Lovely tea and pastry -- Soho

Ok, so I decided I was getting a little too hooked on coffee; I'm giving it up for a while. Which gives me the opportunity to sample neighborhood tea. My first foray, today, was a definite success.

I had been to La Poeme, on Prince and Elizabeth, once before, for lunch several years ago. It didn't really impress me negatively or positively; since it was so not memorable I haven't been back since then. But today, I was walking around the neighborhood looking for somewhere I could sit with a cup of tea and read my book for a while -- Ceci Cela was too crowded; Cafe Gitane was only allowing diners to sit at tables; getting really desparate I poked my head into Cafe Habana but every table was full there, too -- what was I to do? As I turned away from Cafe Habana I noticed La Poeme across the street; a little light went on in my head -- I crossed and looked in, and sure enough there was a table open by the window.

This time around I had a much better experience. La Poeme is a Tunisian creperie and bakery. The room is very comfortable, painted yellow and decorated with aged wooden boxes and jars of honey and preserves. Some chairs are wicker, some upholstered. The cook is a French woman, I assume from Tunesia; the waitress I think is her daughter but I'm not sure.

I ordered a pot of chamomile tea and an anise cookie, which had recently come out of the oven. The tea was very nice, made with loose chamomile rather than a bag, served with a little sieve to pour through. The cookie was tasty. And most important (to me anyways) the space was very comfortable to sit in and read my book in the sunlight.