Enchanted tea

Through the looking glass: a high tea wonderland.

Written by Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan
Photography by T. Wholohan

02 September 2024

In the realm of afternoon delights, where time slows to a syrupy trickle and the world outside fades to a watercolour blur, there exists a ritual most divine: high tea. A ceremony of scones and steaming cups, where the very air shimmers with the promise of sweetness and civility.

At the Hilton’s Glass brasserie, executive chef Hamish Neale has conjured a high tea that dances on the tongue like a fairy tale. The round booth, a velvet-lined cocoon, offers a view of the QVB’s majestic dome – a snow globe of architectural wonder. Champagne flows like liquid starlight, Tattinger rosé and Pommery vying for attention like jealous lovers. I chose the blush of pink, my companion the classic sparkle, both equally intoxicating.

The savoury offerings arrived like characters from a gastronomic opera: smoked salmon cronuts, their flaky layers whispering of misty Scottish lochs; crab salad brioche crowned with caviar, each bite a salty kiss from the sea.

At the Hilton's Glass brasserie, executive chef Hamish Neale has conjured a high tea that dances on the tongue like a fairy tale.

High tea at the Glass brasserie is not merely a meal, but a journey through a looking glass.

Every nibble is a story and every sip a sonnet!

Beetroot arancini glowed like rubies, while fig reclined languidly on a bed of blue cheese, a decadent diva of flavour. The vegetarian quiche, a humble understudy, stole the show with its heavenly lightness.

But the scones! These were not mere pastries, but portals to another world. Cracking one open revealed a heart of brûlée, a molten core of bliss that rendered the accompanying raspberries and clotted cream mere accessories to its magnificence. I mourned for all the scones I’d known before, pale imitations of this bruléed perfection.

The desserts paraded past in a sugar-spun reverie: opera cake, its layers precise as the steps of a minuet; lemon meringue tarts crowned with clouds of sweetness; macarons like pastel jewels; a white chocolate and lemon tart that sang of sunlit orchards. The strawberry mousse dart flew true to the heart of indulgence, while chocolate confections tempted like sirens on the rocks of restraint.

As if orchestrated by some benevolent tea deity, a cocktail waiter appeared, mixing liquid magic at our table. Teas flowed in an endless stream – Ceylon breakfast bold as a lion’s roar, iced lychee cool as a mermaid’s tear. Exotic blends of peach, rose, and almond whispered of far-off lands, while blood orange and eucalyptus promised adventures yet untasted.

In this enchanted afternoon, time became elastic, stretching to accommodate each sip and morsel. The outside world receded, leaving only the warm glow of indulgence and the gentle clink of china. High tea at the Glass brasserie is not merely a meal, but a journey through a looking glass, where every nibble is a story and every sip a sonnet.

Afternoon tea is available every Saturday and Sunday from 2pm to 4:30pm in glass brasserie.

Priced from $78 per person, inclusive of a variety of sweet and savoury food, tea and coffee. Cocktails and Champagne are available for an additional cost.

hiltonsydney.com.au
firstclassmagazine.co

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