THE BEST-KEPT secrets are often those whispered from one trustworthy person to the next. Sometimes the secrets are so particular that they don’t go outside a certain group. This is definitely the case with Glasgow’s Tchai-Ovna House of Tea, which although located in the city’s leafy West End might as well be in Outer Mongolia for all that people know about it.
I came across it when, in Nick Hornby mode, I was mooching around back lanes near Glasgow University, looking for a second-hand record shop. Once I’d exhausted the possibility of getting my hands on a vinyl copy of the first Starjets album I walked out of the shop, looked left and noticed the most obviously hippy site this side of Woodstock.
Advertised by lettering on a single piece of wood, Tchai-Ovna drips tie-dyed style. The mismatched furnishings and china cups are old-school student digs, the food is Indian-inspired vegetarian and the hookahs are just plain daft.
What isn’t is the range of teas on offer: more than 80. What also isn’t daft is Tchai-Ovna’s 1970s approach to customer service: this is the kind of place that encourages people to take their time sipping from quirky china cups. We know of some customers who chatted for hours over not too many cups of tea without sensing any pressure from the friendly staff.
Another treat if you want to remove yourself from the pace of city life is to browse through its books and play its board games. Also adding to the relaxed mood are events that include poetry readings and performances by its resident sitarist and – the house speciality – Highland psychedelic soul-funk bands.
** Tchai-Ovna House of Tea, 42 Otago Lane, Glasgow, Scotland, 00-44-141- 3574524, tchaiovna.com
** Do you know of a hidden gem? E-mail us at go@irishtimes.com