We reserved an afternoon tea session here. Sobella Loreto, the Arteastic owner, was such a great host. She described her background, her passion for tea and art, and her interior space. All the paintings along the walls are Sobella's work. I would describe her space as cozy, relaxed, and inviting with Parisian music playing in the background.Sobella had us try out her Sri Lankan tea, which I would say was quite pleasant on its own and reminded me of Ceylon tea; it also paired well with cream and sugar. Then, she came out with our afternoon tea treats, which came in three tiers: savory sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and lemon cake with macarons. For the most part, all of the food was flavorful; the only constructive feedback I did have was that the bread, scones, and cake were a bit dry. Thankfully, the sandwich fillings, clotted cream and jam, cooked apple pieces, and cooked lemon peels added that much needed moisture. For each tier of treats, I do have specific commentary on them:Bottom tier: All of the sandwiches were flavorful. The first sandwich was a smoked salmon sandwich, which had a thin layer of cream cheese, smoked salmon, and arugula. Within the cream cheese itself were specks of freshly chopped dill throughout. The overall sandwich was fantastic. Next, we had a cucumber sandwich, which also had that dill infused cream cheese with crisp thinly sliced cucumbers. It was so refreshing. The third sandwich was a chicken salad sandwich, which had freshly diced apples and celery that added such a great crunch. The apples did add a bit of sweetness, but it wasn't overpowering. This too was a refreshing sandwich.Middle tier: The scones were imbedded with warm fall spices and small cooked apple pieces. Delicious! Now, we did have to add their fresh clotted cream and fragrant strawberry jam to add more moisture to the scone.Top tier: The lemon cake was brimming with lemon flavor and was studded with cooked lemon peel bits. It was a bit dry, though. Nothing that a sip of their tea won't fix. Their pistachio macaron was kind of dense and not as airy as I'm used to; but, the pistachio cream and pistachio pieces throughout more than made up for this. Yummy!In summary, this spot was a wonderful place for afternoon tea. The price was very reasonable as well at $40 per person. We look forward to coming here again with friends. Sobella also holds painting classes, so there's something else to do here. Come and check out this spot if you're looking for a relaxing afternoon tea spot.
