Where: George Town, Grand Cayman Style: Traditional Tea Selection: 30+ loose leaf teas Teatimes: Monday to Saturday, 10 to 4, Sunday 11 to 3; Private parties of up to 15 people Reservations: Required for afternoon tea Contact: 345-945-1701 or gardencentre@ebt.com.ky Cost: $59.98 Afternoon Tea (serves 2); $14.50 Traditional Cream Tea Destination Tea Tips: Leave time to browse the nursery and gift shop, which you will walk through to reach the tearoom. Order your favorite soup so that you get to taste the yummy yeast rolls served with soup.
Destination Tea Notes: More than a decade ago, what was once a traditional Caymanian home, was converted into Every Bloomin’ Thing — a plant nursery, floral and gift shop and tearoom. Just a few minutes from the airport, this tearoom is the perfect place to wile away the hours if you’ve flown in ahead of your check-in time. Afternoon tea goers with a serious sweet tooth may be clutching their pearls at this revelation, but in fact we do not mind that the afternoon tea here does not include a dessert course. Especially when the breads are so delectable, from yeast rolls to homemade sandwich bread and large British scones. More British standards that appear on this tearoom menu, such as the cheese and pickle sandwich, reflect the island’s history (colonized by the British in 1670, and dubbed a United Kingdom Overseas Territory in 1999). If you’re like us, you may feel a bit snobbish ringing a bell for table service, but that’s the way it’s done here, just go with it.
The tearoom is tucked into the purple house surrounded by the nursery.
The first of two rooms for tearoom seating, well-lit and decorated in soft, neutral tones, with green accents as a nod to this horticultural setting.
Possibly a former sunroom, this smaller space has tiled floors.
Yes, they really do want you to ring the bell for service.
Tea Selection
We always appreciate detailed tea descriptions.Each guest is served a two-cup pot of their selected tea.
The Almond Black was delicious, you can bet we welcomed an invitation for a second steep.
Scones & Savories
You will actually curate your afternoon tea when ordering, choosing three sandwiches for the tiered tray, as well as your scone flavors.
Wisely, we chose to share the Creamy Pumpkin Soup, which came with soft yeast rolls and butter.
Here is what the whole meal looked like, minus the rolls, which had somehow immediately vanished.
These breads were wonderfully soft. Now, here is where proper negotiation skills come into play, because you don’t want to miss out on the best sandwich fillings, but between you, you’ve got to pick three. I’d definitely liked to have tried the Henry the 8th (ham and pear) and the Cheese & Pickle, but yielded to my dining partner. We went with the Roasted Chicken and Crunchy Egg, which were tasty, if a bit messy, and shockingly, a Cucumber tea sandwich made with vinegar and mayonnaise (not a combination we’d recommend, and also surprising to find this deviation in a tearoom with obvious British influence).
Four triangles of each tea sandwich, and two large scones are included for two guests.
True clotted cream and jam came with our traditional English scones (fairly dense, not very buttery or sweet), one fruit and one plain. Though we typically follow the etiquette to break your scone apart with your hands, these were served pre-sliced, likely to invite sharing.
Whether you arrive early or stay late, you’ll find multiple gift shop rooms to explore.
We love comments! Destination Tea's comment policy shares a guiding principle with afternoon tea etiquette: please be gracious. We welcome honest comments that are not rude or scathing.
