Usually for Mother’s Day, my mother and I like to have tea at the Garden City hotel, but due to the restrictions and many places closing down for good, we had to find an alternative. I did some research and found a little Japanese based restaurant on 15 station square in Richmond Hill called Prince Tea House. he menu sparked my interest. From milk tea (like mango and caramel milk tea) to fruit flavored teas (like rose or lavender tea). The food had also made me curious to find this restaurant. So it was set. We made the reservation and waited for the day to come. We decided to go on the weekend of Mother’s Day, the Saturday before.

When we arrived, the place was very cozy and welcoming, which I really enjoyed, since it was a cold and rainy day. All of the staff were very friendly, and even made a couple suggestions off of the menu that we should try. 

For the teas, my mom had tried the hot lavender flavored tea, and I had the iced caramel milk tea. The hot tea came with a beautiful teapot and teacups. The milk tea was served in a mason jar like glass, and both of them tasted delicious. I personally would get the caramel milk tea again, and I recommend it. 

For the appetizers, we had fried shrimp lollipops, and the Santa fe chicken rolls. The lollipops were one of the more popular items, and we were not disappointed. The shrimps were a nice size, fresh and flavorful as you bit into the crispy exterior, accompanied by their spicy ginger dipping sauce. The chicken rolls reminded me of a taco, with the flavors of chicken, black beans, corn and tomatoes, accompanied by a flavorful guacamole. 

The next course was sandwiches. I had the chicken katsu sandwich, and my mom had the smoked salmon sandwich. The chicken katsu was a chicken cutlet fried lightly in panko crumbs, along with lettuce and tomato on potato bread, with their signature katsu sauce. The smoked salmon sandwich was made with slices of fresh, chilled salmon, along with lettuce, tomato and cream cheese all on wheat bread. Both sandwiches came with a small side salad with a mild sauce. 

After eating our sandwiches we were pretty full, but we couldn’t resist the most popular part of the experience, dessert and we couldn’t wait to see what’s to offer. Once we saw all the delicious looking items, we had decided. My mom had the matcha crepe cake, and I had the chocolate lava cake. The crepe cake was made with matcha green tea flavored crepes, with a matcha cream between each crepe. The chocolate lava cake came with a little chocolate cake with melted chocolate in the middle. That was warm and very tasty. It came with a side of vanilla ice cream on a bed of oats, that added a little crunch with the soft ice cream. The desserts had definitely reached our expectations, and did not leave us disappointed. 

Overall, this restaurant exceeded our expectations for a first time visit, and I will definitely take another trip to Prince Tea House. I definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who is in the Richmond Hill area, or in the area of Francis Lewis, since they have a second location closer to the school.