This weekend, I finally had the oppourtunity to go to high tea at the renowned Rochelle Adonis in Highgate. I had always wanted to go there, but never seemed to have the right occasion, but one of my dear friends was going there to celebrate a belated birthday so I jumped on the chance.
The tearooms in Highgate are really cute, kind of eclectic with things likes mismatched teacups and saucers, and vintage cutlery. Overall the ambiance is very nice, although quite noisy when the seating is full. You can book seats on a high or low table, and they also have 'private' areas if you have enough people to book a whole table that are sectioned off with organza.
The high tea is different to standard high teas I've experienced before, where they normally present a 2-3 tier stand which has all the savoury/sweet foods on it. At Rochelle Adonis, the high tea is presented in two courses plus a palate cleanser in the middle. I like this idea, as it stretches the experience out and it takes longer for you to eat and enjoy the unique offerings. The cost is $55 per person, which may seem a bit steep, but the price includes two individual pots of tea or french press coffee, and considering the quality and amount of food provided I did not feel it was unreasonable at all.
To start the afternoon off, tea orders were placed from an extensive tea menu. There are your standard teas like earl grey and English breakfast, or more unusual offerings like Vanilla Berry and Moroccan Mint. I chose a pot of Lemongrass & Ginger to go with my savoury course. You could also choose french pressed coffee instead, or purchase other coffees or hot chocolate for extra.
First up was the savoury course. We had a few vegetarians and food allergies in our group, and I noted they were very accommodating, providing specially made alternatives. There is no standard menu, it changes daily based on what the chefs cook on the day.
Turkey and Cranberry Terrine: This one was not my favourite, mostly due to the texture, but it was okay.
Cucumber Sandwich: A traditional high tea sandwich, but I do not like cucumber so this was passed onto a friend. They said it was really good, it had a herb aioli as well.
Celeriac Soup with Sage: This hot soup was creamy, rich and really delicious. The consensus around the table was that this was one of the favourites.
Smoked Cod with Champagne Batter: I loved this one, it was a great combination of the salty, smoky fish with the batter.
Sweet Potato Roulade with Pesto: This was a nice combination, but I would have preferred if this was hot rather than cold.
After the savoury course we were given a palate cleanser. I believe this was a strawberry sorbet. This was lovely, and not too sweet.
Before the dessert course, drink orders were taken again. This time I opted for the coffee (no picture though). Then the dessert course was laid on the table ready to eat.
My serving:
I forgot to take individual photos of these so here's what they are starting left and going clockwise:
Quince and ricotta cake: This was a layered cake with quince paste and ricotta cream, I really liked this one, it also had a slight orange flavour as well.
Vanilla bean parfait with lamington rocky road: They make the ice-cream in house, and the combination of the coconut and rocky road was really yummy.
Meringue with passionfruit cream and macerated strawberries: This was lovely and light.
Nougat tart: This was without a doubt the best treat from the high tea, the pastry was buttery and the nougat sweet and sticky.
Overall I had a lovely afternoon and left feeling really satisfied but not sickly full which was nice for a change. If the right occasion came up I would love to go again and sample a different menu, and try some of the other teas. They also have a cake stand at the checkout and a small store selling some lovely things like teacups, and hand made nougat if you're looking for a gift.
Riette
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