Thai Style High Tea @ Bangkok on Beltline

I love afternoon tea, high tea, any kind of tea + dessert type events where you can relax, eat, and hang out with your friends. :) I went to a few tea places while I was in Vietnam in August, so it was fresh on my mind. So me and another blogger friend of mine decided to take action and actually plan one. We were searching for some options of places to go when I came across someone's Instagram post on the tea at Bangkok on Beltline. Now this was already on my radar, but I had for some reason forgotten about it. They only have high tea on Saturdays from 2-4PM and it's by reservation only because they have to prep all the goodies. The date we had planned was a Saturday so this worked out perfectly. And to our luck, the PR company for Bangkok saw my comment to that post and reached out. Yay!

Bangkok on Beltline - Thai High Tea
100 S Central Expy #108
Richardson, TX 75080
(469) 930-9755
http://www.bangkokatbeltline.com/
Price: $35 per person

Most of the group were already food bloggers so now we are being hosted! Woohoo!! All of us got half off the regular price. It was great, since we were initially planning this as just a casual outing with friends. Yay. Thank you so much for hosting us, Bangkok on Beltline and Red iD Agency!!

I had seen pictures, but it was even prettier in person. We arrived on Saturday and the table was decked out with three 3 tiered tea trays FILLED with beautiful and colorful creations. I think it took us a full 30 minutes to get all of our photos taken... haha. Food bloggers, amiright? :P

We then met the owner of the restaurant and he proceeded to explain all the different items and the progression of the tea service.

We started with the Bottom Tier and work our way up. It has all the savory items. It is also paired with a Chinese Green Tea. With unlimited refills. I think I had 4 cups of this. I drink a lot of tea.. haha. Especially when I'm eating sweets too. The tea is light and unsweetened. There are sugar cubes for those who wanted sweetness.

Pad Thai Croissant. What a creative combination! East meets West. I wished the pad thai was warm, but I think that's kind of hard to do since the tea trays have to be prepared before the party arrives. Also... we took forever taking pictures. haha. The pad thai had a sweetness to it which I wouldn't have liked if I was eating it for dinner, but since this is mainly pastries and desserts, it worked well with the buttery croissant.

Chicken Satay Sandwich. This was my favorite. It had really great flavor. Almost a curry flavor in there.
Yellow Curry Puffs (filled with potato). This was also really good. The crust was flaky, not dry. The potato had good flavor. I'm assuming this is a vegetarian friendly item.

Middle Tier:
This one is paired with Chrysanthemums Tea, one of my favorite teas of all time. When I go to dim sum, I ALWAYS have to order this. It's a flower, and you can definitely get the florally fragrance when you sip it. I lost count on how many cups I had of this one. haha.
This tier had most of the Asian influenced desserts.

Black Rice Pudding (with coconut milk, palm seed jelly on top). Reminded me of all those Asian desserts I grew up eating. I enjoyed the rice pudding texture and I love coconut milk. Can't say I've had palm seed jelly before though. Yay for trying new things!
Rice Crackers with Caramel Coconut Sauce. The rice crackers were Asian style... so there's basically no sweetness to it. Just the slight nuttiness from the rice. If you are expecting a rice crispies treat, this ain't it. You can spread some of the caramel sauce over the rice crackers. The sauce itself was quite interesting. It was almost more savory than sweet... reminded me a bit like peanut sauce in Vietnamese/Thai cuisine.
Sticky Rice (with Thai Coconut Custard). I still don't fully know what all is in this. But the sticky rice was inside a layer of pastry or something. I liked this a lot, especially the coconut custard.

Top Tier:
Unsweet Thai Tea was served with this tier. I was curious to try it because I've never had Thai tea without the condensed milk or sugar... I really liked it. It almost tasted sweet on its own without adding sugar. It went really well with this tier. Actually all of the teas were paired really well with their respective tiers. I was quite impressed!

Pistachio and Raspberry Macarons. Beautifully made macarons. The colors were so pretty with the Matcha Tiramisu. The textures of both macarons were both really good. I especially loved the pistachio's flavor.

Green Tea Tiramisu (with red bean). This was the favorite of the group. Not only was it beautiful, it was delicious. The matcha cream had a rich matcha taste. I was surprised to find a layer of red bean in there, which added an interesting texture. Again, this is where the Asian influences play into a typical dessert. Definitely one of the best desserts in the display. I wished I could've taken some home... but it was in a glass so I couldn't.

We also got some of their signature Flower Sesame Cookies. These are light and crispy and really cool looking!

We were all stuffed! Some people couldn't even finish all of the different items. A few of the girls came in and scoffed at the amount of food saying they were still gonna be hungry after. They ate their words. It was a lot. I would recommend eating a very light lunch or none at all before you go to high tea in general. You'd be surprised how much little sandwiches and cakes can fill you up! Plus you're drinking a ton of tea. Well, at least I was. I had to go to the bathroom twice!! haha. I think I drank well over 10 cups total.

We had SO MUCH FUN! It was a super unique experience with the Thai inspired flavors. I've definitely never had a tea experience like this before. For the price point, this is a great value in Dallas for high tea. Most other places I know are at least $50+ a person. I highly recommend you try this. Great for a girls' day out, or a bridal shower. I'd even do this for a birthday party! :)

Thanks again for hosting us!! :)

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Opa Greek Taverna

My fiance recently told me about a Greek restaurant that was close to Rockwall. We decided to check it out last weekend. It's in Rowlett...only about 15 minutes away from us.

Opa Greek Taverna
3801 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 600
Rowlett, TX 75088
(469) 443-0508
http://oparowlett.com
Price: $$

Once we got there, I realized I had driven past this place many times and didn't think anything of it. It's not a big place. We didn't think to call ahead or reserve on a Friday night so when we got there, they were full. Luckily there were 2 seats open at the bar. We asked them to let us know when something opens up.

The bartender greeted us, he was really friendly. My fiance looked at the cocktail menu and decided to try Poseidon's Punch (served in a 32 oz. mason jar; 1 1/4 oz. shots of Bacardi Silver, Bacardi Gold, and Blue Curacao; mixed with orange juice and another shot of Bacardi 151) $9.99~ 

I wasn't really planning on drinking so I didn't really read the description that closely. So when the bartender started making it... I was like "whoa!!!" It was a massive mason jar. My fiance was in shock too. haha. He said he read the "32 oz." but didn't fully realize how much that is. It was a really pretty and colorful drink with a whole lotta booze in it. He liked it but it was too strong for me so I couldn't help much. We only made it through about half of the jar. Definitely for sharing!

As we were getting ready to order at the bar, the hostess told us there was a table open for us. It was an awkwardly placed table right in front of the entrance, I felt like it was out of place. And it was cold... We sat there looking at the menu some more, even though we were ready to order, and no one ever came to greet us. We didn't even have waters yet. So finally we flagged down a waitress. It didn't seem like it was her table but she was very apologetic and went to get some waters for us. Then she came back and took our orders. The serviced picked up from there. She was really friendly. I noticed that a booth opened up and asked if we could move over there. It was much better, no cold breeze when the front door opened and closed.

Falafel (crushed garbanzo beans, parsley, and spices all rolled together, fried, and served with Tzatziki sauce) $5.49~ 

We got this as an appetizer but somehow it was served last. It was nice and hot though so I guess they were making it from scratch? The falafels had a nice crispy crust. I've had better, but we enjoyed it.

I went with the Moussaka (layers of eggplant, potatoes, seasoned ground beef, topped with a creamy Bechamel and tomato sauce) $11.89~ 

It was highly recommended by the bartender when we were at the bar. This is one of the only dishes where I'll eat eggplant. Usually I hate it. It was fantastic. Lots of flavor, tons of meat and eggplant and the sauce was great. Their pita bread on the side was warm and pillowy. Great dish...and I haven't had Greek food in a long time! Hit the spot.

Original Gyros Platter (layers of lamb and beef thinly sliced off the rotisserie; served with pita bread and Tzatziki sauce; with choice of one side: Greek Roasted Potatoes) $11.99~ 

Initially he was gonna get the gyro pita but changed his mind because this had more food. Again, Greek is the only time I'll eat lamb... I love gyro meat. I can't taste the lamby-ness at all. The meat was super tender. It was so good with the pita bread. I also love Greek potatoes. Nice and soft, lots of flavor. Another great dish.

Galaktoboureko (warm custard wrapped in phyllo, baked until golden, smothered in homemade syrup) $5.99~ 

 

We decided to try this dessert partly because the name was just so hard to pronounce. haha. The description also sounded delicious. It was fresh out of the oven/fryer, whatever they did. Super crispy on the outside, sweet and sticky from the syrup, and soft custard inside. Lots of textures. Yum. And it was big too! We took a third of it to go cuz we got too much food... as usual. :P

What a great find! I absolutely love Greek food and now there's a good one close to us. :) I have a feeling we'll be going back there soon.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Emporium Pies - McKinney

*EDIT 11-4-14*
I went back to Emporium Pies yesterday. I had an appointment in McKinney, so I met my ex-boss for lunch at Harvest. I was really full, but I happened to park right in front of Emporium Pies so I HAD to go in. I HAD TO! XP It was calling to me. And then I found out they had wifi, so I was able to sit in there and do some work.

I ordered a hot tea first, hoping I could digest some of my lunch and then get a piece of pie. 2 hours later... I was still incredibly full. So I got a slice of pie to go.

Smooth Operator (french silk chocolate filling in a salty pretzel crust) $5~ 

This would be the 5th flavor out of their line-up of 7 flavors that I've tried. I took one bite before I popped it into the fridge at home. It was so rich and decadent. The French silk chocolate was so smooth (hence the name). Definitely needs a cup of milk, a scoop of ice cream or some tea. I liked the pretzel crust a lot. The hint of saltiness helps to balance out the rich chocolate filling. YUM! But I don't know if I can eat the whole slice in one sitting. hehe.

Next time I'm going to try the Nannerz... bananas with vanilla custard! :)

Oh.. I do wish they have a bell or something at the register because at one point I waited a long time before someone came out. I needed their wifi password!

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

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I was so excited when I found out Emporium Pies was opening a second location. But they chose McKinney, which is still so far from me. Oh well, I'll take whatever I can get. They're that good. At least this way whether I'm in the north or south of Dallas, I can get some pie! :P

Emporium Pies - McKinney
107 S. Tennessee St.
McKinney, TX 75069
(214) 491-1577
http://emporiumpies.com/
Price: $

As soon as I reserved our painting class in downtown McKinney, I immediately decided I will get some pies to go and have it during class. I'm excited! It's been almost a year and half since I've been to the original one in Bishop Arts. I've never been a huge pie person, but theirs is legit. All the pies are homemade and has no artificial preservatives, hydrogenated oils, dyes or corn syrup.

I jetted out of dinner and went to get some pie while my fiance and other friends went to check in at the painting class. There was a line at Emporium Pies. Not surprised, but I was in a hurry so I was really anxious. I could see the ladies behind the counter cutting slices of pies feverishly. It was nonstop and there were stacks of pies and to go containers everywhere. And I loved their packaging for the to go orders. Little wooden baskets tied in string with a wooden spoon. 

So homey and cute, just like their shop decor. The one in Bishop Arts is in a renovated old house. The one in McKinney is just a storefront but it's decorated in the same manner so when you step in, you get the same feeling.

I got a bunch to go, cuz when's the next time I'll be back?? The main one I really wanted to try was the Drop Dead Gourdgeous (gingersnap crust and pumpkin custard filled with cinnamon cloves and spice) $5~ 

I saw a picture of it on instagram last holiday season and I've been dreaming about it ever since. haha. I dug into it first chance I had while in class. It was so good. Probably one of the most flavorful pumpkin pies I've ever had. Whatever their blend of spices are, it packs a punch! The crust was flaky and buttery. I wish I had some tea, this would've been good with it.

Cloud 9 (house made caramel on the bottom, creamy butterscotch custard in the middle, toasted brown sugar meringue at the top) $5~ (Sorry, forgot to get a picture!) This is a seasonal flavor that's only available in the fall. I got this for my fiance cuz he loves butterscotch. It was really rich and quite sweet. Definitely needed milk or tea. But it was good. The filling was a little too runny for my preferences but he loved it, which is most important since I got it for him. :)

I also got the Lord of the Pies (apples baked in hand-made caramel and topped with a crispy cinnamon streusel in a buttery, flaky crust) $6~ 

One whole pie contains 10 apples! It is a mega apple pie, hence the extra dollar. It pretty much filled up the whole container! Tons of apples, baked to the right texture. Not too mushy but not too hard and crunchy either. The streusel was great. I wish there was a little more. If you love apple pie, give this one a try.

Buttercream Gang (classic buttermilk pie in a shortbread crust) $5~ 

 

I got this one for me, for later. I had a buttermilk pie the first time at Emporium Pies and it was pretty awesome. I ate this the next day and it was still good. The buttermilk filling is dense but I didn't think it was too sweet. I like sturdier pies, the one's with the super runny, fruity centers is usually not my thing. I liked the filling a lot but thought the crust was a bit dry. Not sure if that's due to being out overnight but it wasn't as good as I remembered. I ate this one with a cup of tea and it was great.

There are still flavors I haven't tried there yet. Definitely looking forward to those. They have one with bananas. If I wasn't taking them to go, I would've tried that one. Best pies in town, go check them out! :)

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Glazed Donut Works

This past Saturday we went downtown to the Dallas Burlesque Festival at the House of Blues. I was pretty excited. I've never been to a burlesque show! They said doors open at 8PM and show starts at 9. Since we had standing room only tickets we got there right before 8. Obviously I don't go to events like these often because apparently it's normal to wait around for a longg time. We didn't even get into the venue until about 8:45PM. And the show definitely did NOT start at 9. Finally the show starts and there were some good acts but overall disappointing (very amateur dancing/routines imo). And standing around in 3 inch heels for 2+ hours in a room full of people and bright lights didn't do me any favors. I got really nauseous and dizzy all of a sudden... could barely make it to the side of the room before falling over. Yikes! So my bf took me to get some air and ultimately decided to leave. I felt bad leaving our friends at the show but they seemed to be having a good time.

So what's the best cure for lightheaded-ness and nausea? SUGAR!! haha. I felt like I needed to eat something sweet so we finally got the chance to go check out Glazed in Deep Ellum! I love donuts but I try not to eat them too much for the sake of my diet. But this is a sugar emergency! :P

Glazed Donut Works
2644 Elm St.
Dallas, TX 75226
(214) 741-2275
http://glazeddonutworks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/GlazedDonutWorks
Price: $

I've been dying to try their donuts since they opened but their hours and location never mesh with my schedule. :( They're usually open in the mornings and have late night window on Friday and Saturday nights. I checked their Facebook page to double check and turns out it was their 6 month anniversary! Now I really must go! :P

So we drove by the shop to see if there was a line and there wasn't! But as most of you know, the parking situation in Deep Ellum sux ballz. So my bf just dropped me off and circled around. I went straight up to the window. It's a to-go window so there's no place to sit and eat. They had some donuts on display and they all looked amazing. Which ones will I ever choose?!?

I already knew I wanted this one... Strawberry Mascarpone $3.50~ 

I actually wanted their normal blueberry mascarpone but they said they changed to strawberry for Valentine's day. So pretty. It was delicious! The flavor of the glaze with the strawberry filling and the dollop of mascarpone cream on top just all worked together so well. The donut was soft and fluffy but yet still had a denseness to it that I really liked. Sometimes I feel like eating donuts is like eating calorie-laden air. This had substance! I sooooo wanna try the blueberry one now!

Banana Pudding (banana and cream inside, topped with nilla wafer crumbles and toasted meringue) $3.50~ 

 

My bf requested this one. And if he didn't, I would've gotten it anyways. haha. I think this was his favorite out of the bunch, and a very very close second for me. It had a ton of banana flavor. I like the added texture of the nilla wafer crumbles on top. And I think it was a dollop of toasted meringue on top. (Don't quote me on it, it could've been marshmallow fluff??) Anyways, amazeballs. And it was also very pretty!

Creme Brulee (filled with vanilla custard and bruleed sugar coating) $3.50~ 

 

I almost didn't get this until I heard the lady describe the components. Bruleed sugar coating on top! SOunds awesome. This was my favorite but that's by splitting hairs. The top was crunchy just like breaking the sugar crust on a creme brulee. The vanilla custard inside was smooth and creamy and paired so well with the texture of the dough. Just then, I had a brilliant idea. They should take the bananas and cream filling from the Banana Pudding donut and put it inside the Creme Brulee donut!! Then it would be the best of both worlds! Please do this!!!! :P

Chocolate Cherry Stout (uses Deep Ellum Brewing Co.'s Cherry Chocolate Double Brown Stout) $3.50~ 

 

I wanted to try a chocolate one but they didn't have many options that night. She told me they used the local beer for this so I thought it sounded interesting. This is more of a cake donut so slightly denser than the others. I liked it because you can taste the chocolate but it wasn't too sweet and the glaze just gave it the right amount of sweetness on top. My bf didn't care for it. He normally doesn't like stouts plus he likes LOTS of sugar. haha. Maybe it wasn't sweet enough for him. Probably the least favorite out of the bunch but I still liked it.

The lady at the window was super nice. Big smile the whole time! I congratulated them on their anniversary. :) Also, I asked about their donut truck.. she says they might be out and about by March. I said maybe they should think about coming to Plano! *hint*hint* hehe.

I had high hopes for Glazed, but they blew my mind! This was the perfect cure for my nausea and beats boobies with tassels any day! LOL! At $3.50 a pop, I'd have to say the quality and size is pretty good. And for specialty donuts in Dallas, I think they trump Hypnotic Donuts (sorry to say, Hypnotic is still good tho). I can't wait until the next time I have another chance to go visit them. Keep up the good work, Glazed! And consider Plano or Richardson for your next location!!!!! :D

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~