Royal/T

I have driven by Royal/T on Washington about everyday for probably a year before I finally knew what it was, courtesy of MetroMix LA. This unique tea house also doubles as a Japanese art gallery and shop. A large portion of the menu is stuff I've never heard of but sound fabulous. I was here for breakfast with some coworkers and we tried a few of the teas and some items off of the breakfast menu. To cleanse our palates we started with a cup of the Moroccan Mint tea. From there, I had a chocolate croissant, which was terrific and unlike many other chocolate croissants, was drizzled with chocolate on top as well. Our waitress recommended that we all try the baked eggs, and for the most part, we all indulged. Baked eggs are definitely different than most egg dishes. They pretty much crack an egg in an oven-safe dish and the egg whites fluff while the yolk remains pretty runny, similar to sunny side up, except that they are prepared with extra ingredients. I wanted to try the tomato and creme fraiche, but they also have a prosciotto and mushroom and salmon and asparagus. For me, I think the lunch would be even better. The best looking item on the menu is the spicy tuna tar tar with avocado on sourdough toast. They also have some curry bowls, salads, and some additional sandwiches. As for the tea, the mint was only the first for us. We also sipped on the Royal/T Milk Tea, the house signature tea and the Ruby Red Rooibos. The Ruby Red was a fruity herbal tea that was right up my ally. I don't typically care too much for milk teas, but this one was alright. The most fun about the whole place is the atmosphere. There is so much fun art (like the port-a-party in the back), and the waitresses are all dressed up like French maids - so there is always a conversation starter. There's plenty of metered parking in the area, which is another bonus. Nothing on the menu is very expensive either, I would say you're safe with $10 a person. I will definitely be back here for lunch soon!

http://www.royal-t.org/cafe