Best Afternoon Tea, September 2009

 

A gallery and playful homage to the eccentricities of Tokyo’s “maid cafés,” Royal/T is also home to the most unconventional afternoon tea in town. Waitresses in chocolate brown maid uniforms serve quiche and miso-marinated chicken sandwiches to a young crowd who nibble while gazing at art by the likes of Takashi Murakami and Carol Dunham. Tea stays piping hot in clear plastic double-walled teapots; it’s also good iced and with a shot of peach syrup. The in-house shop carries several flavors of specially blended loose teas, including the Royal/T (an unusual fusion of black tea with rose petals, fruit, and vanilla meant to be brewed in soy milk), along with a range of sleek Bodum equipment.