At Prince Tea House, Marlton's new tea room, they serve French imports with Asian flair
Many tea rooms cater only to afternoon tea service customers with limited hours and have few, if any, other menu items, but the first Prince Tea House to arrive in South Jersey offers more.
The newly opened Prince Tea House franchise in Marlton is a menu oasis beyond its formal finger sandwiches, scones and mini-dessert tea. It has appetizers, regular sandwiches, salads, more than 20 desserts, and 30-some teas and coffees.
And the tea room is open daily for the entire afternoon and half the evening.
The franchise describes itself as "an Asian-run but French-inspired tea and dessert restaurant."
The dining room has elegant décor with both Asian and European flair that extends to the menu, written in both English and Chinese, and to menu selections.
What's on the menu at Prince Tea House?
Among the regular-sized sandwiches are chicken katsu and beef sukiyaki but there's also American fare. Appetizers include house buffalo wings and sweet potato fries.
Italian panna cotta and tiramisu are among the many desserts.
The 30 plus tea choices, all imported from France, are Asian, English, Indian, French, oolong and a special Pu Ehr Imperial and bubble and milk teas. Coffees are American-style or made with Italian espresso.
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The tea house is in the Marlton Plaza shopping center on the busy W. Route 70 state highway at N. Cropwell Road. Though sandwiched between two other strip shops its large sign lettering is easily seen from the roadway.
Who runs Marlton's Prince Tea House?
Austin Lee and Sophia Chen are co-owners of the franchise — their first business effort — and both live in Cherry Hill. Lee, who handles publicity, says he is most proud of the tea house's extensive menu, especially its wide variety of teas, and the more formal atmosphere.
"The tea house is upscale and we try to provide our guests a better and beautiful environment for sitting alone or meeting friends and family,” Lee said of the business. "I'm also working on adding even more to the menu by offering brunch."
Among the finger sandwiches served on tiered porcelain plates are smoked salmon with roe, pastrami and cheese and crabmeat with lime. Scones are also homemade and the tea comes in personal pots.
Customer reaction
Real estate agent Mary Ann Fischer of Medford and Virtua Lady of Lourdes Hospital nurse Lisa Otremsky of Haddon Township recently visited the tea shop. The sisters said they had not been to a formal tea since tea rooms closed in Medford and at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia."This location is very convenient for the both of us and it's the first time we have been in a tea room with an Asian spin," said Fischer, who was helping celebrate her sister's birthday with formal afternoon tea.
Other Prince Tea Houses
There are 14 tea house franchises on the East Coast with the company headquarters in Queens, New York.
There is a Prince Tea House in Philadelphia and two more in New Jersey − Princeton and Edison.
The Marlton site is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
For more information, call 856-239-0800 or visit http://www.princeteahouse.com
Carol Comegno loves telling stories about South Jersey life, history and military veterans for the Courier Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. If you have a story to share, call her at 856-486-2473 or email ccomegno@gannettnj.com.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: What to know about new Marlton NJ tea room Prince Tea House
