Modern Tea

Yeah, they closed. :(Not because they weren’t great, mind you (which they were), but because the owner wanted to dedicate her time to charity work.
Our loss, our gain.

So last Sunday, after reading many a positive Unilocal review and passing by a million times on the 21, I finally made it out to Modern Tea with a few of my friends. For the first time in what seemed like a loooonggg cold winter season in the city, that morning the sun was shining beautifully and it was amazingly warm… perfect brunch weather!
The sunny mood outside matched Modern Tea’s glowing mood inside, where we were seated immediately at just past noon, despite the fact that we thought there’d be a long line on a weekend.
I think what I loved most about this place is that being there just made me FEEL so happy! Inside it’s spacious and airy, the walls are painted a bright yellow, tiny fresh flowers greet you on the table, water is constantly replenished from pretty clear pitchers, and the funky blue and green glass wall hangings add a bit of that «modern» touch.
Normally brunch is meant to cure a hangover, but this place CALLED for mid-​day mimosas… another happy yellow addition to the experience :).
The brunch menu isn’t grandiose, and neither are the portions, but then again this really isn’t your divey grease spoon of a place. I went for something different and ordered the salmon hash, which turned out to be delicious, especially paired with the contrasting sweet fruit compote. My «sheared» egg (crunchy on the outside, runny on the inside) was also something new… that and the «yogHurt» got us thinking that throwing in some extra h’s on the menu probably also tacks on an extra dollar to the item. But still good!
We ended with the buttermilk pudding cake that I had read raves about, and sure enough, mmmmmmmm! Our friendly and helpful waiter also assisted me in picking out a tea to take home, and gave me some very specific instructions on how my choice (the Ti Kuan Yin Mao Cha, an oolong tea) should be prepared and served. Since one of my goals in life is to become a tea connoisseur, his shared knowledge, whether contrived or not, was much appreciated :).
I left feeling great, and as a result I think it made the rest of my day great too. Thanks to you, Modern Tea… my new favorite brunch spot!

On a Sunday afternoon they were serving a brunch menu.
We were told that the wait would be a half hour, but because they seated us at a common table, a space opened up in about ten minutes. I ordered salmon hash, which turned out to be more like pan-​fried mashed potatoes than a hash, but which tasted very good. My Lady ordered a chicken scramble, which had something like mild Italian sausage in it.
Now, for the tea. We ordered the Honey Dan Chong, which the waiter approved as «very sophisticated.» Oh, really? The man in the beret — is he an owner? –