July, 2007

Rating : 8 out of 10*

Tariff : Tea for 2

• one regular and one vegetarian full tea
• tip
• $55

Atmosphere

On a quiet side street where Spanish Moss hangs from the giant trees sits a small wooden house with front porch and pretty garden. Only a tiny sign identifies it as a business. Upon entering the front hall you find yourself in a rich Victorian setting with tea-related decorations and gifts adorning the hallway gallery and small gift shop, but most beautiful of all are the two formal dining areas. The second dining room has a beautiful fireplace with fancy mantle and beautiful portraits. The room we were seated in was painted in dark magenta and green with a decorative wallpaper border, white woodwork and crown moldings, crystal chandeliers, and hardwood floors. The long windows are topped with gaudy Victorian garlands and hung with lace curtains. Our table's glass top covered a lace cloth and had an assortment of interesting photos and memorabilia pressed beneath it.

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The four walls are decorated with at least 100 hats--guests are not only allowed to try them on but are actually encouraged to wear their choice for the duration of their tea.

Service

As you might expect, the service is very personalized and attentive. The tea pots are set on their own decorative stands and warmed with tiny tea light candles, the delicacies are described in detail, sometimes a story will be passed along, the check is brought to the table in a fancy wallet or evening purse, and the server will gladly take your photo in the hat of your choice! On their website you can read the interesting story of the two women who started this business and what events brought them together.

Food

The first course of our Full Afternoon Tea was a chilled peach soup served in, of course, a fancy tea cup! It was pureed and naturally sweet with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Next came a tiny serving of chicken salad on a lettuce leaf. The vegetarian option (we were very nicely accommodated because we had arranged in advance) was a tangy pasta salad.

Lest we go too far without mentioning the teas, we were given the choice of over 26 teas--black, fruity, green, and herbal. To accompany the tea there is cream or lemon and sugar cubes in a china bowl with silver tongs. We chose strong black teas, the Buckingham Palace Garden Party and Caramel Creme Brulee.

The second course was served on a fancy 3-tiered tray scattered with rose petals. It consisted of sandwiches, desserts, and scones. The sandwiches and sweets are very pretty to look at, beautifully presented, and most are tasty--however, they are doll tea party sized portions--really tiny--sometimes barely one bite each. I'm not a glutton, but I do think the full tea/lunch should fill you up a bit more. For sandwiches we had crab salad on a sweet roll (really good), tomato and bacon (a creamy pate), tomato-mayo-sprouts combo, cucumber dill cream cheese (this was tied with a tiny ribbon!)

and bell pepper with avocado and okra. The desserts were a key lime tart with a buttery crumb crust and creamy filling that wasn't quite tart enough, a strawberry cobbler that was moist and sweet, with crumbles of cake and soft fruit, and a brownie that had dark chocolate icing but dry cake. My favorites were the scones and on this visit there were two types: one plain cream cheese that was rich and moist and the other a pineapple coconut with almond flavoring that was just lovely. To accompany these there was a tiny cordial glass of clotted cream topped with a miniature rosebud and one of sour cherry spread--excellent companions to the scones.

The Full Tea is $20.95. Other teas served include a Lite Tea ($18.95), a Cream Tea ($10.95), a Child's Afternoon Tea ($ 10.95), and a China Lunch Plate ($ 10.95). Lil Peace of Heaven offers some special events such as scone baking classes, Mother's Day Tea, or themed dinners like the successful "Last Dinner on the Titanic," and their regular Tuesday Morning Devotional "Tea With God" including complimentary tea and scones.

A Lil Peace of Heaven
816 11th Street
Port Royal, SC 29935
(843) 524-4832