"Can I take a picture?" asked the woman on the sidewalk. She had been walking along West Georgia Street when she and her companions were compelled to stop and enjoy a delighted look at what was going on inside a display window outside the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
I said yes, and the woman walked up one of two newly-installed short staircases connecting the window to the sidewalk. She leaned in next to me, where I sat at a narrow table for two covered with a luxurious and colourful afternoon tea spread with all the trimmings, and struck a pose for the camera.
For the hour or so I spent in the window feasting on scones with cream and jam, decadent pastries, and elevated finger sandwiches, paired with a pot of Lot 35 tea and a house-made zero-proof mocktail, I waved at countless passers-by. Their faces would go from surprise to broad grins as they realized there were two real people having a tea party in a shop window. Some pointed, some stopped, and some continued walking - but with their heads turned back in awe.
It was my first time having Notch8 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver's seasonal , and it was like borrowing about 60 minutes of fame.
Needless to say, if you don't want people looking at you (or taking your picture) while you eat, this might not be for you.
But if you love to spoil yourself with an elegant tea for two and enjoy one of Vancouver's loveliest novelty dining experiences, the hotel is offering the option from now through Sept. 29 - weather permitting.
The hotel's restaurant first began offering Tea in the Window in 2019 and has brought the popular experience back in ensuing years, though the charming custom Vancouver-themed backdrop, created by local artist Mandy Lau, remains a fixture.
Classic Afternoon Tea service with some elegant, modern twists
The meal is plentiful, arriving on a three-tiered tea tower, which features a top level of scones with chantilly cream and strawberry preserves and a middle section of savoury bites like a tomato and shrimp tart, egg salad on a charcoal bun, and foie gras and duck rillette.
If you can save room for dessert, the decadent selections include a lemon meringue square, a mini-slice of Notch8's chocolatey "OMG" cake, and a banana cream puff, among others.
While tea service at Notch8 typically includes the option to enjoy a cocktail, because you're out in a window, they are unable to carry alcohol to the display window, however, this means you get to either extend your stay on the property or come back another day, as the Tea in the Window includes a card to redeem for a cocktail at the restaurant bar.
Reservations can be for parties of two for two seatings, offered Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The meal is priced at $120 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
And...who knows? As I did, you could end up in several people's slideshows of their visit to Vancouver, pictured sipping tea and eating delectable food in a window on a busy downtown street.
Video: Here's what it's like to have Tea in the Window at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
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