[ESC] — Restaurant in East Palo Alto

Location: The tea is hosted in what is the lobby/cafe of the hotel. They have just repurposed the same furniture so it’s a pretty awkward set up, not conducive to tea and a whole arrangement of finger food. It’s also a little awkward with the foot traffic from guests. The hotel itself is pretty nice and the bathroom was great.

Tea: If you care at all about tea you are going to be disappointed. Their selection is decent and I like how they have the teas out for you to smell. The way the tea is served is you are given a bag (maybe wood pulp based?) and it is filled with the leaves. You then have a communal pot of hot water, which you pour into your cup with the tea bag. You get an hourglass and when it he time is up you can stop steeping the tea. There is no differentiation made for water temperature or steep time for different types of tea. For reference, on average, green tea should be steeped in 175 degree water for 2 ish min, whereas black tea should be steeped in 210 degree water for 3-5 minutes. Finally, most heinous of all was how the matcha was served. I was intrigued to see it as an option, so I ordered it thinking they would whisk it as it is meant to be prepared. Instead, the “ceremonial grade” matcha (which looked rather anemic) was poured into a tea bag before being emerged in hot water. They did have really good honey, made on their rooftop garden.

Food Honestly the best part of the experience. Lobster roll was great (although they skimped on caviar) as were the desserts. Some things were whatever, like the meatball? and the bland mushroom thing. The sandwiches were fine, but I really liked the scone with cream and jam.

Service It was fine. That’s it. Could have been more attentive.

Overall Would not recommend if you care about tea at all. For the price point definitely not worth it,...

This restaurant has been opened since 4/17; is this a hidden gem?! Is everyone keeping this place a secret?! The food and service was phenomenal. Why am I the first to review?

There's currently a Groupon/LivingSocial deal and it's a steal. I grabbed the dinner option and was extremely pleased.

Awesome wine selection. Incredible charcuterie options. And amazing desserts. We loved it.

The mornings, it is a cafe with carry-outs. And in the evenings, they turn into a wine bar with small bites. I didn't see a wine flight on the menu. That would be a super addition.

Definitely will return. I'm actually thinking of just hanging out there in the late morning for coffee and paninis...

The happiness and harmony teas were very aromatic and tasty. The afternoon tea selection was good as well but I wish the portions were bigger. The setting was part of the hotel lobby but it was nice and relaxing to...