Where: Virginia-Highland, Atlanta, Georgia Style: Contemporary Tea Selection: 10 sacheted loose leaf teas by ZenTea Teatimes: Daily, 3 to 5 pm Reservations: One-week notice Contact: 404-872-0904 or events@murphysvh.com Cost: $35 High Tea Destination Tea Tips: Prepare thyself to feast! When you reserve, you will customize your tea, choosing your tea sandwiches and desserts from a selection. And bring cash to tip the valet if you’d prefer not to hunt for a parking spot on side streets.
Destination Tea Notes: For more than 35 years, Tom Murphy’s restaurant has been a neighborhood favorite, well-known for its brunch, wine bar and seasonally inspired menus (and someday perhaps for its afternoon tea). Launched in 2018, Murphy’s afternoon tea features teas from Chamblee’s ZenTea, whose owner Connie Miller works with Murphy’s in developing this new service. The tea menu here is a cross between an afternoon tea and the heartier high tea after which it is named, all told served in four courses with an interposed palate cleanser. As our group – the Atlanta Tea Society — gets down to the business of great conversation, our server gives us just the right amount of attention, and is graciously patient with us when it’s time to explore our tea options. Its menu so plentiful, both in food and beverage, and its ambiance convivial and unpretentious, teatime at Murphy’s feels like a special occasion enjoyed in true comfort.
Exposed brick walls, wood siding and glossy trim with a sky blue ceiling
Hello to Atlanta Tea Society newcomer Mascelia, looking fabulous
Tea Service
Ready to pour: lightly sweetened iced tropical black tea with large fruit slices, and chilled champagne
We already love ZenTea teas, and are happy to see one of our favorites: Organic Green Cherry, which is yummy as usual. Our server invites us to pass around these jars to help us make our selection: English Breakfast, Black Peach Apricot and Organic Green Jasmine. All delicious!
Hot water in insulated pitchers is poured over the tea of your choice. Murphy’s could improve this tea service, either by using placards to label the tea sachets they lay out on small plates, (to avoid the which-is-which game that non-tea connoisseurs may not play very successfully); or by using labeled teapots to steep the teas at their different recommended temperatures before serving.
How wonderful is this? “Honey Next Door keeps bees in local Atlanta neighborhoods to provide hyperlocal honey products and to keep a healthy population of honeybees in the urban ecosystem.” Eco-friendly sweetener!
Served alongside the dessert course, much to everyone’s delight: surprise chai tea lattes!
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
Warm buttermilk biscuits, lemon poppyseed scones and espresso chocolate chip muffins (wow) are coupled with lemon curd, lavender strawberry jam and clotted cream.
First, what fun cake stands! These delicious, homemade Waldorf chicken salad croissant sandwiches incorporate the brightness and crisp of apples, walnuts and grapes.
We’d like these cucumber chive sandwiches to be a bit more dainty, perhaps halved, with thinly sliced cucumbers and half the portion of cream cheese. The freshness and flavor is there though!
Rick smoked salmon crostini with dill cream cheese are tasty. Here again we’d recommend a lighter dollop of cream cheese.
Pastry Chef Kenny has us all smiling, as he surprises us with a yuzu (sour Japanese citrus fruit) sorbet in between savory courses (yes, there is more than one!)
Who knew we have mixologists in our group? Some of the ladies splash a bit of champagne into their sorbet — a smart addition.
Round two! We are stunned when this hot savory course arrives: vegetable quiche, parmesan-stuffed mushroom, feta spinach spanakopita and brisket popover.
After such a filling meal, we like that the dessert course is modest: buttery fruit tarts…
…And mini chocolate croissants, with a rich chocolate filling.
Virginia-Highland personality: tableware bike rack in case you prefer riding your bike to tea 😉
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