Wine and Dine Hawaii
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More than Tea In Kailua.
A Cup Of Tea is a serious tea shop. Owner Darlene Pahed has done an admirable job recreating a Victorian ambience on the ground floor of the Kailua Medical Building, with some beautiful pieces of antique furniture, tables decorated with linens and flowers and a huge collection of china teapots and cups. It really does look like an English tearoom.
“I always knew this would be my dream job,” Darlene says, “ and I’ve loved every day since we opened.” Her life experiences helped pave the way for her dream job, and for dealing with daily inquiries from a curious public. She previously owned a bridal salon and she’s a real estate agent. “I just love, love, love people,” she says enthusiastically.
Tea service comes in portions large, medium and small. Start with soup, then salad then an assortment of tea sandwiches ( those little tiny ones with the crusts cut off), then move to freshly baked scones, desserts and a pot of tea.
Some of the home made goodies are fabulous. There’s an excellent cilantro based house salad dressing, really good scones, and a (seasonal) lemon curd that’s freshly made and deliciously tart. There’s real clotted cream too; a true afternoon tea scone should be slathered with some sort of fresh preserve and then topped with layers of clotted cream. It’s one of the world’s great flavor combinations.
The day I went with my friend Nancy, we had a potato soup that was so rich it was just like eating a pureed baked potato complete with bacon bits, green onion and sour cream. Yummy, but much too much before tea, so if you don’t want to leave full you might want to go with one of the smaller sets. The levels of tea service are named for Darlene’s daughters; Lady Tiffany ($29.95), Princess Heather ($24.95) and Nicki’s Afternoon Tea ($19.95).
There are more than 30 teas to choose from, and a patient, helpful staff happy to explain them all to novice drinkers.
If you’re looking for a place for the ultimate girly get together then this is it- and it’s obviously perfect for bridal and baby showers too.
The comfortable atmosphere is highly conducive to conversation, and I’d highly recommend an afternoon tea here to anyone wishing to reconnect with friends and catch up on news. Or to anyone just in need of an excellent cup of tea.
A Cup of Tea is open from Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 am until 4:30. Call 230 8832 for reservations.
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