I love any excuse to frock up and rock up for food involved fun - so it's no wonder that the concept of high tea really appeals to me. And then team that up with a hip-hop theme, well you had me at hello.
Recently I joined other foodies for a preview of The George's new Hip-Hop High Tea which started officially on Saturday 24 October. Think dishes with a little soul, candy buffet and DJ Klean Kicks on the decks pumping out great music.
This is definitely not a conventional approach to high tea, but I think it's great to see some innovation in what is a time honoured tradition amongst ladies. The cost is $60, which includes starting the meal with a glass of sparkling. As we clinked glasses, it wasn't long before some red creaming soda scones with chilli berry jam and hennessy cream came to the table.
The scones were really fluffy on the inside, and crisp on the outside. I thought it was really inventive using red creaming soda and the jam had a nice kick to it. The cream was super boozy so if you like that kind of thing I'm sure you'll happily go nuts!
The tiered plates of food that came out next were piled high with savoury and sweet options, closely followed by some self-saucing jam doughnuts with rich chocolate ganache dipping sauce. Okay... I have a secret obsession with jam doughnuts - like to the point where it's actually something I refuse to acknowledge.
I don't know what it is about them, but I just love. The sugary raspberry jam, the soft fluffy cake texture... a great jam doughnut for me is the ultimate treat. But I actually don't let myself indulge in them very often - they're not great for you after all, and I find that tracking down a good one is not easy.
I liked the idea of these ones at The George, and the jam itself was delicious. I found the chocolate too runny, and too rich for my taste but I enjoyed injecting jam in to various parts of the doughnut as I munched away. This was probably one of my favourite bites for the day!
Starting from the bottom tier of the stand, we made our way through the 'bread' options on the plate. First up was the rye bread topped with prosciutto, goats cheese, spinach and cherry tomato. It was quite a plain item, and I think could have benefited from some cream cheese or some kind of mayonnaise to stop it from being so dry. The goats cheese was a definite welcome ingredient.
The bagel with salmon and beetroot also suffered from the same fate sadly, but I find this can often be the case with bagels - they are often hit or miss. The salmon inside though was silky and lightly smoked, offering a nice aftertaste post each bite.
My favourite on this plate was the cucumber sandwich - which I expected as much since I always look forward to cucumber sandwiches at high tea. It was soft and squishy, with the cucumber cool and refreshing. I would have loved a dill aioli or mayonnaise like the sandwiches at Rochelle Adonis (which I have been known to eat heaps and heaps of when the chance presents itself).
The next tray was full of hot savoury items, with the chicken and cheese croissant begging to be eaten. Yum! Flaky, steaming hot and creamy it was super satisfying.
A savoury cheese pinwheel was next, which was full of cheddary goodness and an easy bite to devour. But I only really had eyes for the corndog because that is my go to carnival sinful treat (you may know of them as dagwood dogs). It was cooked just right, with the sausage inside juicy and the coating on the outside crisp - and thankfully not oily.
Finally it was time for dessert and we were all feeling pretty chock-a-block at that stage. The chocolate cup with champagne foam was a cute little treat, though would suit lovers of dark chocolate rather than milk. You need to move pretty quick though, the foam disappears and leaves a sticky liquid in it's place which doesn't quite have the same effect.
The chocolate cake with smarties looked dense and I have to admit I was a little nervous biting into it because of how full I was getting. Sadly while the texture was fudgy and rich, it was jaffa flavoured which I'm not a fan of so I ended up discarding this. It's definitely one of those flavour combinations you either love or hate!
The macaron was my favourite item on the plate, and a delight to eat. Soft and sweet, with just the right resistance to the crisp shell. I thought they looked pretty as a picture, and all uniform - just what you want when you're all dressed up for high tea!
And of course, there was the tea which for me was the standout for the entire event. One with strawberry and mint, another with lychee and lemongrass - both absolutely outstanding. I love my teas, and have a huge T2 collection at home to show it, so I was happy sipping these like they were never ending. I think the entire table was in consensus over how great they were!
Well you can imagine I was feeling really quite stuffed after all that food! It was a fun event, a nice way to catch up with friends and also to enjoy a high tea with a bit of difference. Thanks to the team at The George and 3AM Thoughts for inviting me to come down!
0 comments:
Post a Comment