The first time I heard the name “The Painted Lady” (about five years ago, I guess) I thought it was a tattoo parlor. I kid you not. Since then I, and the rest of Hampton Roads, have obviously learned that it’s a lovely English tearoom. It has received tons of awards and reviews already, but from what I can tell, everyone’s always talking about their dinners. Well gosh darn it, I’m gonna talk about their lunch. And their tea.

For lunch and Tea Time (2:30-5:00), The Painted Lady offers a selection of tea settings – all quite properly British, except perhaps the one for kids (Teddy Bear Tea). But then, I never had a Tea Time when I was a kid, so what do I know.

For $9.95 was the Cream Tea – scones with cream, raspberry jam, and lemon curd. Plus tea, of course. Now, these were not your typical dry, tasteless scones you find in coffee shop chains all over America. These were delicious shortbread-like scones that just crumble in your mouth. The Double Devonshire Cream and Raspberry Jam were both very good, but my favorite was actually the Lemon Curd. Kind of surprising since I’m not a big lemon lover.

Also offered are the Afternoon Tea – finger sandwiches, pastries, strawberries and scones; Royal Tea – an Afternoon tea with a flute of champagne, sherry, wine, or port; and the afore mentioned Teddy Bear Tea – PB&J, fruit, and a cinnamon bear cookie.

Of course, the real star of the restaurant is the tea selection.

In case you’ve never done a tearoom before, you’ll each get your own pot of loose tea. Let it steep for a minute or so, then strain the tea as you pour it into the cup. Please don’t try to imbibe the leaves themselves. I’ve seen someone do that and it wasn’t pretty. One of my favorite items was actually the sugar lumps. Actual lumps, not cubes. It was neat.

This is a great place to take both someone who already likes English teas and someone who’s never had tea and scones in their life. The atmosphere is quiet and cozy with tons of lovely things to look at. The place is really decorated beautifully and there’s even a little shop upstairs with all the English frou-frou you could ever want. I’m planning on taking my mom some time in the near future and I’m sure she’ll spend most of her time looking at the décor.

I wouldn’t suggest this place for rowdy kids or macho, loud, manly men (you know the kind I mean), but for everyone else this should be a nice reasonably-priced outing. Take someone you don’t mind talking to or sharing a plate with (you’ll be sharing the dish of cream, jam, and lemon curd).

The Painted Lady is located at 112 East 17th Street, Norfolk, Virginia 2351. Call 757-623-8872 for reservations.