Quite the nicest foreign tea-shop, apart from Florian’s in Venice, is Tricolore, just off the main cross roads of Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district.
On one corner of the cross-roads is Ginza station, on the other three corners are the chain-stores Mitsukoshi, Wako, and Ginza Core, and alongside Ginza Core is Ginza Alley, and if you walk down there you’ll find Tricolore looking like a lovely old English pub.
Inside it’s all panelled walls with Adam-style motifs, red plush chairs and bar tools, with a thick brass leaning around the bar.
The guy behind the bar knows how to get you going. He warms the pot, he pours in a measured amount of tea, he adds boiling water, he lets it brew for three minutes, then he strains off the tea-leaves and serves it in a china cup and saucer alongside the tea-pot, sugar and milk on a silver salver.
You brace yourself for a great cup of tea.
And then, Oh God, Oh God, the bloody milk turns out to be hot.
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