Sunday Tea Party @ Nectar

Cross-posted from Calgary is Awesome

Nestled in the heart of Inglewood, Nectar Desserts is probably my favourite dessert place in Calgary. Sure it can get a little pricey, but where else can you get a killer Smoky Chocolate with Sea Salt Caramel tart, Single Malt Scotch ice cream to take home by the quart, or take a class on pairing scotch with chocolate?

So when my friend Tiffany, who was the one who introduced me to Nectar, called me up to catch up, we decided to check out their Sunday Tea Party, which is a relatively new "event" that they've been doing for the past couple of months.

We made a reservation for the 11 a.m. seating, and it ended up being just us and another pair of ladies on the list, so it was a nice, quiet setting for some pleasant conversation. All the tables were set with colourful, mismatched china, so it felt fun and casual, but with a touch of class. Our server promptly brought out a picture frame with the list of teas that we could choose from, and it ranged from classics like Creamy Earl Grey and English Breakfast to more exotic teas like Flowering Jasmine (that you can watch "bloom" in the pot) and Passion Fruit. Tiffany chose the Passion Fruit tea, while I grabbed a Café au Lait. Unfortunately, the server whisked away the menus almost as quickly as she brought them, so I didn't get a good look at the extra items you can order, which include champagne, fresh fruit, as well as savoury items like a spring green salad or quiche.

It wasn't too long before our server brought out our tower of sweets, which included items on Nectar's regular rotation, like its Flourless Chocolate Cake and Sesame Macarons with Salted Caramel, as well as new treats like currant scones, cookies with caramel filling, mini lemon tarts, grapefruit jellies, handmade marshmallows, pavlovas and salted caramels.


I think my favourite pastry on the tower were the scones, which were surprisingly warm and fluffy. They came with handmade crème fraîche, apricot preserve and berry preserve, and as our tea went on, I liked how the tangy crème fraîche gave us a bit of a break from all that sweetness.

Overall, our server was very pleasant and made sure we didn't feel rushed while keeping Tiff's teapot full of tea and my cup full of Café au Lait, and of course, all the different treats on the tower were top-notch. I only wish that our tower came with savoury treats - as much as I like desserts like any stereotypical girl, I can usually satisfy a craving with just one piece of chocolate or one slice of cake, so having all those sweets at once kind of made my stomach a little upset. Although there are separate savoury items that you can order, we were already paying $30 per person and weren't prepared to fork out more money or take up more valuable stomach space.

If you think $30 is a little too much for Sunday tea, there are ways to make it cheaper. On the menu it says that your whole party (of up to 30) will get 10% off if everybody shows up wearing a hat, and an additional 5% off if together the hats weigh 30 lb or more.

Though I'd still pop by to Nectar for a slice of cake or a tart, I don't think I'll head over for the Sunday Tea Party again just because it really is too much sugar for me to have at once, but I would definitely recommend it if you have an insatiable sweet tooth and an iron stomach. That being said, I would still love suggestions on how to make a 15 lb hat ;)

Nectar Desserts
1216 9 Ave SE (upstairs)
Calgary AB T2G 0T1
(403) 263-8486
Take out and custom orders available. Nectar usually doesn't take reservations, but they DO for the Sunday Tea Party, where there are seatings at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.