the highest of high tea

From The Intercontinel Sydney through to Boronia Tea Room, Laduree High Tea and Vaucluse House Tearooms... I've done my fair share of Sydney's best high tea venues. However Mothers Day that just passed, we had 'Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood' at The Langham Sydney.

The minute you walk into the newly-renovated hotel you are surrounded by opulence. Well-dressed doorman. Handcrafted furniture. High ceilings. We're escorted immediately to Palm Court where high tea is held, and met by the epitome of modern-understated glamour. Simply stunning. Our waiter is quick to bring out our glasses of Laurent-Perrier Champagne. We're in heaven. For tea I ordered their recommendation of Peach Flower, which was soft in flavour and appetising.

What seemed like minutes later the incredible feast was upon us. The bottom was filled with homemade raisin and vanilla scones, and freshly made (every morning) cream and strawberry jam. I think they may have been the best scones I've ever had in my life. Soft and full of flavour.

The middle tier - my favourite of the three - held Beef sliders with smoked cheddar & onion relish; Butternut squash tartlet with spiced pepitas; Crab and avocado "ice-cream"; Smoked salmon roulade with caviar & cream cheese and Tuna Sandwich with capers, red onion & mayonnaise. All dishes were very well presented and tasted delicious. The ice-cream was an art piece, the tartlet was super tasty and the sliders were del-ish-ous. The type of meal that you only half eat so you can leave the other half for the last bite.

As much as I (and lets be honest my entire family) have a sweet-tooth, the top layer was uber sweet. The homemade pastries & tea cakes included the Blueberry frangipane tartlet with lavender Chantilly; Pandan leaf pannacotta with lychee jelly; Pistachio and cherry opera cake and Peach and oolong tea macaroon. The lavender Chantilly was a little too over-powering in flavour, opera cake was quite dense but had great flavour and texture, and the macaroon was scrumptios and cooked to perfection. Definitely leave the pannacotta for last. So so so so soooo yum.

Overall we left feeling relaxed, satisfied and loving our new no.1 position for High Tea in Sydney.

Restaurant: The Langham
Price (per person): $85 including a glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne
Hours: Sun - Wed 10am - 11pm; Thur - Sat 10am - 12am; Mon - Sun 12pm - 5pm
Must order: High Tea!!

they're open for breakfast!

When one of my favourites The Greens North Sydney (read my previous review) announced a couple of weeks ago that they are now open for breakfast, I got my skates on. With Sunday being a sunny 17+ degrees, it seemed fitting. Expectations obviously high.

We got there around 11am and it was already busy - as it always is. We spotted a table in one of the booths, and had to flag down one of the waiters to clean the table. We ordered the Breakfast Burger with fried egg, double smoked bacon, American cheese, gem lettuce, tomato, cucumber pickle & pimento sauce; Scrambled eggs on toast with sourdough and Wild Mushroom & quinoa omelette with marinated feta, cress, white truffle oil and toasted sourdough. 

The burger was cooked to perfection (with just the right amount of egg yolk running) and tasted incredible. The scrambled eggs were... just that. I was kind of anticipating something a little different, so I was underwhelmed at the presentation. Still tasted good though. The omelette on the other hand, although a small serving, was more than I was expecting. Understated, lavish, and saporous.

For our drinks we ordered our standard lattes and caps (great taste) and fresh juices - Taste the Tropics: Pineapple, Ginger, Mint (not for my liking) and The Greens Cleanse: Cucumber, Kale, Coriander and Apple. A strong apple taste, also also the crowd favourite.

Although the entire experience wasn't on par with how it normally is, I do want to go back and try their 'Choc Crackle French Toast' and the 'Pork and Bacon Croquette'. I have promised my family that I'd go with them, so looks like I'll be heading back there soon!

Cafe: The Greens North Sydney
Price (for 3ppl): Food $104; Beverages $31.20
Hours: Sat - Sun 8am - 11.30am
Must order: Wild Mushroom & quinoa omelette
Coffee: Double Roasters

all sorts of japanese goodness

My husband surprised me for our anniversary, and took me to the newly opened Sake in Double Bay. Situated under the glamorous Intercontinental Double Bay, you can't help to be wow'ed as you enter the restaurant (you're surrouded by the likes of McLaren and Porsche when you enter). Oozing style and sophisocation, Sake Double Bay opened earlier this year and is yet another addition to Urban Purveyor Group.

The lunch menu is quite large and we automatically went for some of our favourites - Pacific Oysters and Wagyu tenderloin. To our dissappointment they were out of stock... Go figure! We ended up ordering the Chilli Spanner Crab Salad with picked cucumber, udon, tosazu & chilli oil; Popcorn Shrimp  - prawn tempura morsels with creamy spicy sauce; Jidori Chicken Negima with tokyo scallion and shishito relish; Braised Shortrib with akamiso, shaved truffle and spring onions; and the Duck Bincho-Yaki with beetroot, candied yuzu, watrecress and sansho.

The crab salad was the first dish to come out and it's quite a small serving, but wow does it pack a punch. It's fresh, has great texture and very more-ish. Yum, yum, yum! Next out was the chicken negima and braised shortrib. For me the chicken was dull (especially compared to the other dishes), whilst the braised shortrib was mouth-wateringly declicious. OMG! Get me more!

We then had the popcorn shrimp which was super tasty. Very creamy and crunchy, but in my opinion would have been better served with veggies or leaves, or even one of the other dishes to break up the creaminess. The duck was the perfect dish to finish on. Incredible technquie. Incredible flavours. Incredible texture.

Sake Double Bay, apart from the two dishes which weren't available I was impressed. Looking forward to trying to rest of your menu!

Restaurant: Sake Double Bay
Price (for 2ppl): Food $124; Beverages $9
Hours: Lunch Mon - Sat 11am - 3pm; Sun 10.30am - 3pm; Sushi Bar 3pm - 5pm; Dinner 5pm - late
Must order: Chilli Spanner Crab Salad