Exquisite afternoon tea @ The Hotel Windsor, Melbourne

Tuesday, 3 September 2019

Exquisite afternoon tea @ The Hotel Windsor, Melbourne

Last week, hubby and I celebrated a milestone anniversary. I won't say how long we've been married, only that we got married 10 months before I started writing in this blog! How far we have come since - the adventures we've had around the world, living in three different countries, and raising three beautiful children. It hasn't been all sunshine and roses, but the challenges we've encountered and overcame together, I hope that these have helped forged our bond stronger. To celebrate our anniversary, I booked us to have high tea at The Hotel Windsor, which claims to be Melbourne's most famous afternoon tea. Regardless of the fame, the experience we had was nothing short of fabulous. We were informed that the hotel has been serving afternoon tea everyday except Christmas since 1883! The interior was grand and elegant, the service we received was impeccable, and the food was exceptional. The maître d' who greeted us at the door gave us a warm welcome, and acknowledging the occasion we were celebrating, he sat us at a window table, which was a pleasant surprise as it was something I did not request nor expect. We enjoyed our glasses of bubbly aperitif, and we did not have to wait long after being seated before the 3-tier high tea set was served. We didn't feel rushed nor hurried as we savoured every bite of the afternoon tea. I liked the bottomless coffee and tea, and we enjoyed a cup of cappuccino each as well as two different types of tea (we tasted each other's teas, so we actually tried four different types of tea). We had a really good experience, and I highly recommend the afternoon tea experience at the Hotel Windsor.

Classic and timeless decor:

Our glasses of French sparkling wine:

Savoury pastries, exquisite patisserie and ribbon sandwiches on a three-tiered stand:

Cappuccino:

Warm savoury canapes: Roasted jerusalem artichoke tart, ricotta, thyme, fine herbs; and Parmesan crusted gougère with Gruyère fondue:

The gougère had a delicious cheesy filling:

Sweet patisserie: pistachio macaron (macaron biscuit, roasted pistachio, Sicilian pistachio ganache); vanilla and yuzu religieuse (vanilla bean mousse, yuzu sauce & crémeux, mirliton (almond) sponge); and longchamp (Milk chocolate mousse, hazelnut praline):

Ribbon sandwiches: free range egg with saffron aioli & mustard; Waldorf smoked chicken salad with Victorian walnuts; and cucumber with peperonata & Yarra Valley fetta: