Escape to the Victorian era at Truffles and Lace Tea Parlour

“I love England and antiques,” said Betty Rule, owner of Truffles and Lace Tea Parlour. “I think I was born in the wrong era.” It is fortunate for those who enjoy tea that Betty was born in our era because she has established an amazing Victorian tea parlour in Old Town Temecula. The building at 28410 Old Town Front Street, Suite 111, has been transformed with rose and white as the dominant colors. An elaborate fireplace provides a focal point. Victorian light fixtures dangle from the hammered tin ceiling and ruffles and lace abound. The tablecloths are white lace and the chairs are draped in white linen and wrapped like presents with red bows. Queen Victoria would have been pleased.

Betty is married to an English gentleman, Roger, but she is an American. Roger and Betty designed and built their own Victorian-style home where she enjoyed serving tea to friends. The Truffles and Lace Tea Parlour, which opened in September of last year, is a natural evolution of her home teas. “I have always loved people,” Betty noted, “and I have always loved tea — the combination is fantastic.”

Truffles and Lace reminds me of an English Cotswolds tearoom in Bourton-on-the-Water. This cozy tea parlour served hot scones and clotted cream and was awash in rose-colored linens and white lace. The Temecula tearoom also serves scones with clotted cream. It is difficult to find clotted cream in Southern California, so Betty imports hers from England. Patrons also have a choice of the lighter Devonshire cream, which the chef makes on the premises.

Switch off your cell phone and escape, like I did, to the Victorian era for a couple of hours. Lady Victoria’s Afternoon Tea was a luxurious experience. I chose the flavorful Rainbow Rooibus tea from South Africa, which was accompanied by a complimentary glass of iced tea laced with lavender. The moist and delicious Butterscotch Scones were enhanced by clotted cream.

A three-tiered tray scented with fragrant orchids was a delightful presentation of delicate sandwiches and scrumptious desserts. The remarkable croissant sandwich was filled with chicken salad and a finely chopped medley of walnuts and grapes flavored with a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon. Turkey tasted elegant when served in a sweet sandwich made from German cinnamon raisin bread with apple/cinnamon cream cheese. A marvelous blend of London broil steak and Caesar salad was stuffed into a sun-dried tomato wrap. Savories such as crab cake lent an exotic flair to the repertoire of sandwiches.

As a grand finale to the tea a crème puff overflowing with a cloud of fluffy crème was served along with a dark chocolate-dipped strawberry drizzled with white chocolate. This was no ordinary strawberry but one of the largest and sweetest strawberries I have ever tasted.

Ten ladies wearing whimsical hats were celebrating a birthday of a friend. They took time to listen to the classical music and enjoyed the medley of flavors presented in the sampling of tea sandwiches. A tearoom experience is all about taking time out of a busy day to relax. When the group got up to leave one woman remarked, “Any time you come through this door it’s special.”

Truffles and Lace Tea Parlour is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Reservations are recommended, although they do their best to accommodate walk-in guests. Please call 1-877-TEAPARLOUR or 1-951-694-9TEA. Find the tearoom on the Web at http://www.trufflesandlace.com. Truffles and Lace also offers an assortment of Victorian and tea-related gifts including bone china, fine linens and, of course, truffles.