Welcome to Tea Time

Southern California isn’t exactly merrie olde England, but teatime is becoming a tradition here . . . if you know where to look.

Hotels are the obvious places that come to mind: The Regent of Beverly Hills, the Biltmore in downtown Los Angeles, and the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel are three that make a good show.

But hotels aren’t the only places for tea. You can spend interesting afternoons in more exotic locales. Consider the following.

The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino must be the most romantic spot in Southern California. Five thousand bushes surround the library’s patio restaurant, which is adjacent to an English rose garden that is now in full bloom. It provides an entirely tranquil setting for afternoon tea.

Waitresses bring scones and pour Twinings Prince of Wales tea from sterling silver pots, while the music of Handel plays in the background. All the food is prepared daily by Rococo, a Van Nuys catering company, and sits on a large buffet table in the center of the room. Serve yourself, and have as much as you would like.

Start with exquisite finger sandwiches: smoked salmon on dark rye, walnut chicken on cracked wheat, mango chutney cream cheese on raisin, and cucumber on egg bread. Finish with strawberries, coeur de creme , and a variety of sweets such as orange tarts or lemon curd filled chocolate cups. Then take a stroll around the grounds and tell yourself how lucky you are.

Patio Restaurant at Huntington Library and Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. (818) 405-2246. Tea served Wednesday through Sunday 1 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Cost per person, $8.50.

The Mc Charles House in Tustin’s Old Town, a restored Victorian house built in 1885, is another charming spot in which to take tea. It is served in the parlor, an English grandmother’s fantasy room full of walnut, embossed mauve wallpaper, wicker chairs, tasseled lamps, and enough crockery to start a small museum.

Owner Audrey Heredia and her daughter, Vivian, prepare sandwiches and pastries that are every bit as precious and pretty as the decor. Dilled cucumber, the Edwardian (cranberry with pecan and chocolate bits), and curried chicken are three favorite sandwiches.

Pastries are astoundingly sumptuous, especially the crusty apple crisp, the rich chocolate trifle, and shortbread pecan squares that must weigh a pound apiece. A choice of one is allowed with the service.

Several blends from Fortnum and Mason are poured from porcelain pots. Apple slices, grapes, and pecans accompany the sandwiches.

Perhaps the Heredia’s most distinctive touch are little heart-shaped scones, served with clotted cream and raspberry preserves. Even the most curmudgeonly English gentleman would be charmed.

Mc Charles House, 335 South C St., Tustin. (714) 731-4063. Tea is served Monday through Saturday 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cost per person, $9.75.

Leave it to Trumps--chef Michael Roberts somewhat mercurial restaurant--to redefine the institution of tea. I’d say he comes up short, but he does so with his usual style.

The breezy earth tones and casual furniture make Trumps a relaxing place to unwind during late afternoon. Unwind further with a choice of peach Champagne, Dry Sack sherry, or a glass of white Bordeaux, included in the price.

The first course, canapes and sandwiches, is far and away the best. It varies daily. The day I visited, a perfect piece of Belgian endive topped with Roquefort cream, smoked salmon mousse on a crisp rusk, a delicate, open-faced cucumber sandwich, and a tiny tarte of ratatouille and pesto made up the plate. All were delicious.

Hot, fresh scones came next; I smeared mine with house-made raspberry jam, and extra thick cream, whipped. Little pastries followed; I found the hazelnut cookies, brownies, and so forth unbearably sweet. Roberts’ use of top-drawer ingredients make his teatime devastatingly rich. It will not be to everyone’s liking. Neither will Trumps house tea--a highly aromatic blend of Earl Grey with Darjeeling.

Chocolate lovers will want to know that on the first Tuesday of every month,

Trumps hosts a special chocolate tea. If you plan to go on a Saturday, reservations are essential.

Trumps, 8764 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 855-1480. Tea served Monday through Saturday 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Cost per person, $14.50.

The most resolutely English of the local tea rooms is Paddington’s. This despite the fact that Paddington is the name of owner Julianne Gorski’s Australian home town. It’s a crammed, cutesy room filled with stuffed animals, perfumed soaps, and English chocolates, rather like one of those Crabtree and Evelyn stores at suburban malls. If you’re in the right mood it is a real charmer.

Because everything is so British (including much of the clientele), tea here is more like an actual supper. The first course is an egg and dill dip, plus a creamy house pate , eaten with toast. Next comes a platter of vegetables for the dense spinach-and-water chestnut dip. That is followed by exquisite finger sandwiches of smoked salmon, salmon mousse, egg curry, the ubiquitous cucumber, and a lovely tomato and watercress.

You only get one scone, but it’s a good one: firm and moist. And the Devonshire cream and strawberry preserves served alongside are good enough to suit the royal box at Wimbledon. The finish is a tiny, civilized petit four, in this case a perfect chocolate rum ball.

Tea is Fortnum and Mason’s Royal Blend unless otherwise specified; those who prefer may substitute Jamaica’s extravagant Blue Mountain coffee.

Paddington’s Tea Room, 729 N. La Cienega, Los Angeles. (213) 652-0624. Tea served daily 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cost per person, $11.

Hong Kong is still a British colony, and teatime is a celebrated tradition there.

But the Hong Kong Chinese have another way to take tea, and now you can join them for dim sum at Chinatown’s elegant Empress Pavilion restaurant. The restaurant has broken with tradition (dim sum is commonly served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and is now offering dim sum throughout the afternoon. The restaurant is quiet in late afternoon, but the dim sum are every bit as delicious as they are during the boisterous earlier hours.

More than 25 special dishes are available from the afternoon menu, including ha gow , little shrimp dumplings, garlic spare ribs, fried dumplings, and chilled coconut pudding. The service carts have been put away for the day, so ordering is done from slips.

Among the wonderful Chinese teas are bo lei , a ruddy, strongly flavored brew, gok fa , yellow-colored chrysanthemum tea, and gok bo, a combination of the two. Ask for one of these, or you will end up with a pot of the far less exciting jasmine tea.

Empress Pavilion, 988 N. Hill St., Los Angeles. (213) 617-9898. Tea served daily 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Cost for two approximately $15.