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| - Today we went to Ruelo for an afternoon tea and the experience was a bit disappointing. We made a reservation for 3pm and we arrived there on time as we were told they only hold your table for 15mins. As we arrived, the staff there told us we have until 3:30 to enjoy our tea. 30mins? seriously? I asked her to repeat the time she then said 4:30...phew,we got 1.5hr. But, really, they set a time limit? There were no other eat-in customers the whole time (we were there until 4pm). An afternoon tea experience is all about enjoying some delicacies in a relaxing and laid back manner. Setting a time limit is a turn off in my opinion.
Anyhow, they had a good selection of Kusmi tea that you get to smell the tea leaves when you pick. Tea and food arrived shortly. In terms of food quality, I give it a score of 75. The savory included a prosciutto arugula wrap. The arugula was probably a few days old. There was also a quiche and smoked salmon on scone (same scone you get on the next level). On the second level there were mini scones and raisin rolls. The raisin rolls were pretty good. You get a tiny portion of clotted cream and marmalade which was unfortunate. In terms of sweets, the quantity was relatively generous. We got banana bread, creme brulee, their well-known macaroons, and a chocolate covered cake (we had no idea what that cake was as the menu board had no description of it and the server did not introduce the food items to us) I have to say the macaroons were amazing. We got a chocolate and a vanilla between the 2 of us. They shells were light and crisp, yet with the right amount of chew. The filling was done beautifully. It was creamy, smooth and flavourful.
As we were almost finished, we asked for a refill of water for our tea. The server said the cost is 25 cents each. This is another turn off. Charging plain hot water is ridiculous. At the end we didn't bother.
When we were done we decided to buy some cakes for my brother's birthday. We decided to pick a few portioned cakes. When I asked the server if they have any vegan choices the server gave me a blank stare and shook her head endlessly. I almost burst into laughter because her reaction was totally hilarious but at the same time, I felt the server needed more training in customer service. There is an increasing number of customer with various kinds of dietary restrictions and needs. Veganism is on the rise. Even if they didn't have any vegan choices, the server shouldn't have given me a you-are-totally-off-the-wall look.
I will not go back for afternoon tea again. The environment, service, food quality, and atmosphere are key to an afternoon tea experience but Ruelo fails many aspects. If their intention behind doing this groupon thing is to draw customers, sorry, I don't thing they will succeed. Treat your customers with respect by giving them quality service and not charging them hot water.
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