Spooky Tea at Lilly Rose Delights the Senses with its Secrets
If you’ve never been to the Lilly Rose in downtown Los Angeles, let me be the one to introduce you to this little secret hidden gem. Located down an elevator ride into the basement parlor of the Wayfarer Hotel, this speakeasy bar is where the whimsical meets the wonderful. Home to magic, live music, burlesque shows, and more— this Halloween, the Lilly Rose is welcoming guests for what they are calling a Spooky Tea, their own variation of a high tea, complete with cakes, scones, sweets, a little lobster, and of course, tea.
The British tradition of High Tea started in the 1700’s as an afternoon meal, a chance to have a snack prior to any adventures in the evening. It was a meal for the working man, taken standing up or sitting on tall stools—and thus, stools have become an important part of the tea tradition. Lilly Rose knows this well, as they have a collection of barstools that are as rare as the guests that they invite to sit upon them. A lamb, a metal pig, a set of fishnet stockinged legs—these and more are what you’ll find within the unique setting of Lilly Rose.
So, what is the Spooky Tea offered here? Well, it is a recreation of High Tea, with a Halloween twist: the chocolate is darker, the bread is pumpkin, and the drinks are caramel, apple, and cinnamon. To further elevate the theme, the décor—while already quite whimsically spooky on its own—has been adorned with zombie hands, chains, and other Halloween notables. Further, tea is served with a skeletal spoon if you wish to make your tea a little sweeter. Don’t expect actors, a narrative, or even much horror—this experience is about the cuisine, the cocktails, and company.
First, let’s dive into the titular tea. As part of the entry price, you are given the choice of a salted butter caramel oolong tea or a citrus rooibos tea. If neither of those are speaking to you, they have a full assortment of others, but we tried both and they are fantastic, especially with a dash of the sugar and milk provided alongside. You also aren’t making this choice blind; you will have a chance to engage your olfactory senses as you smell both prior to your selection. Once your selection is made, an entire pot of that tea is brought out to enjoy for the remainder of the experience.
Spooky Tea also adds a trick and a treat to its offerings. The treat is a warm apple cider with Mexican cinnamon and whipped cream—a perfect sweet note. But we recommend the tricks. These devious drinks elevate the tea by infusing them into their unique versions of a Courvoisier Russian Sidecar or an Old Fashioned. The Caramel Oolong Tea is a perfect addition to this Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned, and some hints of macadamia nut and vanilla shine through to place this drink in my top three Old Fashioned variants of all time (and the Old Fashioned is my drink of choice). The Sidecar is only improved with the infusion of Gout Russe tea, toning the sweetness down and making it a perfect companion to afternoon snacks.
Regarding the food, it is a strong pairing of sweet and savory. As accustomed in modern High Tea, a tri-layered tower of morsels is brought out to enjoy. The bottom tier is your savory selections: a warm and crispy lobster roll, roasted mushrooms and thyme on pumpkin bread, prosciutto and fig on a toasted bread, curried chicken salad, and blue cheese, pear, and walnut on a black charcoal bread. Each bite is heavenly, with the flavors matching each other perfectly. The lobster melts in your mouth, the sweet fig contrasts the salty prosciutto, and the curried chicken salad may have been my favorite due to its complexity and layered flavors.
The top two tiers are filled with seasonal petit fours, two different types of macarons, perfectly flakey scones, and multiple other desserts. Scones are hard to do correctly, but this one was exceptional—not too dry or hard, a favorite among the desserts, especially if dipped in the tea to imbue it with a hint of caramel. A pumpkin and a rich chocolate macaron just melted away. But my personal favorite was a slice of a pumpkin pie brownie, which had a crispy crust on top of which a gooey pumpkin pie filling was spread. It was heaven. A secondary highlight was a blood orange marmalade pot de crème, that was the perfect mixture of cream and citrus. We couldn’t even finish all of the sweets, so make sure you are hungry when you attend.
High tea is meant to be experienced with good friends and strong company—and Lilly Rose makes sure you have enough tea to do so. Plan to spend an afternoon here. The entire experience takes about two hours or so, but is well worth it, as the ambiance and atmosphere is gorgeous, and the faire is even better. Further, our server, Kevin, was a delight, providing an entire history of high tea, and a knowledgeable explanation of the teas and treats that graced our presence. He’ll even send you home with a recipe card of the cocktails you had and some tea sachets so you can recreate them on your own.
The Lilly Rose is a secret that I hope doesn’t stay a secret any longer. Their high tea is exceptional, providing overflowing food along with wonderful tea. The servers are knowledgeable and delightful. The atmosphere is spooky, even outside of October. So, bring out your devilish best and dress up for this event. Enjoy the tricks and the treats, for the Lilly Rose is waiting to be discovered by you. Spooky Tea runs Thursdays through Sundays from 2 to 5pm during October. You can find the Lilly Rose inside The Wayfarer DTLA at 813 Flower St., Los Angeles, CA.
For more information about the Lilly Rose and their Spooky Tea, check out their website or buy tickets for their special Halloween event here. For more immersive events, check out our Event Calendar.
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Spooky Tea is a seasonal event at The Lilly Rose.
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