Let’s Get This ParTea Started! | Vinteage, Leiden

Last year my grandma turned the big 8 0, so we had to think of something to gift to her. She always says: “I already own everything I need”, which makes it hard to think of a gift. That’s why we always like to get her something to do, with us or with her friends. So, we thought we would take her out for a high tea! It took us some time to find a place to do the high tea, but after visiting Vinteage once, I thought this would be the perfect place to bring her for a (belated birthday) high tea!

VINTEAGE | BREESTRAAT 117, LEIDEN

At first I didn’t realize but when you read Vinteage, what stands out? It says tea in the name. Super random but I thought I would share this. When I booked the high tea for my grandma’s birthday, I read on their website they started Vinteage in Leiden because of a great passion for creating special dishes in a unique and accessible way. That’s definitely what they’ve done. You can take a look inside their pastry shop and all of the pastries look like little presents waiting for you to eat them.

Before Vinteage opened, another food place was located in this building (Van de Leur). So, I already knew and loved what it looked like because the architecture on the in and outside is insane and there’s tons of marble everywhere. Vinteage left most of those features but also added so much more to give a French vintage coffee cafe vibe. Is that a thing? I don’t know, but that’s what it reminds me of. The dried flowers, tea cups, chandelier and all of the furniture used around Vinteage. Check out the detailing with the jugs on the wall! So unique and also very Instagrammable. It feels like you’re having tea in a little cafe in Paris.

I made a reservation for a high tea for my grandma, my mom and I. On the menu for the high tea it said: “Five changing sweets from our Patisserie store, three changing savory treats from our chef: 1x vegetarian, 1x fish, 1x meat and unlimited tea of your choice.” When I made the reservation they also asked if there were any allergies or preference they had to keep in mind. That was a great reminder because my mom and I don’t eat meat at all and I am not the biggest fan of fish, so I requested two vegetarian options, which was not a problem.

When we got to Vinteage, we sat down and one of the waitresses explained we would first get tea with tons of flavors to choose from. The tea would be filled again if it was empty and we could try as many flavors as we liked. After a couple of minutes the chef brought out a plateau with so many different dishes. We got paprika soup, risotto, red velvet cake, a blondie, a sandwich with goats cheese, pumpkin and pesto, creme brûlée, a chocolate tarte and some type of vanilla mouse or cheesecake (we got so much I don’t even remember what everything was… oops). Wow. Even when I am looking back at these photos I still think this high tea was insane. All of the treats we got were absolutely delicious! If I had to choose, I think the red velvet cake or the sandwich were my favorite. Both were very different (sweet & savory) but also very tasty.

Final verdict? It felt like we were in a fancy restaurant in Paris having tea with some amazing pastries. So, would I go to Vinteage again? Of course. The staff was very nice and since the pastries are insane, I just want to go there again and get another one. This also got me thinking… Should I start baking something again? I haven’t done that in a while and this inspired me to try a new recipe or just something crazy. If you’re visiting Leiden or planning on doing a high tea with friends or family, I would highly recommend Vinteage. You can find them on one of the main streets in Leiden: Breestraat 117. Have you ever done a high tea? Which of the sweet or savory treats would you like to try?

Love,

Neeltje