definitely do this again! In fact, mom already went out and bought some English Breakfast Tea. She says it not quite the same though. Must be the Royal Albert china.
We wanted to look at a few hotels first, so we stopped by Gaylord Palms on the way. Wont go in to any detail (since this is the Restaurant Thread), but if you have questions, just ask. On WDW property, we looked at Disneys Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disneys Wilderness Lodge (where we stopped for a hold-me-over snack) before going over for tea.
Our PS reservation was for 2:00. We arrived at the GF around 1:15 so we could look around a while first. We walked over to the Garden View Lounge around 1:55. This is a room at the back of the main building with many floor-to-ceiling windows that let in lots of light. It was cloudy and overcast when we were there, and still it seemed very bright and cheery, due to the windows and floral décor of the restaurant.
The staff called for PS groups first. All those with a PS will be shown to their tables. The restaurant is set up with the following seating configurations: round tables with chairs that offer seating for 5, comfy settees and wicker chairs in groupings for 4, and there is a booth seat that runs along the wall. Smaller tables are placed at intervals along this seat, and a single chair is placed on the other side of each table. These tables offer seating for 2. (I hope that makes sense the way I described it.) Even though there are quite a few tables in this room, we never felt crowded or intruded upon by other diners.
After you are shown to your seat, your server will come by and place your napkins in your lap. They will take a few moments to go over the menu, and even describe the teas to anyone who is unfamiliar with them. (So there is NO REASON to be intimidated if you have never done anything like this before! Go and have a good time.)
We ordered Tea for Four, a modified version of the Tea for Two that is on the menu. We each chose our own flavor of tea. I enjoyed the Irish Breakfast (full-bodied tea, dark in color and rich in flavor), mom and sister got the English Breakfast (rich, but not quite as full-bodied as Irish Breakfast and very smooth), and grandma tried the Formosa Oolong (a light tea with a fruity aroma good for first timers, because it tastes a lot like Lipton).
Our tea was brought in small, individual teapots. Sugar cubes are in a dish on the table, and your server will bring milk or cream if desired. The tea is brewed loose, so you must pour it through a strainer into your cup. Your server will do this the first time to show you how.
Along with the tea we each received a plate of tea sandwiches. They are actually quarters of a whole sandwich with the crusts removed. We received five different kinds. First, was a watercress and cucumber on multi-grain bread. This was light and refreshing. It had a cream cheese-like spread that gave the sandwich a little more flavor. The real flavor was in the bread, though, and the light flavor of the cucumber was perfect, as it did not detract from the richness of the bread. Second, was an egg salad on potato bread, also very light and tasty. Third, a salmon pâté on wheat. I thought the salmon might be a little strong (Im not a huge fan of salmon), but it was not strong at all. Mixed as a spread, so not heavy and not an overpowering fishy taste. Quite good, actually. Fourth, (and my favorite) chicken salad with almonds on mixed pumpernickel/wheat marble bread. Fifth, was a grilled pear sandwich. This was the most interesting of the bunch. The chef sautéed and grilled a slice of pear and put it on pumpernickel bread with a cream cheese spread. It was excellent, and very different.
Along with the sandwiches, we received an onion tart. This was a pastry shell filled with caramelized onions and baked. It was surprisingly sweet, although the strands of onions were difficult to eat without being just a little messy. Remember, you dont get a knife and fork. These are supposed to be finger foods.
After clearing the sandwich plates, our server brought the next course. This consisted of a warm scone (a kind of dense, slightly sweet biscuit with golden currants), a strawberry tart, Devonshire cream (heavenly), and a small jar of strawberry preserves. Everything was superb. It was very fresh and tasted great!
Our final course was a maddening choice! You could get a bowl of strawberries and cream, a bowl of English trifle, or a choice of two dessert pastries from the tray. We all opted for choices from the tray, because everything looked so interesting! I got a pastry swan with mixed berry cream filling. This was light and fluffy and wonderful! I also got a chocolate parfait. It had layers of dark and milk chocolate topped with an orange fruit gel and whipped cream. Perfect combination of flavors! Other desserts that were tried (and loved) were a chocolate covered strawberry (Huge!), mango mousse (mom said this was so light and airy that it melts in your mouth), and a German chocolate petit four.
We ate everything and felt quite full afterwards. You could easily do this for lunch and have plenty to eat. The server will continue to refill your pot with hot water (the tea will continue to brew) as many times as you like. So you never run out of tea!
The service was GREAT, the atmosphere was very relaxing, and overall we all agreed we would definitely do this again! In fact, mom already went out and bought some English Breakfast Tea. She says it not quite the same though. Must be the Royal Albert china.
) are welcome at the afternoon tea. They even offer 'Mrs Potts Tea' on the afternoon tea menu. This is for kids and consists of a variety of sandwiches (more like PB&J than Cucumber and Cream Cheese) and magic dark tea (chocolate milk). I did a lot of research before making our PS and it is completely acceptable to bring kids. Our daughter will get a kick out of being a proper little lady for tea 
.
