Capstone Tea & Fondue (Richmond)
Ever since Capstone opened a new location in Richmond, I've been meaning to try it out to see how it would compare to the Robson location. The opportunity arose when I noticed a promotion on Lucky Coupon that offered a free high tea lite set with the purchase of 2 fondue sets. The high tea lite set is regularly priced at $14.95 and also comes with a drink. Kish opted for a chai tea latte and while I didn't try it, I thought it looked pretty good with its creamy foam top and an accompaniment of mini green tea shortbread cookies.
The high tea lite set contained quite a bit of food and the presentation was not bad.
The bottom tier was made up of tea sandwiches (cucumber and egg salad), a mini croissant and mini turnovers. The bread and the croissant were kind of dry and didn't have the typical moistness of fresh bread. The turnovers were cold and slightly gummy in texture, but the taste was alright because of the fruit filling.
Both the apple pastry and mini eclair were damp and soggy. I was surprised the macarons actually had a pretty decent texture with a crispy shell and a chewy interior, but unfortunately the artificial flavours ruined the taste. Honestly the breads and pastries in the high tea lite set were below average and I would not consider spending $14.95 on it.
The cheese fondue for two ($22.95) came first and I was rather excited about trying this as I've only tried the chocolate fondue at Capstone. The cheese was very mild and creamy and tasted like gruyere. There was no hint of white wine which I thought was a common ingredient in traditional cheese fondue.
The melted cheese pots came with fresh fruit and veggies as well as bread and puff pastry cookies. I thought the cookies would be somewhat buttery, but they were extremely bland. I much preferred the bread which was very good at absorbing the gooey melted cheese. I didn't know the bread was refillable or else I would have asked for more.
The chocolate fondue for two ($22.95) was just like the one at Robson except the portions were slightly bigger. The melted chocolate was filled to the brim of the pot.
We got a bit more fruits and pastries than last time. I also thought the green tea shortbread cookies were much stronger in green tea flavour than at the Robson location. The banana bread and lemon cake were slightly stale though.
Even the toppings (honey graham, caramel crumbs) were larger portions. I liked the ice cream truffle flavours (raspberry and coffee) a lot more than the typical green tea and vanilla.
Another difference I noticed between the 2 locations was that the service was much more attentive in Richmond. This might have to do with the fact that it wasn't as busy, but I felt the attitude of the servers was much more friendly as well. All in all, I'd rather visit the Richmond location if I were to go for fondue again.
Check out my post on Capstone Tea & Fondue (Robson)!
The high tea lite set contained quite a bit of food and the presentation was not bad.
The bottom tier was made up of tea sandwiches (cucumber and egg salad), a mini croissant and mini turnovers. The bread and the croissant were kind of dry and didn't have the typical moistness of fresh bread. The turnovers were cold and slightly gummy in texture, but the taste was alright because of the fruit filling.
Both the apple pastry and mini eclair were damp and soggy. I was surprised the macarons actually had a pretty decent texture with a crispy shell and a chewy interior, but unfortunately the artificial flavours ruined the taste. Honestly the breads and pastries in the high tea lite set were below average and I would not consider spending $14.95 on it.
The cheese fondue for two ($22.95) came first and I was rather excited about trying this as I've only tried the chocolate fondue at Capstone. The cheese was very mild and creamy and tasted like gruyere. There was no hint of white wine which I thought was a common ingredient in traditional cheese fondue.
The melted cheese pots came with fresh fruit and veggies as well as bread and puff pastry cookies. I thought the cookies would be somewhat buttery, but they were extremely bland. I much preferred the bread which was very good at absorbing the gooey melted cheese. I didn't know the bread was refillable or else I would have asked for more.
The chocolate fondue for two ($22.95) was just like the one at Robson except the portions were slightly bigger. The melted chocolate was filled to the brim of the pot.
We got a bit more fruits and pastries than last time. I also thought the green tea shortbread cookies were much stronger in green tea flavour than at the Robson location. The banana bread and lemon cake were slightly stale though.
Even the toppings (honey graham, caramel crumbs) were larger portions. I liked the ice cream truffle flavours (raspberry and coffee) a lot more than the typical green tea and vanilla.
Another difference I noticed between the 2 locations was that the service was much more attentive in Richmond. This might have to do with the fact that it wasn't as busy, but I felt the attitude of the servers was much more friendly as well. All in all, I'd rather visit the Richmond location if I were to go for fondue again.
Check out my post on Capstone Tea & Fondue (Robson)!
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