I love rainy days!! It's a great excuse for wearing pajamas reading a book with a huge mug of hot chocolate and mountain of whipped cream. Today's rainy day was gratifying in so many ways because I had the most relaxing afternoon tea with one of my best friends, Sonia.
We planned on having afternoon tea at Fresh and Fabulous for a while and when the rain came it complimented our experience; having a nice meal while watching the rain shower downtown Oxnard. Fresh and Fabulous is on corner of 'A' and 4th St in the Woolworth Building. We got there around noon and was promptly greeted right away. On our table were reserve signs, tea kettles and cups waiting to be filled. I was pleased on the outside and acted like a 5-year old who just received the tea set she always wanted, in my mind. The place runs on the small-medium, quaint and intimate.
The servers at the counter told us to take a seat and soon Robert (one of the servers) took our order of teas we fancied. Sonia ordered No. 10 Blend ( a black and green tea blend which was mild and sweet) and I the Afternoon Empress (a black tea which was bold and smooth). Soon came out with a two-tier serving dish with plain scones and fruit (grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, and strawberries) on the top, assorted sandwiches on the bottom, and another serving dish with cream, strawberry balsamic jam, and lemon curd.
The sandwiches we received were:
-herbed cream cheese and cucumber on wheat bread, -a caprese (mozzarella and tomato with balsamic vinaigrette) on a roll,
-cranberry pecan chicken salad on a roll, and
-a goat cheese, roasted peppers and pesto sandwich on focaccia bread.
Our other server, Jesa/Jena (she's a brunette with glasses) checked on us, refilled my pot, and told us whenever we were ready to order the second course, a slice of quiche with a side salad. Throughout the whole time they were really prompt with service, even when it got busy and it soon got busy 10 minutes after we sat down. They brought us extra plates, spoons, and cream. I had to have my cream and glad they brought it quickly, I was very eager to have my tea but it's not tea to me unless I have some cream. Jesa then informed us on the quiche and salads we can choose from.
Quiche wise we had the choice of a slice of:
-ham and Swiss
-Italian sausage and sweet peppers (monterey jack and provolone)
-spinach (monterey and Swiss), or
-tomato, onion, and basil (mozzarella).
Sonia ordered the most popular which was the second most popular (ham and swiss) and I (spinach, the most popular item ). The quiche was the easiest to pick, as for the salads it was another story but Jesa was well-informed about the popular items and the ingredients in the salad.
We both ordered the same salad (which was a
spring greens, apple, bacon, with Gorgonzola cheese with a champagne
vinaigrette which we chose between that and balsamic); there was also a
pear and walnut salad and a Mediterranean. We chose what we chose
because Jesa had us at 'bacon.' When we were talking about the salad, both of us agreed that it was really good despite the apple being included. Fruit and salads shouldn't mix unless it's a fruit salad. The apples were fresh because there was no signs of brownness, the bacon was cooked exactly right looked as though it came straight from the frying pan, and the champagne vinaigrette was sweet and not as oily as we expected. It was filling and refreshing. The saltiness of the bacon brought out the sweetness of the apple and the apples gave a great texture to the green. The champagne really complimented the whole salad. We appreciated the thought of having the cheese on the side so we can sprinkle as much as we needed to.
The quiche was light and fluffy and cheesy enough to see the cheese stretch before it breaks free (hope you know what I'm talking about). Everything we ate felt refreshing. I thought I would feel so full after eating those two courses then Jesa/Robert told us about the dessert. O M G! We were like o_O!!! We so had room for dessert: a lemon bar and bread pudding.
The lemon bar complimented Sonia's tea as the bread pudding complimented mine. When you took a bite and then sipped the paired tea it really brought out the flavors to another level. The lemon bar was tart and sweet and as the bread pudding it tasted like french toast but a perfectly sweetened and dense (which came with maple syrup on the side). This was a great ending to our afternoon tea.
Our servers were on top of checking on us and refilling our tea pots. They informed us if we didn't like the tea we could switch it out and even though it was Robert's first time running tea service he was on top of it. The cost for both of us came out to $36, what a steal for afternoon tea.
It was great sitting down with Sonia talking about life and reflecting on our friendship with each other and the other friends we have in our life. I would like to take a moment to shout out to my other besties out there: Dennise, Katelynne, and Christie-Boo!
Afternoon tea is what the restaurant is called, Fresh and Fabulous. The whole meal didn't weigh us down (compared to what a combo meal at a fast food joint) and it was refreshing, like drinking water after brushing your teeth minus the strong mint part. There were a lot of new things I tried and I enjoyed every single morsel. I already know Sonia and I will go back and try other things they offer. This place is a diamond in a rough; especially in Oxnard, a city filled with Mexican culture and food. I never thought I would find a place which serves a full afternoon tea meal but I found it right in Downtown Oxnard. If you love tea and want to experience afternoon/high tea or you want to try something new try Fresh and Fabulous, and bring a friend. This kind of experience is worth sharing, definitely.
Fresh and Fabulous- 401 S. 'A' St, Oxnard, CA
Value: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
 |
| The interior and our table is right there on the bottom left hand corner with Sonia texting. |
 |
| My bestie Sonia with our first course. The sandwiches were bigger than what I expected and the scones smaller than expected =P |
The servers at the counter told us to take a seat and soon Robert (one of the servers) took our order of teas we fancied. Sonia ordered No. 10 Blend ( a black and green tea blend which was mild and sweet) and I the Afternoon Empress (a black tea which was bold and smooth). Soon came out with a two-tier serving dish with plain scones and fruit (grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, and strawberries) on the top, assorted sandwiches on the bottom, and another serving dish with cream, strawberry balsamic jam, and lemon curd.
The sandwiches we received were:
-herbed cream cheese and cucumber on wheat bread, -a caprese (mozzarella and tomato with balsamic vinaigrette) on a roll,
-cranberry pecan chicken salad on a roll, and
-a goat cheese, roasted peppers and pesto sandwich on focaccia bread.
Our other server, Jesa/Jena (she's a brunette with glasses) checked on us, refilled my pot, and told us whenever we were ready to order the second course, a slice of quiche with a side salad. Throughout the whole time they were really prompt with service, even when it got busy and it soon got busy 10 minutes after we sat down. They brought us extra plates, spoons, and cream. I had to have my cream and glad they brought it quickly, I was very eager to have my tea but it's not tea to me unless I have some cream. Jesa then informed us on the quiche and salads we can choose from.
 |
| Sonia and I were both hesitant on how the salad would taste but at the end of our meal it was the most pleasant (after the dessert) and heavily discussed. |
Quiche wise we had the choice of a slice of:
-ham and Swiss
-Italian sausage and sweet peppers (monterey jack and provolone)
-spinach (monterey and Swiss), or
-tomato, onion, and basil (mozzarella).
Sonia ordered the most popular which was the second most popular (ham and swiss) and I (spinach, the most popular item ). The quiche was the easiest to pick, as for the salads it was another story but Jesa was well-informed about the popular items and the ingredients in the salad.
 |
| Sonia and I were both hesitant on how the salad would taste but at the end of our meal it was the most pleasant (after the dessert) and heavily discussed. |
The quiche was light and fluffy and cheesy enough to see the cheese stretch before it breaks free (hope you know what I'm talking about). Everything we ate felt refreshing. I thought I would feel so full after eating those two courses then Jesa/Robert told us about the dessert. O M G! We were like o_O!!! We so had room for dessert: a lemon bar and bread pudding.
 |
| Lemon bar on top and bread pudding below |
Our servers were on top of checking on us and refilling our tea pots. They informed us if we didn't like the tea we could switch it out and even though it was Robert's first time running tea service he was on top of it. The cost for both of us came out to $36, what a steal for afternoon tea.
It was great sitting down with Sonia talking about life and reflecting on our friendship with each other and the other friends we have in our life. I would like to take a moment to shout out to my other besties out there: Dennise, Katelynne, and Christie-Boo!
Afternoon tea is what the restaurant is called, Fresh and Fabulous. The whole meal didn't weigh us down (compared to what a combo meal at a fast food joint) and it was refreshing, like drinking water after brushing your teeth minus the strong mint part. There were a lot of new things I tried and I enjoyed every single morsel. I already know Sonia and I will go back and try other things they offer. This place is a diamond in a rough; especially in Oxnard, a city filled with Mexican culture and food. I never thought I would find a place which serves a full afternoon tea meal but I found it right in Downtown Oxnard. If you love tea and want to experience afternoon/high tea or you want to try something new try Fresh and Fabulous, and bring a friend. This kind of experience is worth sharing, definitely.
 |
| Our tea kettles and cups for the two of us |
Fresh and Fabulous- 401 S. 'A' St, Oxnard, CA
Value: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
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