Grace Tea House

Description:

• By anyone's standards, this is a cultural oddity, representing the marriage of its owner and founder, Grace Guo, who met her Swedish husband in her hometown south of Shanghai. She wisely used her subsequent move to Stockholm as a forum for the promotion of China's most esoteric and desirable teas. Within a meticulously crafted environment of polished paneling and Chinese brush paintings, you'll find a shop selling the most sophisticated array of teas we've ever seen, including tea made from the rare grey leaves of a species that grows only on one side of one mountain in central China. We also recommend dropping in here for a delicious, authentically Chinese, and very health-conscious lunch. Forget chow mein -- this is the kind of food you won't see much of outside China. The set-price menu begins with a soup made from dried forest mushrooms imported from western China, dim sum (dumplings) with fish-based dipping sauce, and spring rolls. If you're interested, your meal can include a presentation from Grace or one of her assistants on tea -- how to brew it, how to serve it, and how to recognize the degree of its rarity.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010