This past weekend, Ryan and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. Now, if you’ve been a long-time reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed how much I love afternoon tea, and it has actually become somewhat of a tradition to celebrate our anniversary with a nice afternoon tea experience.
Another love of mine? Thai food. When I discovered Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine in Richmond, BC offers a very unique afternoon tea experience, I knew we had to try it for this year’s anniversary celebration!
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Introduction
Baan Lao opened in 2021 and has already been awarded Best Restaurant in Canada in 2024 by the World Culinary Awards. This intimate waterfront restaurant specializes in Royal Thai cuisine prepared with fresh farm-to-table ingredients.
The restaurant’s Executive Chef, Nutcha Phanthoupheng, created the first Thai Afternoon Tea experience of its kind, which launched earlier this year. The set menu features bite-sized Thai dishes perfectly paired with five different teas.
Location
Baan Lao is located in the historic Steveston fishing village area of Richmond, BC, about 11km from YVR International Airport.
It was my first time on this side of Richmond, and I was surprised how peaceful and quaint it is. The restaurant sits by the water, offering incredibly scenic views. It’s the perfect area for a relaxing stroll by the water after your meal.
Address: 4100 Bayview Street, Richmond, BC V7E 6S8
Parking: Free street parking along Bayview Street, or the nearby underground lot. We had no issue finding street parking mid-day during the weekend.
Baan Lao Hours
- Afternoon Tea: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 12:15pm-3:00pm
- Dinner: Tuesday-Sunday 5:00pm-10:00pm
Baan Lao Reservations
Considering the intimate nature of the restaurant and its capacity for only about 20 guests, advance online reservations are required.
Note that prepayment (including grautity) is required and it is non-refundable.
The Restaurant
Approaching the restaurant from the street, it really doesn’t stand out as anything special.
However, as soon as you enter through those front doors, you are transported into a serene and luxurious setting filled with beautiful natural light.
The decor is minimal, yet elegant, with numerous air-filtering snake plants and fresh flowers. On the walls are a series of paintings by Suda, the world-famous elephant who can paint!
We were seated at a table by the window with nice views over the boardwalk. The table was beautifully set with a white floral tablecloth, intricately folded cloth napkins, and gorgeous dishware and cutlery.
Afternoon Tea Thai Experience Menu
Chef Nutcha has created a three-course set menu to take diners through a journey of Thai flavours: sour, spicy, salty, umami, and sweet. Carefully curated tea pairings are served to complement each course.
This is different from the usual afternoon tea experience where you choose your own teas based on your preference. Here they have been pre-selected by the TAC-certified tea sommelier.
Note that if you have any food allergies or sensitivities, only very limited modifications can be made to the menu, and only if you submit a request at least five days in advance. The restaurant states that they are unable to accommodate requests for vegetarian, vegan and shellfish-free.
Baan Lao Afternoon Tea Thai Experience Review
Drinks
After being seated at our table, we were first presented with a drink menu. The drink options looked wonderful, but considering we would be served five different teas already, we opted for just water.
However, we did not realize when asking for water that we would be presented with options. Unsure what to pick, we just said “still water” and were brought out a fancy large bottle of Voss. I guess we should have expected it from such a fancy restaurant.
Palate Activator
Our afternoon tea began with the Lemongrass Pandan Elixir. This was an iced herbal tea designed to activate the palate and “set the stage for the flavours to come”.
It was refreshing and sweet, with a familiar flavour that I just couldn’t put my finger on at first. Ryan commented that it tasted like Fruity Pebbles cereal, and I realized that was exactly what I was tasting!
It was a great start to the meal.
1st Tea Pairing: Chiran Fukamushi Sencha Green
After our palate activator was cleared from the table, the tea sommelier came around to introduce the first tea pairing: Chiran Fukamushi Sencha Green tea from Japan. She carefully explained the tea’s origin and flavours to us before pouring it into our nice white cups.
Afterwards, she brought over a small tea pot so that we could help ourselves to seconds.
Green tea isn’t typically my first choice when it comes to teas, but I really enjoyed this one. It was subtly sweet and really did complement our first course perfectly.
Arun/Dawn: Savoury, Sour & Spicy
After enjoying our first sips of hot tea, our friendly servers brought over the first course, Arun/Dawn. It consisted of three savoury Thai dishes, each presented beautifully on a wooden tray.
The artful presentation just blew us away. It is clear that each dish is skillfully prepared by hand and carefully decorated with perfectly placed flower petals. They definitely looked too beautiful to eat.
Our server explained each dish to us and instructed us to eat from left to right to properly experience the flavours.
Khao Kriap Pak Mo
The first dish was a steamed rice paper dumpling filled with organic chicken breast. I loved the texture of the steamed rice paper wrapper and the sweet flavour of the chicken filling.
Yum Salmon Fu
Next was a crispy golden pastry filled with crispy wild sockeye salmon salad made with fresh, locally caught fish. I loved the crunchiness and the combination of sweet and sour with a hint of spicy.
Kuai Tiao Lui Suan
Lastly, we had the intricately rolled rice noodle butterfly pea salad roll. With each bite, I could taste the layers of delicious Thai flavours. The Thai basil was prominent, which I loved.
2nd Tea Pairing: Yiwu 2006 Shi Pu’er (post fermented)
After our first course was cleared, we were brought a new set of large, beautiful tea cups.
The tea sommelier came around again to introduce our next hot tea: the Yiwu 2006 Shi Pu’er from Yunnan, China. She explained that this tea has undergone a special aging process and helps with digestion.
Our first few sips tasted very interesting. We could definitely taste the earthiness. However, paired with our second course, the flavour worked very well.
AThit/Sun: Salty, Savoury & Spicy
Before bringing out our second course, our server brought out a pretty, white egg-looking dish. Upon removing the lid, we saw it contained a clear liquid with red specks. I wasn’t sure what it was at first, but thankfully our server explained.
It was a dipping sauce made of vinegar that they’d soaked in bell peppers to remove the acidity. Wow – it was delicious. A little sweet and not too sour. I typically find vinegar-based sauces too strong, but this was just perfect.
Our servers then brought out a beautiful, large woven platter of five meticulously prepared dishes.
Thung Thong Nuea Kwai
This was a deep-fried “money bag” filled with stir-fried water buffalo. If you’ve never had water buffalo, it is delicious.
I dipped this crispy money bag into the vinegar sauce and it was divine.
Khao Chi Nuea Yang
A layer of grilled coconut sticky rice topped with beef tenderloin and a flavourful Thai chilli sauce. The beef was so tender, owing to the fact that it had been marinated for 24 hours.
I’ve never had something like this before – meat atop a chewy, sticky rice base. A unique texture, but it works! I think this one was Ryan’s favourite.
Thot Man Kung
These were perfectly crispy mangrove prawn cakes, decorated with a crispy prawn tail. I’m normally not the biggest fan of prawns, but the flavour in these was not overpowering. I very much enjoyed it.
Tao Hu Thot
Deep-fried organic tofu topped with a delectable shrimp pate and wild seaweed caviar. Can’t forget the 24K gold from Italy to top it all off 😉 How regal!
Gai Sa Tay
My favourite dish of the course was the grilled yellow curry organic chicken breast on top of homemade brioche with a tantalizing satay sauce. The flavours and textures were delightful.
3rd Tea Pairing: Dong Ding Oolong
After our main course was cleared, the tea sommelier brought out our 3rd tea pairing to prepare us for dessert. This oolong tea from Taiwan was my favourite of them all.
It was served in an eye-catching, heat-activated cup. As the tea was poured in, we watched as the beautiful phoenix design became more vibrant, activated by the heat of the tea. Very unique!
Ryan’s cup had an equally beautiful dragon design, as did the tea pot.
Bulan/Moon: Sweet & Sour
Our final course was the most stunningly presented one of all. Served on a platter with a delicate Thai basket design were four show-stopping dishes.
Khao Niao Ma Muang
This perfectly-arranged mango dessert was my favourite of the bunch. I need to learn how to prepare mango so delicately like this!
Also, where did they find such perfectly ripe mangoes?! I have never eaten mangoes this good in Canada.
Beneath the mango was a delicious pandan coconut milk sticky rice.
Khai Tao Phueak Sang Kha Ya Bai Toei
This dessert is almost too pretty to eat. The deep fried taro ball was scrumptious and paired well with the silky smooth pandan coconut custard. Combined with the crunchy crispy rice, it was perfection.
Luuk Choop
This was the first time I’d ever seen or heard of this Thai dessert before.
These glossy fruit-shaped treats are molded from mung bean and coated with agar agar that is naturally dyed.
Charming and tasty.
Phon La Mai Kae Sa Luk
Each piece of fresh fruit was delicately hand-carved. How they do it so perfectly, I would love to know. The crisp apple slice, juicy grapes and sweet dragonfruit were a lovely end to the meal.
Final Tea: Tropical Sunset
To complete our delectable afternoon tea Thai experience, the tea sommelier brought out our fifth and final tea. This one was a black and green tea from Chiang Mai, Thailand.
It was both fruity and floral, and the perfect end to our meal.
Service at Baan Lao
Baan Lao calls their afternoon tea an “Afternoon Tea Thai Experience” and we agree that it is not just an afternoon tea. It really is an experience, from the taste and presentation to the service.
We could already sense the high calibre of service from the moment we approached the restaurant. As we walked up, the door was opened for us and we were greeted very professionally.
The servers took our coats before leading us to our table. One thing that immediately stood out to us was that the servers wear white gloves, something we only see in the most high end dining establishments.
The small team of servers were incredibly knowledgeable and professional, but most importantly to me, they were immensely friendly. I sometimes find service in fine dining restaurants to be too serious and it can make me feel a bit uncomfortable.
However, the service here made us feel very relaxed and at ease. Never rushed. The servers at Baan Lao are a true example of five-star service.
Baan Lao Afternoon Tea Price
What does this luxurious afternoon tea experience actually cost? At $95 per person, it’s definitely not cheap, but by no means is it outrageous, either.
We are used to paying from $40-70 per person for afternoon tea, so $95 for such a special afternoon tea experience was well worth it for us. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
In fact, we are eyeing up their Set Dinner Menu ($195 per person) for a future special occasion because the afternoon tea was just that good!
American Express Platinum Dining Credit
How can you save some money when dining at Baan Lao? Well, if you hold an American Express Platinum card, you have a $200 dining credit available to use each year. This dining credit can only be used at restaurants on American Express’ curated list of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. Since Baan Lao is on this list, you can use your $200 dining credit here!
The $200 dining credit was enough to cover the cost of our afternoon tea. We just needed to add a bit extra for tax and gratuity.
We absolutely love our Platinum Amex card and getting to try new restaurants using the dining credits. If you don’t yet have this card in your wallet, we highly recommend it! Check out our referral link to learn more and apply!
Final Thoughts on the Baan Lao Afternoon Tea Thai Experience
This is one of our most memorable afternoon tea experiences to date, and now one of our favourite dining experiences in the Lower Mainland. The Thai flavours were extraordinary, each dish was skillfully crafted and beautifully presented, and the top-notch service and wonderful ambiance just topped it all off.
If you are looking for just the right place for a special occasion, we highly recommend a reservation at Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine!
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