Scones, Jam and Finger Sandwiches

I love High Tea!! I’m not sure exactly why I love it so much; is it that everything is in miniature, or perhaps the vast assortment of teas sipped from fine china or maybe even the way it is all served…I really can’t say but I love it all! For those of you that haven’t heard of it, High-Tea is a British tradition stemming from the 1700’s, where “ladies” and “gentlemen” would dine on tea, cakes and scones. Today, it is becoming somewhat of a popular place to go (particularly for women) to sample little mini sized scones, cakes and finger sandwiches, accompanied by a lovely pot of tea and sometimes if your lucky, a glass of Champagne! Ever since I was a little girl, the whole concept seemed fascinating to me and since then I’ve been a fair few times and tried out quite a few different tea rooms throughout Sydney. Being a tea lover (I don’t drink coffee), one of the important factors for me when choosing a tea room is the selection of teas available, and I must say that The Victoria Room Sydney does not disappoint! 

Before I go into any further details and loose you in the soft, freshly baked Champagne and Rose scones I should probably recommend that you book a table before you head there. When we arrived (at 2pm), there was already quite a significant line forming at the front door. Luckily, my sister and I thought ahead and made a reservation, which is very easy to do. Once the doors were open we climbed to the top of a beautiful black staircase, dimly lit to arrive at the “reception” desk before being seated at a cosy little table for three. One of the highlights of any good tea room is the decor, and this can most definitely be said for The Victoria Room. The entire room feels very intimate and cozy, decorated in elegant 1920’s decor with beautiful lampshades providing low lighting throughout. It really transported you to another world! On top of that, the service was exceptional, with the waitstaff introducing themselves and explaining the menu. They continued to be attentive throughout, replacing jam, topping up our drinks and even cleaning up the table when I knocked over my tea pot (super embarrassing!)

But of course, my favourite thing to report on was the food! Now i’ll apologise for my pictures which are a little dark on account of the lighting. Hopefully my wording does the whole experience justice! Mum and I both had the Royal Tea ($55pp) which includes a glass of Champagne and my sister had the Classic ($45pp). Starting with the tea selection, there were so many intriguing choices to make! I went with a classic; Chai latte which I was able to have served with soy milk without any additional charge (a welcome change!) I would also highly recommend the Turkish Apple (served either hot or chilled) which both my mum and sister had (very refreshing and light).

When it comes to high tea I like to start with the savoury so first up were the assortment of sandwiches including chicken & wild herbs, salmon with dill and capers, cucumber & creme fraiche and celery walnut & goats curd. Those alone could have filled me up, but don’t worry, I persevered! My favourite would have to be the chicken and wild herbs which was without a doubt the nicest chicken anything I have ever eaten! Rich and creamy with a fantastic combination of herbs that was so unusual, I really can’t figure out what was in there but boy it was good! Following this we each had two scones, one classic and one champagne and rose both served with a beautiful dish of chantilly cream and strawberry conserve. The scones were just so light and crumbly with a beautiful moist-ness to them and the jam, wow! I could have eaten it with my spoon! I really loved the addition of the rose flavour to the scone, which is something I’ve never thought to do but just added so much flavour to the scone. The final “layer” was a bit of a struggle for me to fit in my belly, but again there was no way I was going to miss out (a decision I regret later when I was suffering a severe case of food coma!) On the sweets plate we each had a house made pistachio macaron and a basil and passionfruit cream tartlet, which had such lovely crumbly shortcrust pastry. There were also soft, fluffy coconut & lime cupcakes and dark chocolate cup filled with salted caramel! I think I died and went to heaven when that thing hit my lips. De-Vine! 

Overall, it was such a beautiful and pleasant experience at The Victoria Room Sydney and I really can’t wait to go again! It’s a perfect venue for birthdays, mothers day, baby showers or even just a nice catch up with good friends. Don’t be fooled by the whole “miniature” concept, you will get full and it will be hard to eat everything so I would recommend not having lunch before you go. High tea is served on Saturday and Sunday from 2pm so be sure to book a table so you don’t miss out! Trust me, you don’t want to!!