Tiny Tims, Canterbury: Saturday 23rd October 2010

2010-11-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Tiny Tims is a quaint, traditional tea room situated on St Margarets Street, Canterbury. Locally regarded as one of the best places for fine afternoon dining, I thought it the perfect stop for my first review.

Opting for an early lunch, as opposed to afternoon tea, we entered the tearoom at 1pm, to be faced with a full house of tables. Booking for Tiny Tim's is commonplace, and you could expect a wait on a Saturday afternoon. Nonetheless within five minutes we were sitting at a freshly scrubbed table, menus in hand. Seating was snug, but not overly cramped, and the pianist in the corner playing classical pieces was a lovely atmospheric touch.

The decor is homely, with an air of grace- accentuated by the staff's classic black uniforms with crisp white aprons. Staff are pleasant enough, but reserved, and there is no sense of urgency. A confident tea room if I ever saw one- although they obviously don't need to beg anyone for custom, which may be why.

We were served within seven minutes of sitting down, which gave plenty of time to peruse the various options on the menu. Whilst there were many things that seemed appealing, I was put off by the higher than average prices, particularly as the wording didn't indicate that I would be getting anything extra for my money. That said, those that had chosen full lunches seemed to be enjoying their fare, and the presentation of dishes was clean and neat.

After a little deliberation, I opted for the Italian Coffee ("rich strong coffee with a strong taste and dark appearance") and my aide chose the Russian Caravan Tea ("High aroma of soft tasting tea with a smoky flavour") On the side I chose the Scone of the Day (although I did not know what this was, didn't ask and wasn't told) and my accomplice chose crumpets.

Drinks were served within a few minutes in good sized, simple crockery. The coffee was strong and smooth, with a dark taste, and a smoky, slightly bitter aftertaste. The tea was sweet and mellow, with a fantastically strong aroma but unfortunately little aftertaste.

Food came shortly after. The crumpets were small, and didn't look homemade, but were thick and hot, and tasted excellent. The scone (apple, as it turned out) was a good size and came warmed up. The scone broke apart easily, with a sweet and slightly heavy crispy crust- a little like pastry. The centre fell apart slightly, making two halves impossible, but was still very moreish.

We were offered a portion of jam and butter between us, which made sense, but there was no cream- or option of other toppings, which would have been a nice touch. That said, the jam was thick and tasted of a good quality, so certainly what we were offered taste lovely.

There is an air of luxury about Tiny Tim's, a delicious treat for the weekend, and as a result there isn't an objection in paying a marginally higher price. There are occasional downfalls where the full luxury isn't offered (we paid at a till, as opposed to a bill being brought to us) and the staff are slightly less than welcoming, which is a bit of shame, but otherwise a top quality cafe in the centre of the City- even if you do end up paying for it!

Total Bill: £14.98

Out of 10: 8.2

Anyone for tea?

2010-10-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome! This is a site for tea drinkers, coffee fanatics and cake munchers. This is a site for people watchers, and those who like to lunch. This is a site for all the people that will walk a mile in the rain- just so they can get to that little place that does the fancy muffins.

Tea drinking is a serious business. Starbucks turned over a profit of £316 million last year, and PG Tips claim that we drink 35 million cups of their tea every single day. Britain, the tea drinking nation, are just a little bit obsessed with a good old cup of char, and I'm happy to say I'm one of them.

But tea isn't just for the morning, mid-afternoon office slump or whilst you're watching Eastenders. That's just builders brew- designed to drag us through the day. This site focuses on the glory of Real Tea, the kind that gets poured in bone china and served next to a hot crisp crumpet. That tea is a whole different kettle of...um, fish.

I will be travelling the globe (or Kent for now) to sample and review the best tearooms, cafes and cake shops around- all so you might know where to get the best afternoon treat for your money. If you have any suggestions, questions or experiences- please send them in to teadrinkingnation@gmail.com.

Chink chink!

china in your hands

Tiny Tims, Canterbury: Saturday 23rd October 2010

Anyone for tea?