‘From the castle’: Torra Tea offers elevated sips, like craft cocktails, afternoon tea, soups, and U.K.-inspired bites

Glittering chandeliers resembling dandelion puffs. Tables covered in white starched cloths set with quality china and gold flatware.

Torra Tea offers unexpected elegance in a shopping center on Dishman Mica, and that’s by design.

“My motto is tradition with the unexpected,” said owner Kathryn Soady.

When the health care company she worked for merged with another, eliminating her position, the former physical therapist wasn’t ready to retire.

“I’m a big foodie and love to entertain,” she said.

Her two daughters urged her to open a restaurant, and a teahouse seemed a natural fit.

“I did a lot of tea parties and visited many tea rooms with my girls,” Soady said. “Such good memories!”

She also spent much of her childhood and teen years in Canada and was steeped in the British tradition of afternoon tea.

As the idea for her restaurant unfolded, Soady knew two things: She wanted to honor her Scottish heritage and she wanted a place where men would feel comfortable.

Torra Tea opened in August, and there’s nary a glimpse of chintz or lace.

“I didn’t want to do cottage chic,” she said. “I wanted a broody Northwest vibe.”

On a recent afternoon, brilliant sunlight poured through windows facing the Dishman Hills Natural Area. The blue-gray wall opposite features a mountain mural that could be the Highlands of Scotland or the crags of the Cascades.

With 40 varieties of tea to choose from and a whiskey-forward bar, the restaurant offers a beverage for every palate. Soady sources teas locally from Revival Tea Company and a Portland business. Her goal with whiskey is to represent all the regions of Scotland as well as local distilleries. Both tea and whiskey flights are available.

“The Scots figured out tea and whiskey a long time ago with hot toddies,” she said. “They’re both sipping drinks.”

For those who prefer martinis or gimlets, the full bar serves a variety of specialty craft cocktails.

My husband enjoys whiskey, so on our visit he chose a Vanilla Spice Old-Fashioned and pronounced it delicious.

I opted for an Earl Grey martini (because tea!) and savored each crisp citrusy sip.

The food menu offers many scrumptious options including, Afternoon Tea and Royal Tea. Both feature a soup starter, a choice of tea, a three-tier selection of tea sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, marmalade, and lemon curd and a mini dessert assortment. The Royal Tea includes champagne or mimosas.

No need to call ahead to book a tea.

“We do walk-in tea service,” Soady said.

Teas and cocktails rotate seasonally, as does the menu, so there’s always something new to savor. From Thanksgiving through Christmas, the venue will offer special holiday-themed teas.

The dining room fills up quickly, so she recommends making reservations for parties of four or more and on Thursday through Saturday. In addition to tea service, lunch plates, small plates and hearty entrees tempt every appetite.

Her Scots-themed menu includes a soup that may be unfamiliar to denizens of the northwest.

“Cullen Skink is the national Scottish soup,” she said.

The creamy chowder features smoked haddock with potatoes and leek. Derek and I shared a cup, but honestly, I wanted the whole thing for myself.

Soady’s husband had one request for the menu: a sausage roll.

“It’s proving popular,” she said.

The scratch beef sausage is seasoned with coriander and nutmeg and wrapped in a puffy pastry that melts in your mouth. It’s served with a house-made mustard dipping sauce.

I loved the Cullen Skink and that dipping sauce so much that I chose butter-poached haddock with a side of mustard mashed (potatoes) for my entrée.

Soady uses tea throughout the food menu. The haddock is marinated in green tea and then cold-smoked with citrus tea leaves and cherry wood. The result is a flavorful, flaky fillet.

Traditional savory pies are also popular. All entrees come with a choice of two sides. Derek enjoyed a steak and ale pie with cheesy mashed and minted mushy peas.

Mushy peas and baked beans are staple sides in the British Isles, and Soady discovered Spokane has quite an enclave of folks from Great Britain. She’s delighted with their feedback.

“I never knew I’d be having so many conversations about mushy peas!”

We finished our meal by sharing a Caledonian Cream highlighting two Scottish inventions – marmalade and whiskey. The creamy treat topped with a bite of shortbread provided a tasty endnote to a stellar meal.

Soady discovered the name for her venue while searching the Internet for Scottish Gaelic names.

“Torra means ‘from the castle,’ ” she said. “I really want my guests to feel like they’ve had an experience from the castle.”

Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com.