When one thinks of High Tea what comes to mind? Dainty teacups filled with various blends of tea, delicate finger sandwiches layered with cucumber and cream cheese, fresh scones with jam and cream...but what does a Vegan High Tea look like?
Until this year I'd never been to a High Tea so I was pretty excited when my girlfriends and I booked in for a Traditional High Tea to refuel and recap after a day of wedding dress shopping for Ally. I wasn't expecting many vegan options at a Traditional High Tea but I was pleasantly surprised.
The Queen Victoria Building (QVB) Tea Room in Sydney City has been serving High Tea for nearly 20 years. The interior has an elegant Victorian style with gorgeous custom crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
Traditional morning and afternoon tea is served every day and an a-la-carte menu is available on weekdays. The Tea Room also caters to functions (a wedding reception would be beautiful here!).
The service was great and very accommodating for all dietary requirements. Our table had lactose intolerants, gluten intolerants, a Pescatarian and a Vegan and they managed to cater to everyones needs. They even made a vegan, gluten-free scone by request.
We paid a little extra for a Champagne High Tea which is the Traditional High Tea served with champagne as well as tea. I wish I remembered which champagne they served us because it was good. Our group of 8 paired off to share pots of tea as well and I shared a pot of Wild Cherry with my housemate BB. The Wild Cherry was a rich red, sweet tasting tea. Complimentary refills means you can sit and chat all afternoon and never run out of tea.
The gluten-free, vegan version of QVB's High Tea sandwiches was an avocado and tomato filled rice-cake sandwich. The sandwiches were unlimited so I can't imagine anyone leaving hungry. The savoury plate also included fresh spring rolls.
The gluten-free, vegan scones are made in-house and predictably had that squeaky texture that gluten-free baked goods often have.
Smothered in margarine and strawberry jam the scones weren't too bad though.
I was not so quietly stoked that I have a small set of the same crockery at home. The things you find at op shops :)
The sweets were berry compote with nut crumble, mango sorbet, panacotta and fresh fruit.
Overall, the food wasn't extraordinary but I was happy to be able to join in on the high tea fun with my girlfriends. It was a great afternoon chatting while enjoying tea, bubbly and extraordinary service.
Have you been to a High Tea? Do you prefer the savoury or the sweet plates? Would you choose a Traditional High Tea or a Champagne High Tea?
Overview
Price | Moderate
Cuisine | High Tea
Vibe | Traditional, social, fancy and fun
Must Try | Wild Cherry Tea and the champagne
Service | 4.5/5
Rating | 4/5
Shop Details
Address | 3 Queen Victoria Building, 455 George Street, Sydney
Telephone | 02 9283 7279
Website | http://thetearoom.com.au
Facebook | The Tea Room QVB
Instagram | @thetearoomqvb
Opening Hours
Open 7 days | 10.00am - 5.00pm
We love afternoon tea so much that we try and do it as often as we can! Wow that is quite a table of dietary requirements.Ours is more bring lots of tasty food sort of a requirement. I didn't realise that sandwiches were unlimited-probably a good thing though :P
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