EAT: AFTERNOON TEA, THE LANGHAM MELBOURNE

High tea at The Langham Melbourne has been high on my to-do list after hearing great things from some friends who went during a Melbourne Food and Wine Festival event with Hisako Ogita (author of I Love Macarons). Turns out this event was back in 2011 and in what felt like no time, seven, eight years elapsed. I finally visited earlier this year… and it was worth the hype, worth the anticipation.

One of the most crucial aspects that can make or break a high tea experience is the texture and taste of the scones, and The Langham’s version did not disappoint: light in texture with a gorgeous crust. Jam and cream are a given, but they also provide a beautifully balanced, tangy and sweet lemon curd… you’ll definitely have a tough time choosing between this and the classic jam+cream pairing…

The culinary creativity was well highlighted amongst the savouries - their spread deviating from the usual finger sandwich options plus a hot item or two, and very well executed for the most part. Some absolute standouts here included the fragrant forest mushroom and truffled parsnip cream pie (creamy, umami blend of fragrant truffled mushrooms, topped with a flaky pastry hat) and crispy wagyu beef fritter served with a punchy chipotle aioli. The layered cucumber sandwich had an intriguing mint and lime presence that went down a treat. We did encounter a slight blip with the Blue Swimmer crab remoulade; this was quite flavoursome but the ratio of filling to wrap was skewed towards the latter, making it quite a dense and chewy bite. Amongst the sweets, the coffee and chocolate eclair won over our tastebuds and easily so with the airiness of the choux and the flavoursome dance between coffee, chocolate and salted caramel. Fans of the sweeter and decadent desserts will love the chocolate hazelnut tart; think deconstructed Ferrero Rocher chocolate.

Rare roast beef roll with Pommery mustard and horseradish mayo, balsamic onion marmalade and watercress
Yarra Valley smoked salmon with kalamasi curd, glazed asparagus and salmon roe on beetroot bagel
Blue Swimmer crab remoulade with fennel slaw, yuzu, avocado creme and Yarra Valley salmon roe
Citrus cream cheese, mint and lime compressed cucumber triple decker sandwich
Forest mushroom and truffled parsnip cream pie
Wagyu beef fritter with chipotle aioli
Gianduja whipped ganache tart with Belgian chocolate supreme, golden hazelnut and 24 carat gold leaf
Raspberry crunch and gel, wild berry noodle, yoghurt semi freddo and almond crumble
Vittoria coffee and Belgian chocolate eclair with salted caramel crunch
Pink champagne macaron
Dessert of the day
Warm traditional buttermilk scone and date scone served with strawberry and rose petal preserve, lemon curd and clotted cream