Last weekend Leti and I spent the whole day shopping at The Domain, a new fancy-schmancy shopping area in North Austin. It has stores like Neiman Marcus and Louis Vuitton and Tiffany’s. It also has one little local shop in that corridor of corporate greatness: The Steeping Room.
We decided to be Ladies Who Lunch, and stopped in to The Steeping Room for an early afternoon tea service. It was so much fun! It’s a small place, with lots of two-tops, high ceilings, and a clean, minimalist feel. The waitstaff is very friendly, and quite helpful when it comes to choosing from their huge list of teas. I wish I could remember which teas we had…Leti’s was flowery and light, while mine was deeper and more mellow with a hint of toasted rice.
Leti’s tea service came with chicken spring rolls, peanut sauce, chile paste, and a small cabbage salad. For dessert, she had fresh, ripe berries and a matcha-dusted brownie that was so rich and gooey that even the two of us, certified chocolate fiends, could only finish a third of it.
My tea service came with lovely tea sandwiches, crustless, on wheat bread. I chose the chicken salad, made crunchy by the addition of water chestnuts, and the hummus sandwich, smoky and delectable with slices of cucumber. I also had berries, a slice of dense lemon cake, and a perfect plum and pine nut scone, served with fresh strawberry jam and the sweetest, creamiest butter I’ve ever tasted.
It was the perfect lunch, light but not light, decadent in a different way…we loitered over bites of scone and sips of tea, then headed back out to shop some more. If you find yourself in the Domain, I’d highly recommend stopping in to The Steeping Room.
And to all of you out there who work so hard to keep businesses running smoothly, Happy Administrative Professionals Day!
Leave a Reply