Spoon, fork & Chopsticks: Lazy weekends of brunch and afternoon tea

Everyone has their own daily stressors to deal with and, when we manage to steal ourselves collectively away from them, more often than not the important women in my life will gather around to dissect and analyse life over cups of tea or coffee and plates of food.

We especially love afternoon tea, for it is the experience as much as the food – afternoon teas are always offered in such calming surroundings – that makes it so enjoyable. The physical act of making tea – steeping, pouring, stirring – is therapeutic in itself, and sets the atmosphere for the languid conversation which follows.

An afternoon tea enjoyed months ago at The Gallery Tea Lounge of Sheraton on the Park, was preceded by a shared club sandwich. (Club sandwiches are such a delight at hotels.) Savouries were bite-sized and tasty, but the scones were disappointingly dense and powdery. The top tier of petits fours entirely redeemed this whilst some of the handmade chocolates were rather intense in flavour.

Another weekend saw us meet at the Hyde Park Barracks Café for brunch, with the promise of a weekend-only ‘Governors Breakfast Board’ for $19.90 per person (minimum order for 2). If the sound of scrambled, fried and poached eggs coupled with bacon, sausage, chorizo, potato hash, roasted tomato, spinach and bread (*inhales*) doesn’t fill that breakfast void, then waffles can be added for an extra $5 per person and bircher muesli as well for another $5 on top of that.

This was followed by afternoon tea many hours later at The Tea Salon where white and girly pastels dominate both the decor and the crockery. Crustless ribbon sandwiches were generous in size and classic in their fillings of chicken salad, smoked salmon, cucumber, and roast beef with horseradish. The middle tier of petits fours were dainty and delicate while one scone each can be chosen from the Tea Salon’s list of 10 flavours. I found the original, with hints of vanilla and lemon, to be lighter and fluffier than the various flavour combinations.