The first date... Always a tough thing to figure out. You want to impress the person, yet get to know them at the same time. Restaurants require too much time; the cinema - no interaction; walk in the park - in this goddam cold? hell no; a bar - get too drunk... what is a boy meant to do?
If you're stumped and have no idea where to go, I recommend this place. It's a little haven of serenity and beauty right in the middle of the old port. It's quite a small tea house, but for some reason they still manage to fill it with artful displays of hundreds of unique and beautiful Asian teapots. It can get quite busy and there are limited seats, but if you manage to get one, you'll probably stick around for around 45 minutes or so (unless your date really sucks, then you'll just end up chugging scalding tea - better a burnt tongue than a bored mind, I like to say).
It's especially nice to go there on a cold winter day. They keep the temperature pleasantly warm, and the grassy smell of teas have a soothing effect. The waiter beckons you with whispers - there's almost a holiness to the place. Once you're seated, it takes a while to choose amongst the wide selection of teas that they have. Some of them are aged, others perfumed. I'm not a big conaisseur, but I'm sure someone who knows anything about tea would greatly appreciate it.
After you order, the waiter comes back with a bunch of nifty miniature tea related things and a huge thermos of boiling water for each person. He then preforms a ritual, explaining everything that he's doing and why. He first rinses the tea with some hot water, then shows you what the next steps are, how many seconds you should leave the hot water on the leaves, and how many cups of tea the leaves will yield... then he discretely bows away, leaving you to enjoy a calm conversation.
They also serve vegetarian food, though I've never had any of it, and some tiny desserts. I had cookies there once, although they clearly weren't Chinese, they were alright. I think the main appeal though is the tea and the whole experience that comes with it. You always end up coming out of the place warm (in this bloody cold weather) and serene, hopefully getting lucky that night.
To sum up this absolutely ideal place for a first date:
451 Rue Saint-Sulpice (Old Port)
Price : Varying from $7 onwards depending on the tea
Atmosphere: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Overall : 8/10
Soo many places to review, so stay tuned...
No comments:
Post a Comment