The Vanitea Room, A Tea Salon & Eatery — Restaurant in Ottawa

Disclaimer: We did not make a reservation for afternoon tea last Sunday. Tried calling ahead, but instead of being able to talk to someone, there was an option to leave a message and someone would return within 48hrs. It’s a short walk away, so we decided to try our luck.

First Impressions: There was seating for two inside, we assumed since we did not make reservations that they sat us outside and it was nice day, so we were happy with that. First, we’re offered a table and chairs covered in leaves and dirt from the tree above, nothing they can really control, only that they did not offer to clean it or anything; every table had plastic cups (left upright) and cutlery in glasses already set out which all seemed to be collecting dirt. The patio itself (unstable, in need of some repairs and touchups) offered a very different atmosphere than inside which the more positive reviews mainly seem to praise. With basic patio furniture and a poor layout, it’s seems a way to accommodate extra people without putting in any extra effort in the ways it matters to customers (clean glasses, maybe a table cloth). Other reviews complain about the lack of AC indoors, so it seems you’re compromising your afternoon tea/brunch on days you’d like to enjoy them most - on warmer, sunny days - either option you choose. We were left with the choice of a smaller table and chairs, also with loose cutlery and napkins in a glass and the dirty plastic cups that our server had to clean or replace off to a fold-up table on the side (not their fault if it’s getting dirty outside, but it’s a waste when you could just bring clean glassware out upon a guests’ seating). The table was not really big or practical enough for two people to have teapots, the tiered tray, and place settings; and the server had to make do by working around the poorly laid-out space. Overall, there was hardly any attention to detail to the outside (especially compared to the inside, it seems).

Since there’s no quick access from the indoors to the patio, maybe that is why our server had to do most tasks in one lap/check-in when tending to all the outside guests (speaks to the capacity of management, not the sole server), but we felt uncomfortable and rushed as they loomed over us, and another table we saw, while taking the time to smell all the tea options. We were not offered an additional plate for our food when it came out (we had to use the tea plate because if we had have waited to get our server’s attention, the food would’ve been consumed by the hovering wasps). Other than the cloth napkin I was given to pour the tea from the hot pot, we weren’t offered additional paper napkins since there was only one in the glass on the table.

The tea and the food itself were good, which is why I might return. The sandwiches were all mainly croissant-based, but good. Scones were yummy but I had to ask for butter and got some small packets tossed to me on the table (not in a dish like what is pictured in some reviews). Sweets were sickening-ly sweet, dense, and though some may like them, 3/4 were similar enough that if you didn’t like one, you weren’t going to like the rest. Not just this place, but many places that offer afternoon tea could consider partnering with local bakeries for their sweets.

Would I go back? The whole experience might have been improved, had we been seated inside. How seemingly different the two arrangements were (the one we had significantly diminishing the overall enjoyment) demonstrates the venue’s lack of capacity to provide consistency, but it does allow room for improvement, therefore I’m inclined to give it another chance in hopes that it would be better next time. I wouldn’t normally leave lower reviews unless I saw the feedback is useful, especially for $50/person for the afternoon...

• This review is not a reflection of the drag performance or performers themselves as that aspect of the experience was amazing. Super talented, gorgeous and hilarious queens! 100/10 *

Overall a very disappointing experience and I do not plan to ever come back for several reasons.

Our reservation was for a bachelorette party of 7 guests. When we arrived we were seated at two different tables and were told the tables could not be moved to be placed beside each other so that we could all actually be together so we were forced to sit as two separate groups. Our table was extremely water damaged and warped to the point that glasses and plates slid to the middle of the table and were not stable. The legs also wobbled which made that issue even worse.

The menu options are extremely limited (either a chicken dish wish mashed potatoes or a vegan cauliflower fried rice). We went with the 45$ option (includes cocktail, dinner, dessert, and cover for entry) and most of our group selected the “lychee mule” as our cocktail. No where on the menu did it indicate that this drink is a MOCKTAIL which I think is intentionally deceptive and dishonest. All other cocktails and shots that were ordered throughout the evening were all extremely watered down. One guest in our party ordered a vodka martini that even tasted very watered down, almost like it was half water.

On to the dinner, when our food arrived we were shocked at how small the portions were. For those that ordered chicken, it was one small chicken thigh on top on mashed potatoes with sauce. For the vegan dish, our friend quite literally got about ONE CUP of cauliflower rice on a plate with nothing else. I would serve myself more rice than that as a side dish let alone as a MAIN COURSE for a meal. It was really disappointing how small all of our portions were but especially heinous for our vegan friend. Her dessert was also about 1-2 tablespoons of chocolate mousse in a small cup which was pretty insulting compared to the rest of the groups big meringues (which we also didn’t enjoy unfortunately).

In terms of the wonderful drag performance that was definitely the highlight of the night, we were disappointed with the timing aspect as our food came out at the same time as the performance started. This made for really awkward timing as it feels a bit rude to be eating while the performance is going on and also forces you to either miss it entirely or let your food get cold and eat it after it ends. I don’t blame the performers for this though as it is a scheduling and planning issue.

Overall our impression was that this event at Vanitea Room was poorly organized and executed despite it being a regular event that should have many of these kinks sorted out by now. For what we paid we could have had a great dinner somewhere else with actual good food and drink quality and diverse menu options and headed to The Lookout afterwards for a drag performance.

Would not return and...

Went with a large group on a Saturday with a reservation and I found it to be very crammed. I think they should have given us three tables for 12 people (vs 2), or should not have let us make the booking to begin with. When the trays were brought to us, there was literally no place to put the plates down. No one could move or get up. Plus some guests got to sit on storage foot stools and not actual chairs and which was a bit less "high tea"/classy experience. It was a special occasion for me and I wanted my guests to be comfortable and have an enjoyable experience, especially when you pay so much money for the experience (including the %18 large group added tip). In addition to having to elbow everyone, the AC didn't seem to be working. So everyone dressed up nicely for the occasion but with so much heat and humidity that was there (plus hot teas), a lot of people ended up looking like a hot mess in a couple of minutes. Plus, you drink more water to cool off a little bit and then it's impossible to get up from your seat to use the facilities. One of my guests was literally pushed into her chair unceremoniously by the another guest who was trying to squeeze in. The service was nice, and I felt terrible for the servers who were trying to get us our food. The atmosphere and food was decent but because it was so uncomfortable for almost everyone in my party, I give it a low rating. In addition, I wanted to have more tea, but the server offered to just bring me more hot water and reuse my previous tea bag. (How she said it, she made it sound like she was offering me the better deal. Like, you don't want a fresh tea, it is best you reuse the old one). Because everyone was piling up their used tea bags in one plate and I could barely see it/ reach it, I just grabbed a bag from the top and ended up resteeping someone else's jasmine tea which didn't taste good at all (re-steeping green tea leaves is very hard but not impossible with higher quality teas, so it makes me question about quality of their teas). A lesson for me- I was trying to save my guests money by not going to Chateau Laurier (which was my original idea), but now I think that $20 price difference is nothing compared to how uncomfortable everyone was. Would I go here again? With a large party, never! With a smaller party? Well, other people looked like they were having troubles with the space, so probably no, not for the price that we paid. Food was OK, but everything was super high carbs with white breads and scones so off course it tasted good! (With so much sugar in every food option, it will appeal to your taste buds). I was giving a higher rating initially but as I went about to write my review, it slowly dropped. The people working there are great and courteous, however, they should do something about room space. Trying to get more money at a cost of customer experience is a terrible way to run...