sydney afternoon tea Archives

sydney afternoon tea

The Tea Salon’s Katherine Sabbath High Tea: Sydney’s Best Afternoon Teas

October 23, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

The promise of a high tea created in collaboration with the amazing baker Katherine Sabbath beckoned me to The Tea Salon in Sydney’s Wesfield this week. The limited edition high tea only runs until October 31st, so if this amazing tea looks good to you, make a booking post-haste!

I hadn’t thought to try a high tea at The Tea Salon until now as I was a bit put off by the thought of a relaxing high tea … in a shopping centre. Like I said, it took the promise of Katherine Sabbath goodies to draw me in with my fellow food-loving blogger friend Jayne Gorman of Girl Tweets World.

The Tea Salon is indeed right in the middle of Westfields, but the atmosphere was very quiet, and I forgot very quickly that I was in a shopping centre. The decor is whimsically playful and delightful – a little bit Alice in Wonderland with the cutesy pastel china and white furniture.

We ordered the Katherine Sabbath high tea for two – at $39.95pp for the basic tea, it’s pretty good value. Kids up to the age of 13 can order a children’s version of the Katherine Sabbath high tea for $19.95 per child.

I didn’t bring Cheese with me on this occasion, which is a shame as the venue is incredibly kid-friendly.

Onto the high tea! Each tea come with pot of Premium Loose Leaf Tea or Espresso Coffee. We chose tea, which arrived quickly in large pots. The tea menu was quite extensive with some interesting selections to be had. We chose the “Creme Brûlée” – a black tea with caramel notes. The tea was a bit on the sweet side, but not sickeningly so. It was a great accompaniment to the food, and we managed to get at least three cups out of the pots.

As I requested vegetarian substitutions to the regular menu, we were given our own three-tiered stands. The teas were identical with the exception of the sandwiches, and our choice of scone.

Tier 1: Scone
One scone per serve. I chose the Katherine Sabbath Blueberry & White Chocolate Scone with raspberry cream.

Pinwheel Sandwiches:
Smoked Salmon, Rocket, Lemon & Capers
Cucumber & Dill Butter
Savoury Tartlets:
Beetroot, Goats Cheese & Caramelised Onion Jam
Pumpkin Feta & Pesto
Vegetarian sandwiches:
Cucumber and Dill Butter
Pesto

Sweet Treats:
Rose & Pistachio Pannacotta with Persian Fairy Floss
Lemon & Raspberry Zig-Zag Gumball Donut
Banana Cupcake with fresh Raspberry Cream
Dark Chocolate & Orange Fudge Tart with Salty Toffee Shards

The verdict:
I really enjoyed my vegetarian sandwiches. They were light and soft, freshly made, and the pesto sandwich in particular was really tasty. The scone, while being very blueberry-y, was a bit cake-y and lacked the sharp flavour that Australian scones usually have. This one was a bit more like a sweet American scone. The desserts were super cute and nicely bite-sized. My favourites were the Banana Cupcake and Rose & Pistachio Pannacotta with Persian Fairy Floss. The Pannacotta in particular was amazing – it tasted quite like Turkish Delight. I found the chocolate tart a bit rich for my taste, and the doughnut a little dense.

I really enjoyed the service at The Tea Salon. The staff were extremely friendly and attentive, and our waitperson was very knowledgable in teas, which I really appreciated!

The size of the teas were actually perfect. We were both so full that we needed to take one of the sweet treats home for later (little plastic take away containers were brought to our table to help facilitate a smooth transition of the cakey goodness to our homes).

I highly enjoyed the high tea at The Tea Salon. For the price in particular, it is exceedingly good value. The Tea Salon has a very kid-friendly atmosphere – a lot more so than most traditional high tea venues – so I will definitely be back with my kid in tow next time.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The Tea Salon
Westfield Sydney, Lvl 4,
Cnr Pitt St Mall and Market St,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9233 2231
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 10am-6:30pm
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Bookings recommended. Email: sydney@theteasalon.com.au

Archibald Inspired High Tea at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

September 26, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 1 Comment

The Sofitel Hotel prides itself on being Sydney’s Hotel of the Arts. As such it presents an Archibald inspired High Tea at the same time as the Archibald exhibition is on display at the nearby Art Gallery of New South Wales. While the high tea is over (today, September 27th, was the last day), the Sofitel has a Wentworth High Tea available all year round.

The basic high tea starts at $49pp, including savouries and sweets and your choice of tea ($59 with a glass of sparkling wine) and a ticket to the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Chef of Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, Boris Cuzon, created an amazing replica of last year’s masterpiece, a portrait of champion snowboarder Torah Bright, by artist Zoe Young, on decadent white chocolate, as the centerpiece of each platter.

The platters were arranged very differently from a regular tiered high tea. The sweets and savouries were arranged artistically on a piece piece of slate, and placed on a tripod-like stand.

Sweets
Opera cake “splash”
Mini pastel macarons
“Painted” eclair
Gold framed apple “tarte fine”
Scone, cream and homemade jam
White chocolate painting

Savoury
Egg & herb sandwich
Roasted beef and tomato mini baguette
Chicken and leek tartlet
Avocado, tomato, lettuce mini baguette (vegetarian option only)
Mixed vegetable sandwich (vegetarian option only)

The food was a great amount for lunch – I polished off the lot and didn’t feel ill from eating too much food. The desserts were so small that I didn’t feel like I had sugar overload at the end, either. The only weak spot I would suggest would be the scone – it was tiny and more like a biscuit than a big, fluffy scone.

The sandwiches were fresh and light, and I liked that I received my own extra vegetarian sandwich platter.

At $49 I thought the price was very reasonable. The only downside of our experience was the service. While very polite, we had to constantly flag down a server if we needed anything, like ordering the tea or asking for the cheque. We would have all loved our waters to be topped up and an offer for an additional tea or coffee.

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
61-101 Phillip Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Bookings

Gunners’ Barracks: Sydney’s Best Afternoon Tea Spots

October 7, 2014 / Cheese, Mosman, North Shore, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

The Gunners’ Barracks has been one of my favourite afternoon tea venues for a long time. Alec and I were even married there almost five years ago because we just loved it so much. I’ve been to many, many tea venues over the years and I can’t think of any that can match Gunners’ for their delicious food, efficient staff and stunning location.

Our return was to celebrate my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. Gunners’ is really the kind of venue that is perfect for special occasion like this. The staff really go out of the way to elevate a simple afternoon tea into an unforgettable event.

First: tea selection. I chose a white tea on this occasion. The tea pot gives around two full cups of tea, and the obliging staff stop by later to refill your pot if you’re low on water. How gorgeous are the real silver pots, by the way?

While Gunners’ do have a Children’s Traditional Afternoon Tea on the menu, it’s really for older kids. At $18pp, it’s too pricey for a toddler who will only pick at one of two things (it includes petit pastries, finger sandwiches, scone, jam and cream and a choice of hot chocolate, soft drink or juice). Instead, we ordered Miss E a chocolate milkshake ($7) and let her try a bit of anything from our platters that struck her fancy. During the week there is a more varied menu for children that has a more reasonable afternoon tea option.

I want to note here that I was a little concerned that Gunners’ was not the most appropriate venue to take a very active 3-year-old, but I was so pleasantly surprised with how charming the staff were to my child. When we entered the dining area on the balcony, Miss E was greeted personally by a member of the wait staff, who inquired before we had even sat down if he could get something for her. Outstanding service.

My family all ordered the Traditional Afternoon Tea ($45pp). It included three finger sandwiches per person (my vegetarian ones were salad, egg salad and mozzarella, tomato and basil). The sandwiches were perfect. Light, fresh, no crusts, and absolutely more-ish fillings.

The savoury platter included one large scone, a chickpea samosa and mushroom tart per person. I gave my mushroom tart to Alec as I’m not a mushroom fan, but I really loved the tiny samosa and fluffy scone. The scones were served with thick fresh cream and tart raspberry jam.

Ahhh on to desserts. They were: panacotta with raspberry, vanilla macarons, lemon cheesecake, orange and almond cake and a chocolate coconut slice with raspberry. While every dessert was delectable, my favourite was the cheesecake. It was so tangy and light, with a crunchy perfect base.

The Gunners’ is right next to the Georges Head lookout, perfect for taking kids before or afterwards to run off any steam (or sugar!).

Last bite: The perfect afternoon tea venue. The Gunners’ Barracks is very popular, so book a few weeks in advance.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Gunners Barracks
End of Suakin Drive,
Mosman NSW 2088
Phone: (02) 8962 5900
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm Sat-Sun 10am-3pm
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