FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 16, 2017 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 77
dining out
Prince Tea House opens in Astoria
BY KATRINA MEDOFF
katrina@boromag.com
@KatrinaMedoff
As a verifi ed tea addict, I was excited to
see Prince Tea House arrive on Steinway
Street. On my aft ernoon visit to the new
business, which had its soft opening on
Sept. 21 — and plans to have its grand
opening in November — I noticed
that the rest of the neighborhood was
intrigued by it, too. While I sipped on
tea from a china tea set and munched on
an assortment of photo-ready pastries,
passersby paused as they walked down
the busy sidewalk to peek inside the tea
house’s windows, and sometimes take a
snapshot of its bright, stylish interior.
Th e Astoria eatery is the third location
of Prince Tea Shop: the fi rst opened in
Flushing three years ago, and the second
opened in Brooklyn two years ago.
Owner Manny Lee has plans to open an
Upper East Side location in the future,
and perhaps franchise the business.
“I always wanted to own something
like Prince Tea House when I was little,”
Lee said. “Not fancy but simple,
cozy, something so people could enjoy
their time.”
Th e Flushing resident was encouraged
to open the Astoria location by
some of his regulars at the Flushing
shop who were Astoria residents. Lee
became friends with these customers,
and they told him, “You should come to
Astoria.” Now, those Astoria residents
are regulars at this location that’s closer
to home.
“We have a lot of returning and loyal
customers, and they give me a lot of confi
dence about this business,” Lee said.
Plus, Lee said that while Astoria had a
lot of bars, it was “missing high-quality
tea served in a nice china set. Th ere was
nothing like that here.”
Th e interior, like those of the other
locations, has plush purple and gray
booths and bright white walls, but the
decorations — like the framed fl owers,
tiny green plants potted in mugs
and cute art pieces — are unique to this
tea house. It was designed by Lee’s wife,
Kaiyi, an interior designer who has a
fl ower shop on Northern Boulevard.
I settled into my tuft ed booth and tried
two hot teas, my favorite of which was the
Rose Lover milk tea. It was sweet (but not
too sweet), and the creaminess of the milk
was a comforting touch. Plus, its millennial
pink color made the tea extra pretty
in the fl oral china set.
Th e Rose Lover is Prince Tea House’s
signature tea, Lee said, so if you’re looking
for a sweet tea, that’s what he’d recommend
to fi rst-time customers.
“We get a lot of people who say, ‘I wish
I could have it every day.’”
For those looking for a green tea, Lee
would recommend thé des alizés, with
fl avors of white peach, kiwi, watermelon
and fl ower petals.
I also tasted an iced rose tea served in
a glass, topped with foam, Oreo crumbs
and milk leaves. I’m not personally a fan
of Oreos, so I was a bit apprehensive, but
Photo: Marie Torio/QNS
I found it unique and tasty. All of Prince
Tea House’s teas — more than 100 selections
— come from France.
Th e pastries are baked from scratch
by one of Lee’s business partners in
Williamsburg, and they did not disappoint.
First, I tried the fruit toast, which
was similar to a very thick piece of French
toast topped with blueberries and kiwi,
mango, strawberry and banana slices and
a generous scoop of creamy vanilla ice
cream. I tried too many pastries to fi nish
everything, but I defi nitely polished
this one off .
Next was the mille feuille, two airy pastries
with a layer of cream and strawberry
slices in the middle, surrounded by berries.
Th is dessert was equally delicious,
and the texture combo felt decadent.
Th e beautiful green tea mille crêpes
cake, with too many layers of crêpes to
count, is perfect for the green tea lover.
It was our photographer’s favorite dish of
the aft ernoon. Th e trio combo also had a
green tea treat, and it’s a great option if
you’re looking for a variety of bite-sized
samples.
Th e last dessert was a mini bowl made
of chocolate with a sweet fi lling, topped
with ice cream, blueberries, pirouette
cookies and pocky biscuits. Served with
berries on the side and a vibrant fl ower
on top, it was a delectable and pretty treat.
Th ere are also savory options like sandwiches,
salads and appetizers, and wine
will be off ered aft er the grand opening.
Lee, who used to be an electrical engineer
but quit to pursue his passion for
business, works 12- or 13-hour days —
and still visits his tea houses on his days
off . He built the customer bases of his
other locations primarily by word of
mouth, and he foresees the same thing
happening in Astoria. With some customers
coming multiple times per day
(aft er all, tea is perfect in the morning,
for a midday break with coworkers, in the
evening with family, aft er dinner or for
a date night), the Astoria spot is already
racking up regulars.
“Astoria is great: friendly people, friendly
customers,” Lee said. “I love this area.”
And Astoria seems to love Prince Tea
House, too. Th ose passersby I noticed
stopping and taking pictures during my
visit? Lee said that those curious locals
tend to show up days later, ready for a real
taste of the new business.
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