Mary in Vancity

The cherry blossom season in Vancouver makes you want to slow down. The air feels lighter. The city turns soft pink. And suddenly, lingering over tea feels like the most important thing on your calendar.

This spring, the iconic Castle in the City is leaning into that magic with its limited-time Sakura Afternoon Tea inside Notch8 Restaurant. Inspired by the delicate beauty of sakura and layered with subtle Japanese influences, this is not your typical afternoon tea. It’s a seasonal ritual — thoughtful, elegant, and just indulgent enough.

A Sweet Ode to Spring

The pastry selection reads like a love letter to cherry blossom season.

There’s a Cherry Panna Cotta Tart layered with morello jelly and amarena cherry that delivers that perfect balance of floral and tart. A Pistachio Raspberry Delice with airy sponge and mousse. A Strawberry Verrine with Chantilly and vanilla genoise that tastes like the first warm day of the year.

The Castella Cake filled with bright yuzu cream is a quiet standout: light, citrusy, and beautifully balanced. And the Lavender Shortbread Cookie finished with a pink lemonade glaze? That’s the kind of detail that makes you pause before the first bite.

Everything is pastel, delicate, and artfully plated — the kind of tiered tray that deserves its own moment before anyone reaches in.

Savoury with a Subtle Japanese Twist

What I love about this year’s menu is how seamlessly the Japanese influence weaves into the classics.

Cherry Salmon Aburi on milk bread with yuzu aioli feels both nostalgic and modern. The Tamago Sando with furikake is soft, comforting, and quietly addictive. There’s Vegetable Korokke with tonkatsu sauce, a Mushroom Dengaku Tart, and a Curry Pan filled with beef that adds warmth to the experience.

And of course, the scones. Warm Buttermilk and Chia Vanilla Scones arrive with mascarpone tea cream and strawberry jam — fluffy, fragrant, and absolutely essential to the ritual.

Tea, Cocktails & Gathering at the Table

Sakura Afternoon Tea is served in the elegant surroundings of Notch8, where marble tables, plush seating, and that signature Fairmont grandeur set the tone. A curated selection of floral specialty teas complements the menu, and there are spring-inspired cocktails if you’re feeling celebratory.

This year, the experience goes even further with custom menu artwork by Vancouver oil painter Courtney Caroline. Her textured, vibrant food paintings capture the nostalgia of gathering around the table — the feeling that tea is less about what’s on the plate and more about who you’re sharing it with. Limited edition prints of her Sakura Tea piece will be available throughout the season, which makes the whole experience feel even more collectible.

Make It a Spring Ritual

Sakura Afternoon Tea is available now through May 18, with seatings on Thursdays at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, and Friday through Sunday at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Reservations are highly recommended — cherry blossom season waits for no one.

And if you’re heading to the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s Big Picnic on March 28 and 29, keep an eye out. The hotel’s beloved scones will be available for purchase there from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, so you can bring a little Castle-in-the-City magic into the park with you.

Since 1939, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver has stood as one of our city’s most recognizable landmarks — green copper roof, gargoyles, and all. It’s a place where tradition feels alive, not dusty. And during sakura season, when Vancouver feels especially poetic, afternoon tea here becomes more than a meal.

It becomes a pause. A celebration of renewal. And a reminder that spring, like tea, is meant to be savoured slowly.