Abigail's Tea House

2 Main Street South
St. George, ON

519-448-3999

In her opinion:
I am always on a proverbial hunt for a tea house so that we can enjoy a lovely high tea. This last Saturday, my darling husband suggested that we find a place and go for high tea...but where? That is always the question. After a little bit of research I found out about Abigail's Tea House in St. George. There mobile website really didn't offer too much info other to show a few pictures of what they had in store for us. But that was enough to grab my attention.

When you arrive at the beautifully painted green door be prepared to enter an Alice in Wonderland tea parlor...or at least that's what it felt like to me.  The room is a mix of hot pink, green, yellow, peacocks and chandeliers hanging inside bird cages. Perfect!

We were greeted by Ivine who owns Abigail's along with his lovely wife Lorene. It was named after their daughter Abigail. He showed the three of us (yes, our child loves tea and has been going for High Tea since he was in the womb)to a lovely table for three and took our drink orders.  It was my usual Earl Grey for Ethan and me.  After reviewing the menu, we opted for High Tea (really what else would we get).

Our High Tea included:
-A lovely pimento cheese spread with assorted crackers

-A chicken waldorf salad served with cucumbers

-A three tiered tea tray with assorted sandwiches...these included roasted beef and Havarti mini wraps, smoked salmon cream cheese pinwheels, egg salad on molasses bread (a recipe that Lorene informed us has been in the family for decades), tramezzini ham and cheese sandwiches, cucumber and smoked salmon cream cheese sandwiches and strawberry/chocolate cream cheese heart sandwiches. This tea tray also included fluffy scones with Devonshire cream and preserves and finally an assortment of baked goodies including caramel squares, empire cookies, tiny butter tarts and pinched triangle cookies with strawberry filling. There was also in season fruit adorning the tea tray.

The pimento cheese spread was so good and the curried chicken salad was delicious with its dried apple slice and vidalia dressing. But as I quickly finished up this portion of my high tea, I waited patiently for the tea tray. I love a beautiful tea tray with its dainty sandwiches and lovely desserts.

When Lorene brought us our tea tray, my eyes shone in delight. It was gorgeous and it definitely did not disappoint. Everything was delicious. All the sandwiches were excellent but I need to give a shout out to the smoked salmon cream cheese pinwheel with the sweet pickle centre on white and the strawberry and chocolate cream cheese heart sandwich which was so decadent that I truly had a tear running down my face.

The scones were on the sweeter side and fabulous. The Devonshire cream and fruit preserves were the right heavenly touch.  I was too full after the assortments of sandwiches and scones so I asked for a take out box in order to bring the squares and cookies home.

The squares and cookies were a nice little snack later that night. Everything is home baked and so so good.  I would recommend Abigail's Tea House to anyone that loves High Tea! Or even as a bridal or baby shower location...they do large party reservations on their days off (Sunday and Mondays).

In his opinion:
In the main street of the quiet town of St. George sits a house that stands out from the rest. The vibrant green door is a perfect prelude for what awaits you inside. The setting of the tea house might as well be a backdrop for Willie Wonka's chocolate factory. It is vibrant, colourful, fantasy like even but above all, very classy and warm. The menu has quite a few choices for tea packages but we had only one thing in mind and it was High Tea.

Before I had a chance to even look at the menu, I ordered Egyptian Chamomile tea for myself. It was clearer than I remembered from the last time I had it which was I believe at Langdon Hall. My tea came in a mirrored teapot that I found out was the teas house's latest acquisition in their vast array of colourful and stylish tea pots.

We started off with a pimento cheese served with a few assorted crackers. The cheese was extremely good, with the expected spice from the pimento but it never felt too spicy. The spread worked well with all the crackers provided.

Next, we were presented with a serving of chilcken waldorf salad with cucumbers. This was not my favourite part of the meal, the spice in the chicken salad was spot on, but I didn't enjoy the texture of the salad at all, and the cucumbers did very little to add to it.

Then came the main attraction, the beautifully decorated, colourful, eye popping three-tiered tea tray. It was a work of art in a lot of ways and looked so nice that as I took the pictures I almost thought it was too perfect to eat but thankfully my stomach prevailed over my eyes and off I went.

The delicate and fluffy scones were terrific and when especially tasty when they meet the spread of fruit preserves or Devonshire cream supplied. Along with those came some fruit (grapes and fresh cut strawberries to be exact). On top sat an assortment of delicious cookies and squares...unfortunately, I left those for last and couldn't finish them in that sitting.

On the bottom tier sat the highlight of the day. An assortment of finger sandwiches, mini wraps and beautifully crafted hors d'oeuvers. Special mention goes out to the heart shaped mini sandwiches that were a delight at every bite. These sandwiches were filled with chocolate, topped with cream cheese and fresh strawberries on top and very few words if any, fit the bill to describe them.

Another special mention goes to the egg salad on toasted molasses bread. All in all, they were all very good and filling as well.

The Good: Beautifully decorated and inviting room that is complimented so well by the specially crafted sweets and sandwiches served, and topped by the kindness and warmth of the owners.
The Bad: Wish it was in a bigger city or closer to me but the small location does add to its charm.
The Verdict: As far as Tea Houses are concerned, this is maybe the one that impressed me the most lately. Everything looks and feels so perfect in the room. The experience can be described as an effortless but intentionally choreographed service that never feels uptight or rigid but just right and effective. I strongly believe that the right formula has been found for the perfect Tea House in a small town such as St. George.

I give it 4 out of 5 Olives as rating.