NOVEMBER 2 0 1 7 I BOROMAG.COM 39
The Astoria eatery is the third location
of Prince Tea Shop: the first 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.”
The 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 confidence
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. There was
nothing like that here.”
The interior, like those of the other
locations, has plush purple and gray
booths and bright white walls, but the
decorations — like the framed flowers,
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
flower shop on Northern Boulevard.
I settled into my tufted 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 floral china set.
The 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 first-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
flavors of white peach, kiwi, watermelon
and flower 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
I found it unique and tasty. All of Prince
Tea House’s teas — more than 100 selections
— come from France.
The 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 finish
everything, but I definitely polished
this one off.