Tea Sutra, Leazes Park Road/Percy Street

Journalists have stringers, folk who keep an eye to what is going on locally and tip them off about a good story.  And since I've begun this blog, people who know about it have been recommending cafes and teashops all over the north east to me.  Tea stringers?  Tea strainers??  Whatever, I'm very grateful to them and particularly to the person who pointed me in the direction of the Heaton Perk and now Tea Sutra. 

As with all my posts, names are changed to protect the guilty, so today I was in the company of Miss X or Blondie or Anony Mouse (she couldn't quite decide) who had first found the place.  I didn't know quite what to expect as we climbed the stairs to the second floor, only that it had been described in glowing terms, and this is what I saw:

 It is a glorious little haven!  Bamboo, lovely mirrorwork cushions, even the cane sofas were nice and you know how I am about sofas.  It really is unique!  At first I fancied lounging on the cushions pictured to drink tea but decided that I'd never get up again, so the sofas it was.
So, terrific decor, what about the food?  Well, we were given menus 'they must do a large range of food' thought I. Wrong - a large range of teas!  When did you ever get a menu that consisted entirely of different kinds of tea, each with a description?  What to choose?  Annie X (or was it Miss Blondie) went for hibiscus tea, I toyed with choosing One Hundred Monkeys but in the end went with Northumbrian mainly because it was described as a blend of Assam and Kenya via Byker - how could I resist?  This is how the tea was served:

China teapot shaped like an elephant for me with dinky cup and milk jug and woven tea strainer.  Glass teapot for Blonde Mouse.  How could you not feel special with all this.  Very tasty chocolate chip shortbread too.
Have I done it justice?  Well, there's only one way to find out...
http://www.teasutra.co.uk/