Bites Nearby: The Royal Tea Cup

You could stand on a corner and look around until a restaurant sign draws you in. But we've got a better idea. Each week, New Hyde Park Patch picks a great restaurant either in town or nearby that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:

The Royal Tea Cup

The Royal Tea Cup is a unique tea catering service that brings all of the delicate charm of a traditional English tea party directly to you; all you have to do is put on your best set of pearls and invite the guests.

“Have tea, will travel,” is how Owner Victoria Feroce describes the business.

Providing afternoon and high tea events for adults, children and corporate clientele, The Royal Tea Cup goes to private residences as well as any other location that allows outside catering anywhere in the tri-state area.

Tea parties include the exquisite detail expected of such an occasion with flowers, music, fine china, flatware, linens, silver sugar bowls and creamers all provided. Each tea drinker gets their own pot filled with their choice of fine loose leaf tea and are presented with an array of freshly made sweet and savory foods.

Food is served on silver tiers stacked with antique plates, the first of which typically has imported Devonshire cream, strawberry preserves and freshly baked scones. The second tier offers tea sandwiches, and the third, goodies like madeleines, tarts, brownies and fresh strawberries.

“I do everything pretty much in a way that traditional tea parties are done,” Feroce said.

Coming from a background in catering, Feroce does the majority of the cooking, using the “freshest and finest” ingredients. Cucumber sandwiches are her specialty. She also works with bakeries for certain items such as cakes for baby and bridal showers.

Dedicated to using only the highest quality, Feroce uses loose leaf Harney and Sons teas and takes care to make each according to its specific requirement.

Having gone through special training on how to prepare tea, Feroce explains that it is more than just boiling water.

“There is a whole art to it,” she said.

Teas are brewed with filtered water and come in caffeine-free and child-friendly herbal flavors like raspberry and peach.

Pomegranate oolong, a cross between green and black tea from Taiwan, is an aromatic tea and a favorite among Royal Tea Cup patrons. Dragan pearl jasmine and hot cinnamon spice are other popular choices. And if you happen to fall in love with a certain tea, they are available for purchase.

Feroce displays a clear passion for the ritual of tea and shares it with others with bright enthusiasm. During events she can be found dropping fun “tea tidbits” on the history and practice of tea drinking.

Many of Feroce’s clients are in New Hyde Park. Having lived in the Village herself for many years, she says, “I have a fondness for New Hyde Park in my heart.”

The Royal Tea Cup does not have an independent tea room (yet), but does host events that are open to the public quite often. The most recent of which was a mother/daughter tea party at Orchard Hill, Old Westbury Gardens.

For little girls, tea parties make for a great photo opportunity, but no matter what age, mother/daughter events are an especially good excuse to spend time together. More than the food, the china or getting dressed up, it is often the people you are sitting with that make a tea party memorable.

Compared to the quick, grab and go meetings we’ve become used to with coffee, Feroce finds, “tea is a more luxurious experience. It gives you a chance to sit down with a friend or someone special and have a nice conversation…you can really take your time and enjoy that other persons company.”

Upcoming public events will begin to pick up in late August and the beginning of September. To stay informed on where and when events are happening and to reserve your spot, visit the website and become a fan of The Royal Tea Cup on Facebook.

“I think that in our very busy society today it is important to…enjoy the simpler things in life…I find it so important to ‘make time’ and ‘create an event’ however simple,” said Feroce, “having afternoon tea is a perfect opportunity to do just that.”

The Royal Tea Cup. 1-866-223-3914. http://www.theroyalteacup.com/home.html.