British Columbia

Victoria tea house serves royal-themed fare to celebrate Prince Harry-Meghan Markle wedding

A Victoria tea house is capitalizing on the royal fever with a unique menu.

On the menu: chocolate, whiskey cream sauce and cucumbers

Sallie and Alain Alaily are co-owners of the Victoria tea house Venus Sophia. (Jean Paetkau/CBC)

For many royal enthusiasts, watching coverage of the Saturday wedding between Prince Harry and Megan Markle will be enough to whet their appetites. 

But some diehards relish in every aspect of the royal affair — right down to the taste of the wedding cake.

A Victoria tea house, Venus Sophia, is capitalizing on the royal fever with a unique menu, to be offered until May 27.

Venus Sophia will be serving the royal couple's wedding cake — lemon and elderflower — with a twist, swapping the lemon for lime zest. 

"Weddings always make me very romantic," said chef Alain Alaily, who designed the regal menu.

Queen's favourite dishes

Tradition still reigns on the eatery's limited-time menu, with quintessentially British fare such as English cucumber sandwiches and a Victorian sponge cake.

There are also some nods to Queen Elizabeth's favourite dishes. 

Her Royal Majesty reportedly loves whiskey cream sauce, which the eatery will be serving in a sandwich. 

The menu will, unsurprisingly, include sandwiches and tea. (Jean Paetkau/CBC)

The Queen also loves chocolate, so a double-chocolate cake was a must-have on the menu, said the eatery's co-owner Sallie Alaily.

"She's fantastic," Alaily said of the Queen. "I totally would love to follow this diet."

'I am so excited'

It might be one of the last royal weddings for some time, so Alaily said she wanted to celebrate in a big way. 

"I am so excited. Weddings for me and just love stories are such a beautiful part of life in general," she said.

"They just seem like such a lovely young modern couple." 

Alaily said calls have been coming in from customers requesting orders for early-morning viewing parties. The royal wedding will broadcast live at 4 a.m. PT.

Alaily is a royal family fan, but not to the point of sacrificing sleep. 

"I think I'm going to record it and wake up later and watch it."


With files from Jean Paetkau