Afternoon Tea

To help me celebrate my birthday, earlier this month, my daughter took me to the Park Hyatt Sydney Hotel for afternoon tea.  I thought: a real grown-up tea party, how sophisticated! 

When we arrived at the restaurant, an extremely attentive waiter escorted us to our table, and my daughter mentioned to him that it was my birthday.  Shortly after that, he returned with a dainty little cake.  Nice!

Complimentary Birthday Cake.

Afternoon tea is a ritual that originated in Britain in the 1800s.  In those days, the dinner hour didn't start until 8 p.m and folks needed a light midday snack to hold them over.  Classic afternoon tea is composed of finger sandwiches and light pastries.

"High tea" and "afternoon tea" are similar events with subtle differences.  High tea consists of cooked foods and is served after work hours, making it a more substantial meal. 

As you may know from reading some of my other posts, Aussies are from Britain and keep many of their traditions.  There is even a high tea society in Australia to direct folks on where to find the best morning or high teas in their local area.

My daughter chose the Park Hyatt Sydney because of its five-star rating, beautiful harbor views and its reputation for being one of the best places in town for morning tea.

Park Hyatt Sydney.

The tea room at the Park Hyatt is very posh!  There is plenty of natural light filling the space from the floor to ceiling windows which sets the tone for an elegant afternoon.  

While we waited on our tea to arrive, we soaked up the atmosphere and breathtaking views of the Opera House and harbor and watched people strolling along the boardwalk.  

Park Hyatt Sydney Tea Room.

People watching from the Park Hyatt Tea Room

Our menu was preset and vegetarian.  However, we could choose between the Classic or Champagne Afternoon Tea.  For my birthday celebration, we went with the latter.

Afternoon Tea Menu

Chandon Brut Imperial Rosé

The tea meal arrived full of delectable sweet & savory appetizers served on a beautiful three-tier curate stand.  The presentation was visually appealing.

Morning Tea Curate Stand

The top tier held an array of pastries with fruits and nuts that were meticulous in detail and attractively displayed on the plate.   

Hats off to the pastry chef for having such a good sense of color and style in the arrangement.  

Desserts Tier.

The chocolate & berry rocher was almost too dainty to eat.  It was sweet and creamy - real tea party stuff here!  The touch of raspberry almost made it seem like a healthy choice.

Chocolate & Berry Rocher

All of the desserts were delicious. However, the most intriguing to me was the exotic pavlova with mango, passionfruit, and lemon.  

I had never heard of it before and am told it's an Aussie favorite.  Made from meringue (egg whites)  sweetened with castor sugar and filled with exotic fruit, its hard, smooth exterior is actually quite fragile and melts instantly in your mouth.

Pavlova recipe.

The traditional gemmed scones owned the middle section.  It was actually the first treat we ate.  They were soft and warm with crusty sprinkles of sugar that gave them a crunch and just the right amount of sweetness.  

I added clotted cream which was thick and scrumptious while my daughter went for the firm strawberry jam - absolutely no dripping out of the scone.   No fuss - no mess, just a great pastry!  

Authentic Scones

Scone with jam

A small assortment of colorful finger sandwiches filled the bottom layer.  Each one was a different texture and shape which created an artful food display.  

Like everything on the menu, they were prepared with fresh, high-quality ingredients that included typical tea sandwich favorites like cucumbers and olives.  

Savory Selections.

My favorite was the cucumber, labneh, dill & pint pepper wrap, which is the black one.  My daughter enjoyed the salmon . . . Aka, chickpea bouchée, sour cream, and mint.  

Cucumber, labneh, dill & pint pepper wrap.

Chickpea bouchée sour cream and mint.

Although we really didn't consume that much food, we devoured enough sweets for one afternoon and asked for a doggie bag to take home our unfinished desserts.

That was a mistake. . . 

A huge mistake . . . 

Shouldn't have done it!

The waiter, who didn't seem to speak a lot of English, gave us a look and whisked away our plates.  

He returned with a takeaway container that included our leftovers and a health warning label!  

Take-a-way

Isn't this the same food we were about to eat?

You can't make this stuff up!

And, it didn't stop there!  

We were then served with a Take-Away-Waiver that we had to sign absolving the restaurant of any and all blame if we were to become ill after eating food taken out of the restaurant.  

My daughter and I were both very confused.  However, she signed the waiver, and we left the restaurant quite tickled.

About twenty minutes after leaving the restaurant and walking in the Sydney summer heat, we found out that the waiver was a smart move on the part of the restaurant.

Take-away after taking it away.

The contents of the takeaway container had self-destructed!

The waiter could have told us that the birthday cake was a mousse, which is made with whipping chocolate, cream and egg whites.  

After it was all said and done, we had an enjoyable afternoon, a good laugh and me, a great birthday.

  

Afternoon tea parties . . . 

Warning labels on take-a-way . . . 

Doggie bag waiver form  . . . 

I am NOT in Kansas!

Morning Tea

Morning tea is a mid-morning snack of tea or coffee and light refreshment.  It's observed in the workplace, playgroups, churches and in homes - just about wherever people gather.

This is not the same thing as brunch, which is breakfast and lunch. Morning tea is its own thing, sandwiched between the two.

Morning tea is not just a custom.  It's a way of life. Aussies love their tea, are obsessed with a good cup of coffee, and prefer both with fresh baked goods and civilized conversation.

Restaurants and coffee shops are packed mid-mornings with folks getting together for this tradition.

For tea at home, most folks have an electric tea kettle similar to the one above. It boils water extremely fast and is efficient because the pot is designed to trap in the steam so it doesn't escape. This creates an increase in the vapor pressure.

It makes piping hot water quick and turns itself off when ready. It also has a boil dry protection that prevents the pot from running if it's empty.

I love morning tea because it's an opportunity for me to have another cup of that great Australian coffee.  When it comes to this drink, Aussies got it right!

Coffee here is serious business.  Every shop, large and small, invests in sophisticated espresso machines and hire experienced baristas to brew and serve.  

My favorite coffee drink is called a flat white. It is a shot of espresso with steamed milk and no foam.

Presentation is extremely important, especially when making a flat white.  It must have a decorative swirl of milk on top. 

Flat White

My daughters favorite, the long black, is two shots of espresso with hot water. For a smaller drink, a short black gives you one espresso shot with hot water.

A regular espresso is just one shot.

I'm a lifelong, addicted coffee drinker and every cup I've ever had here has been better than every cup of coffee I've had back home. No complaints -  just heaps of praise!

Long Black

I get it when Aussies complain about the bad coffee served in American restaurants or about how Folger's made in a percolator is not up to snuff.  There are no lines for coffee in the 7-Eleven stores here either, or any shops where it is percolated or dripped.

Most folks here do not add syrups to their coffee, or flavored creamers like the ones you see in grocery stores or coffee chains like Starbucks.  Here, coffee is very simple and very good.

As a matter of fact, I've only seen one Starbucks and one Gloria Jeans coffee shop in Sydney.

My daughter told me that Starbucks had opened a bunch of stores a few years ago and had to close down a lot of them - and for good reason.  Every shop, store, restaurant - anyplace that can sell Aussie coffee in Sydney - already does.

You'll find most Sydneysiders frequent the mom and pop shops who serve coffee the way Aussies like it.

Even after church services at St. Andrews Anglican Church in Roseville, I order a flat white at morning tea. The church has two 'Xpresso' machines to serve the congregation.  They serve it up in proper coffee cups - no paper disposable ones and it's gourmet.

Flat White at St. Andrews Anglican Church

I attended a luncheon at a home not too far from ours where the hostess had an  'Xpresso' machine for her home use and her daughter, who is a barista, served it.  I enjoyed two, cafe-quality flat whites there.

Nespresso brand machines are sold for home use for those who can afford it. The coffee is pretty good and easy to prepare.  The store is beautiful and has a free tasting area. George Clooney and Jack Black are the print and TV spokesmen for the product and advertisements are everywhere.

The long tubes of color in the photo below are the various flavours of coffee, which are all subtly different, depending upon roasting time, coffee bean origin, etc. The store was closed on the day I shot this picture. It would've been packed otherwise.

I've seen cheaper espresso machines at the grocery store that I think work well.  We have a small Nespresso that makes great single servings.

Nespresso Store - Chatswood

Machines like the Keurig, a popular US brand, are not sold here or if they are, I haven't seen them. My daughter's drip coffee machine was the only percolator of any brand or size she could find at the major department stores here.

Along with drinks, a typical morning tea menu includes biscuits (cookies).

Arnotts is a large producer of Aussie biscuits and home to the Tim Tam, which comes in a variety of flavors. I'm told the original chocolate biscuit is the favorite.

The Tim Tam biscuits are composed of two malted layers, separated by a filling.

Since they're made in Australia they're pretty inexpensive, about $1.00 or so.  If you shop for them on Amazon you'll pay $10.00 or more.

Scones (muffins) are found in great variety here and are also served at morning tea.  And by the way, the correct pronunciation of "scone" rhymes with "bon" as in "bon bon". It does not rhyme with "stone". Scones are English, and the Aussies learned the correct pronunciation directly from the Brits. 

While Sydney has big box stores, some folks prefer to buy from 'the shops' or small independently owned stores that line the major street of each neighborhood. These main drags typically have a bakery, butcher, convenience store and cafe, as well as a pharmacy, post office, restaurants, and the odd boutique.

My daughter and I had a play date for my grandson one day at morning tea time.  We picked up scones and our guest brought sausage rolls, a common Aussie fast food.  It consists of puff pastry wrapped around sausage meat.  

I've seen these sold everywhere.  You can take-away (get to go) this treat at any restaurant or grill.  They are served with tomato sauce, which is what Aussies call ketchup.  The one pictured below I purchased at the big box hardware store which also sells flat whites.

I like them and compare their popularity to Americans and hot dogs.

Morning tea always spoils our lunch because we eat a late breakfast.  For this reason, when my grandson, who loves morning tea, heads for the biscuits on the kids table, I let him have two.

Then I wipe the crumbs from around his mouth to destroy the evidence, before bringing him home to my daughter who is waiting to serve him lunch.

This never works because my daughter always asks, "Jethro, how many cookies did you have?" He tells.

St. Andrews Anglican Church - Roseville, Australia

If you love a great cup of coffee, pastries and fun conversation, it may be worth a trip down under! You may not like the fifteen-hour flight, but you'll love the coffee!

Folks who don't like Starbucks . . .

No Keurig coffee machines . . .

Morning tea . . .

. . . I am not in Kansas!