Looking from the street through the window of Butter Lane Bake Shop and Tea House in Lynn Valley, you’d never guess that a cosy oasis awaits inside, a sanctuary from the endless traffic and tiresome must-turn-left-on-this-light-at-all-costs mentality that plagues the intersection out front.
When I first read the words “tea house” on the window of the shop, my initial question was “where?”
At first glance, Butter Lane appears to be a small take-away bakery, three-quarters kitchen, one-quarter customer space, with scant few tables set up in the front of the shop.
Inside the bakery, however, one discovers a discreet hallway leading to a happy, thoughtfully appointed back room in which tea services of varying complexity unfold.
It was here that I finally understood the appeal of afternoon tea, a meal service that I have typically found off-putting for its pomp and airs, with its dainty porcelain cups and the outstretched little fingers of cardigan-clad tea-sippers, pointing, with each precious sip, at doilies and paisley–patterned linens.
While Butter Lane certainly supplies most of the requisite props for afternoon tea, including delicate cups and teapot cozies, it nevertheless manages to uphold a degree of authenticity and approachability.
Near the end of my meal, Amy Symonds, the shop’s owner, began to clear the plates from the table and said, “I’ll see if I can do this all in one go. I’m a baker, not a server.”
Her statement reveals a perspective that I think informs the philosophy of the entire operation: Butter Lane is a place that is driven first and foremost by a love of baking; the meal service and guest quarters of the business are simply the means through which Symonds can share her passion.
The North Shore boasts a number of high-end, brilliantly polished bakeries that showcase their wares in refined settings conceived by top interior designers. This category of bakery usually celebrates the pedigree of its pastry chef with lengthy online biographies, monogrammed china, and tastefully branded boxes and bags, which, when brought to dinner parties, elicit appreciative coos from the host.
There is a place for these polished patisseries, to be sure, but I found it refreshing to experience Symond’s brand of no-nonsense, rolled-up sleeves and flour-dusted apron hospitality.
Butter Lane is open Tuesday through Sunday and offers a number of options through which guests can experience the shop’s goods.
On my visit, accompanied by my wife DJ and our two kids, we opted for the demi-tea service, a substantial meal offering an assortment of sweet and savoury treats and tea from a menu featuring more than 60 blends, including a selection called Who Sencha, a complex and earthy green tea infused with walnut powder and dried berries.
We were served by Butter Lane’s co-owner (and Symonds’s daughter), Katie Linley. The mother and daughter team form a hospitable service duo, engaging guests in a knowledgeable and disarming manner that goes a long way in keeping their afternoon tea service grounded.
While DJ and I awaited our demi-tea meal, the kids gushed over a shared order of waffles with berries. The waffles were tall, springy and light and were accompanied by a healthy dollop of whipped cream and a reasonably portioned side of berry compote. Kids’ meals, which vary from waffles to mac and cheese, are just $6.
The demi-tea goodies arrived on a standard white platter rather than on the more conventional, three-tiered stand, which is reserved for Butter Lane’s full tea service.
DJ’s platter varied slightly from mine in the specific flavouring of certain sweets, but generally we were presented with the same mix, including crustless finger sandwiches of cucumber and cream cheese, ham and Dijon mustard, and cheddar, tomato and sprouts.
As an adult, there is something decidedly indulgent about eating sandwiches on white bread without the crusts. Maybe it’s because I grew up eating thinly sliced pumpernickel and other dark rye breads and the practice of forfeiting hearty crusts would have been verboten in my house.
The sweet elements on the plate were numerous and filling and included a dense cream cheese and berry tart with blueberries, a weighty and moist macaroon of toasted coconut, a vanilla macaron (one of numerous flavours available at Butter Lane) and a slice of ginger bread, my favourite item on the plate.
The bread was topped with a thin veneer of ginger-infused glaze and, with its notes of dark, toasted spice, seemed like it would be particularly well-suited to the colder season ahead of us, a season during which, I suspect, Butter Lane’s warm and comfortable tea room will become a popular destination.
Full afternoon tea service, which includes signature scones and an enhanced selection of baked items, is available by reservation and costs $21.50 per person.
Our meal of two demi-teas (no reservations required) and two kids’ meals was $37.80 before gratuity. Butter Lane is located at 3022 Mountain Highway.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. Contact: hungryontheshore@gmail.com.
