At the end of September Toronto was seriously smitten with the return of sweet summers kiss. I peddled west on my bike along Harbord Street with the sun blasting through the tree’s. Autumnal warmth forced a smile as a cool breeze rustled through my hair.
I parked myself at Bathurst Street and skipped up to the steps of Bampot Bohemian House of Tea & Board Games. Mark and Andrea Newell opened the cute space in April, Toronto’s first bohemian tea house, board game and hookah lounge. The duo have created a special community space (which they refer to as their public living room) perfect for date night, post yoga sips and late night hookah chats. At the back of Bampot a private room offers the perfect space for Terrarium and Life Drawing classes which they host on the regular.
I visited with Dale on a week night and we both commented on the muddled mix of the crowd, a lovely potpourri of people: two university students enjoyed a first date (the conversation was delightfully awkward), a trilogy of hipsters sipped chai while indulging in a board game and a table of professor’s from U of T slurped soup.
The Newell’s offer up Toronto’s first Czech tea house experience, a tradition which started by a group of committed tea enthusiasts who continued to illegally import, brew and sample tea during the communist era. After the Velvet Revolution they opened up shop in Prague, and their passion for tea and its surrounding culture sparked what is now a major industry in Czech Republic. Today the country, which is less than 1/10th the size of the province of Ontario, is home to more than 300 tea houses. After the couple visited a colourful collection of tea houses in Prague on two separate visits they were keen to bring the wildly popular culinary-meets-social tradition to Toronto.
Bampot is far from a bustling bar or laptop filled coffee shop. The Newell’s have created a sanctuary where those who are looking to share a conversation with good friends (or potential lovers) can do so in a magical space. Strolling through the tea house one enjoys warm lighting, walls covered in the work of local artists, comfortable seating (many nooks feature carpeted floors and plush pillows), plethora of teas, games to play, tobacco-free hookah to smoke and a vegetarian/vegan centric menu.
We started off by sampling two pots of iced tea recommended by Andrea who chirped, “London Summer and Bam Bam Chai are your best bets for refreshing sips.” While quenching our thirst we nibbled on Nuts & Bolts which had me wondering, “why don’t more bars and restaurants in the city offer this on their menus? Simply addictive.” The kitchens signature Poutine Soup offers a stringy marvel of cheese, potato and vegetarian friendly gravy broth. Hearty baked falafel dipped in hummus is served with balsamic drizzled mixed greens. One feels healthy here.
For those looking to enjoy a hot pot and selection of sweets be sure to try Mandarin Pu-erh with a plate full of desserts. We opted for a decadent spread featuring baklava, havla, chocolate fudge cake and peppermint nanimo bar. While slurping my final cup of hot tea I looked out the window and winked at Dale, “this winter, when the city experiences a hectic snow storm we have to come back to Bampot and plop ourselves on a comfy cushion with friends, sip tea and forget about the cold.” Bampot’s magical teas and ambiance offer delightful break from hectic city life but its the spaces intimate and quirky ambiance that really warms the heart.
The Feast:
London Summer Iced Tea
Bam Bam Chai Iced Tea
Mandarin Pu-erh
Poutine Soup
Roasted Sweet Potato and Coconut Masala Soup
Oma’s Nuts & Bolts
Falafel
Baklava
Chocolate Fudge Cake
Peppermint Nanimo Bar
Havla
