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TIME for TEA Who doesn’t love a chance to get dressed in your favourite frock and enjoy some scrumptious treats in a stunning setting with some fun company? Get it gets the low down on where to go for high tea from High Tea Society ichelle Milton pretty much has what many people would consider as a dream job. National and international travel, visiting glamorous hotels, and being waited on hand and foot as she samples decadent high tea offerings to review for her website High Tea Society. As the founder and editor of the website and its social media community, Melbourne-based Michelle - a marketing communications consultant and entrepreneur - has a team of ten contributors who do high tea reviews from around the world. The website, created by Michelle in 2008, also features a High Tea Venue Directory and now has an audience of over 90,000 subscribers, and social media fans and followers. “I loved going for high tea when I lived in London but when I moved to Melbourne I found it difficult to find good high tea venues. Blogging was becoming a thing back then [in 2008] so I started a little blog documenting my search for great high tea experiences,” Michelle says of how it all began. She has worked with brands including Twinings, Myer Mural Hall, Wedgwood, Sydney Opera House, Virgin Atlantic, and more. Visit: highteasociety.com CUSTOMS HOUSE 399 QUEEN STREET, BRISBANE P: 3365 8921 Situated in Brisbane’s CBD right on the river, our table overlooked the stunning Story Bridge – an icon and much loved feature of Brisbane’s skyline. For me the highlight was the Queensland sand crab with sweet ginger dressing in a cucumber cup. An explosion of flavours and textures in my mouth, this pint sized cup left us wanting more. It’s especially nice to see an iconic building like this one featuring local flavours in their high tea, and nothing screams Queensland more than sand crab. We were also served a glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne, fresh orange juice and a selection of La Malson du The (French handcrafted tea selection). The sweet selection of this high tea was quite vast with already topped scones with cream and fresh raspberries. The other desserts were quite nice, the macarons in particular were lovely but the confit strawberry, mascarpone and biscotti were January 2017
a highlight for me. This dessert was deliciously creamy and tart – the balance was perfect and the biscotti offered a beautiful bit of texture. PASSIONTREE VELVET LEVEL 2, K222, 322 MOGGILL RD, INDOOROOPILLY SHOPPING CENTRE, BRISBANE P: 3378 3077 Passiontree Velvet offers a wide selection of Harney and Sons tea – and I can never go past the Darjeeling, while my guest ordered the Earl Grey. Specialising in macarons, as part of the Duchess High Tea, guests are also able to select one macaron each from their vast selection. The bottom tier had an assortment of simple finger sandwiches of ham, cucumber and tuna and smoked salmon canapés. While the sandwiches were tasty, it was the canapés that really wowed. The middle tier served the traditional scones (your choice of plain or fruit) with strawberry jam and cream. The top tier was a delight for the senses – the beautiful colours, the sweet smells, textures and taste. The berry white chocolate mousses, topped with miniature macarons. The apple crumble tart was nice and the lemon meringue was delicious but extremely rich. It was our salted peanut butter and passion fruit macarons that stole the show. The staff were lovely and while the venue is not as elegant as a fancy hotel, the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming and value for money was definitely achieved. SOFITEL BRISBANE 249 TURBOT ST, BRISBANE – JUST ABOVE CENTRAL STATION P: 3835 3535 Greeted by friendly staff, we were seated in the Executive Club Lounge, one of three places you can take high tea at the Sofitel. The room was modern and minimalistic, full of natural light with floor to ceiling windows that showcased the Brisbane city. We were served a glass of sparkling wine. There is a vast range of Romefeldt teas on offer. 22