Tag Archives: high tea

Loving…Tea, trains and catching words

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Loving… The Lull of a Train

The train gently rocks from side to side. Lulling me into a sleepy submission. I ignore the muffled conversations around me, the book closes softly and I let my thoughts wander. It’s a novelty these days and I embrace it.

Loving… Tea for Two

Cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Scones with jam and cream. Tea sipped over chuckles with my nana. I don’t take this time for granted. I know at different points in her life there could have been completely different outcomes. We high five each other happily for being alive still- she’s that kind of nana.

Loving… Catching Words

Plucking words from the air, rearranging them, and then trying desperately to make some sort of sense of them. They can be uniform in shape, nonsensical in their line up, or simply lost. But occasionally? Occasionally they fall just as they were meant to be. Captured within that micro second and dragged to forever with pen and paper.

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“Often life’s pleasures pass us by simply because we don’t take a moment to focus on them… Make a point of noticing everyday something that uplifts your spirit or tickles your heart… Stop to breathe in the joy of this moment and then tell someone about it. Share your joy and revel in it. When your joy is savoured, and then shared, it is magnified…” ROBIN GRILLE]

What are you loving?

a secret tea parlour

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It’s moments like this that I love living in Sydney.

The nondescript door is locked  and only opened after a little furtive knuckle rapping. Opened, and in we go… I’m in heaven. The place is tiny and filled with antique loveliness, vintage books, puffy chairs, and cruisey beats coming from the corner. We are here for high tea and if I was more of a girly girl there would have been a high pitched squeal of delight and a little hand clapping with glee. Instead, I smiled from ear to ear and willed our late friends to hurry up so I could see we what the cake selection was like.

They have a long tea selection, with the menu slotted between pages of old books. Tea comes out in individual tea pots, and the cakes sit beautifully on their tiered elegance. Put a cucumber sandwich on an every day plate and I’ll easily pass it up. However, cut it in to triangles, place them on a beautiful antique plate and you’ll hear a little sigh of contentment.

High Tea is something that I love. I love every little part of it and this little secret place might just be my favourite so far.

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Tea Parlour

579 Elizabeth Street, Redfern

Book beforehand

so High Tea

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High Tea. Just the words bring lovely images to mind. Those cute little sandwiches, those fluffy scones, and sweet little cakes up the top.

What to do when a good friend is returning back to her home country. How do you say goodbye?…. Well saying goodbye in style is a good start, and high tea at The Observatory Hotel, Sydney just might be the place to do it.

Its Mothers Day and a few other people have thought it might be a nice idea to have high tea at the hotel as well. So they have upped the price and moved people around their two rooms used for dining. Now they were a little cheeky in that it is advertised as $49 for high tea, a booking was made at this price. Then my friend who had made the booking was contacted and told that seeing as though it was a special occasion there would be a price increase to $79 would we still like to keep the booking? Yes, yes, we will still be there. Then on arrival, right down the bottom of the menu is $89 for high Tea. A little cheeky yes, were we going to do anything about it?..No. A girly afternoon with out kids, this doesn’t happen often…. no indeedy not often at all.

The room we are in is lovely with murals on the walls, and tables not squashed together. A glass of sparkling wine starts us off, and a selection of 6 different teas is offered. The 3 tiered high tea comes out and it does look really inviting.

The sandwiches are small and daintily cut, the mini quiche lorraine buttery and melt in your mouth. The scones I thought a little on the small side but they were light and tasted good. The strawberry jam chunky, and the cream… well the cream has a couple of long fibres in it. I say fibres in the hope they weren’t hairs. Because I sure as hell don’t want hair in my $89 high tea cream!

The cakes were daintily presented, with the creme brulee being a stand out. The pannacotta was a lost cause- insipid tasting, with a watery strawberry sauce on top. Overall the presentation was elegant and restrained as I would expect a five star hotel high tea. I didn’t expect a big chip in my teapot, and I have to say it did detract… just a little.

The Observatory Hotel
89-113 Kent Street
Sydney
02 9256 2222
www.observatoryhotel.com.au