The French Room: An Authentic Afternoon Tea Experience

There is nothing I love more than spending a Saturday afternoon at high tea. One of my personal missions is to visit all the high teas available in Dallas, as well as a high tea in every city that I travel to!

This past Saturday, I celebrated my five-year anniversary with my boyfriend at The French Room in Dallas. This was by far the fanciest high tea that I have attended to date. People were dressed up in proper tea attire such as fascinators, floor length dresses, and even gloves! I absolutely loved how the gloves looked, and will be purchasing some!

Not only were the people dressed up beautifully, but the atmosphere and decor were stunning. The massive floral arrangement in the center of the room was adorned with fragrant flowers and smelled delightful. There were also two large chandelier fixtures on the ceiling covered in pastel accents.

Now let’s get to the part that really defines an afternoon tea: the menu. This tea only featured two courses: a savory sandwich course and a dessert course with scones. Thus, there were only two teas served throughout the meal. The entire menu was also Japanese themed for the coming of spring, so the establishment was featuring cherry blossoms, Japanese teas and asian foods.

Before the teas and sandwiches were served, they poured us each a complimentary glass of sparkling champagne: Langlois, Brut, Loire. It was delicious and paired wonderfully with the menu they offered.

First Course:

• Truffle Egg Salad on Croissant with freshly sliced truffle
• Cucumber Sandwich on Sourdough
• Teriyaki Smoked Chicken with aged cheddar on challah
• Roasted Pork Loin with sesame mayonnaise, red cabbage on Japanese milk bread
• Salmon Ginger Muffin with yuzu kosho cream, fried shallots and smoked trout roe

✨Paired With✨ Kukicha, Japan, Green Tea

The first course of this exquisite tea service presented a refined selection of delicate yet flavorful bites, each crafted with meticulous attention to detail. The Truffle Egg Salad, was delicious and served on a freshly made crisp croissant that perfectly complimented the flavors of the dish. Next up I tried the Cucumber Sandwich on Sourdough which is always one of my afternoon tea favorites! Its crisp, cool slices layered on tangy bread is truly something that you can never go wrong with.

Moving on, an item on the menu I had never been served at a tea before was the Teriyaki Smoked Chicken with Aged Cheddar on Challah. While I was a little apprehensive at first, I was met with a pleseant suprise as the dish delivered a harmonious balance of smoky sweetness and rich flavor.

Next up, I was eager to try the Salmon Ginger Muffin with Yuzu Kosho Cream, Fried Shallots, and Smoked Trout Roe. I have yet to be served an unappetizing salmon dish at an afternoon tea, and the French room was no exception! The subtle combination of citrus heat and crispy shallots elevated the delicate seafood flavors, and the texture throughout the dish varied with each bite.

Rounding out the selection was perhaps the dish I was most curious about: Roasted Pork Loin with Sesame Mayonnaise and Red Cabbage on Japanese Milk Bread. I’ve never been served pork at a tea before, and it is definitely not my usual choice of protein, so I was very apprehensive before trying it. My fears were completely diminished as the first bite brought me a flavor completely outshining the previous items. The pork and cabbage delivered a satisfying crunch and a subtle nuttiness, enhancing the tender, flavorful meat. I couldn’t believe how delicious it was and would one hundred percent return again just for this dish.

Second Course:

• Scones:
  • L’Original
  • Golden Raisin
  • Seasonal Preserves & English Double Cream
• Sakura Cherry Blossom Cheesecake Tart
• White Chocolate Matcha Cookies
• Chocolate Miso Eclair

✨Paired With✨ Genmaicha “Popcorn Tea”, Japan, Green Tea

The dessert tea course brought as a symphony of classic elegance, beginning with two warm, buttery Scones—the timeless L’Original and the subtly sweet Golden Raisin. These were accompanied with Seasonal Preserves & English Double Cream to ensuring a perfect balance of richness and fruit-forward brightness

A Sakura Cherry Blossom Cheesecake Tart followed, which was actually my least favorite item on the menu. The sweetness simply overpowered any unique flavor that the dish was attempting to display, and I was unable to finish my bite.

The White Chocolate Matcha Cookies offered us a blend of earthy green tea and silky white chocolate, delivering a delicate sweetness with every bite. I don’t usually find matcha flavored food appetizing, but this dessert sure did nail it!

Finally, the Chocolate Miso Éclair brings a delightful richness with a complexity of miso in a velvety cream filling. This was easily the most delicious of the dessert menu and provided a flavor that perfectly highlighted each key component!

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Notable things about this tea?

• DRESS CODE!! I do think it is worth noting that you definitely need to adhere to the dress code. Online it states no athletic attire, jeans, tennis shoes, etc. Make sure to look up the dress code before showing up to ensure you don’t get turned away!
• Sugar and Cream: Maybe it was because they were serving only green teas, but sugar and cream were not offered from the start. I did notice some tables had sugar and cream that they had requested.
• Extra add-ons: There were multiple choices for additional plates you could purchase, including a smoked salmon plate or caviar service. Honestly, we were so full after just the normal courses that I don’t think I could have eaten anything else!
• Seasonal Preserves!!! I honestly feel that the strawberry preserves served with our two scones were some of the best jams/preserves I have had. Don’t miss this opportunity to try it!
• English Double Cream: I am very used to having clotted cream served with my afternoon tea scones. However, the double cream was a light and fluffy alternative that I really did enjoy!

What would I change about this tea?

Honestly, I really enjoyed the atmosphere, food and service at the French Room. I would only change two of the desserts and then it would be a perfect experience!

• Sakura Cherry Blossom Cheesecake Tart: This was probably my least favorite dessert, only because it was so overly sweet. I ended up taking off the jelly part on top of the cheesecake so I could finish the tart.
• L’Original Scone: I do think that this scone was slightly dry, and could have been slightly more moist. However, it was still a nice basic scone flavor that paired well with both seasonal preserves offered. The Golden Raisin scone was moist and fresh out of the oven.

All in all, this was a wonderful afternoon tea experience, and definitely one of the fancier places to have tea in Dallas. I give it five out of five stars! Make a reservation here!