Afternoon Tea at Grounds of the City
Everyone who has Instagram in Sydney has taken some happy or sultry snaps at the Grounds of Alexandria, a place so pictureque a filter is hardly required. The CBD venue is like a more mature, worldly sister reminiscent of the softly-glamorous bistros of the gilded age.
When I found out it serves an afternoon tea, I had to go with some girlfriends - after all, is there a better way to wile away an afternoon with the family we each chose for ourselves?
The afternoon tea at the Grounds of the City is an affordable version of the traditional afternoon tea, coming in at $35 per person with tea or coffee, and an additional $5 if you'd like to add a glass of sparkling wine. I am not a sparkling wine drinker, but I thought you'd like to know there is the option of gently boozing the occasion up.
I have reviewed a few other afternoon tea (or "high" tea - though the history nerd in me can't resist pointing out that "high tea" is not the correct terminology) offerings in Sydney, my favourite being the Westin, followed by Sir Stamford. A Good Food month special event at The Print Room from several years ago offered all booze no tea and the very definition of delicate; and I have a soft spot for The Tea Room in Queen Victoria Building because that's where my beautiful friend AL tied the knot and also the subject matter of my very first food review, but I low-key find its afternoon tea offerings disappointing. Speaking of disappointing, nothing could beat the National Gallery of Victoria - I shudder to even think about it, even though the gallery itself was quite impressive.
First, coffee, The afternoon tea comes with your choice of coffee or tea - though sadly (though predictably) the mildly pretentious but wonderfully whimsical deconstructed items are not included. The coffee at the Grounds is what you'd expect of a good coffee in Sydney: rounded, rich and well-executed. It isn't superb (oh, how spoilt we Australians are!), but it is solid.
The bottom tier of the afternoon tea platter consist of a smoked salmon on flapjack, egg open sandwich and ham, tomato and cucumber finger sandwich. The flavours are pleasant, but nothing out of the ordinary. I would say these savoury offerings are not as delicate as I would like - for example, the white bread is not pillowy-soft, it has hardened somewhat around the edges - when the whole point of having white bread in this age of health-consciousness and clean eating is to feel as though one were having a luxuriously soft, melty, naughty treat.
The middle tier consist of a mini chocolate lava cake and a matcha mousse. The chocolate cake is so rich one little mouthful is truly enough. The matcha mousse could do with a slight more bitterness - though I am aware that I am a green tea fiend and have a much stronger desire for that bitterness than most people, so perhaps they have the balance just right.
The top tier consist of a mini pavlova and a raspberry choux, both piled high with sweet cream. The choux's raspberry dust is surprisingly tart, which is necessary considering the cream-to-pastry ratio. The pavlova is a little on the sweet side for me.
Finally, the scones. Served with marscapone and jam, these are so wonderfully dense that despite the whole affair being a little bite of this, a small nibble of that, we end up groaning with full stomachs.
Score: 3/5
Everything was done quite well, the atmosphere is wonderfully dreamy, and the staff are attentive and lovely.
Cost: $35 / $40pp. Good value for money.
Address: Shop RG 12, 500 George St (The Galleries), Sydney
Website: https://thegrounds.com.au/Spaces/the-grounds-of-the-city/
When I found out it serves an afternoon tea, I had to go with some girlfriends - after all, is there a better way to wile away an afternoon with the family we each chose for ourselves?
The afternoon tea at the Grounds of the City is an affordable version of the traditional afternoon tea, coming in at $35 per person with tea or coffee, and an additional $5 if you'd like to add a glass of sparkling wine. I am not a sparkling wine drinker, but I thought you'd like to know there is the option of gently boozing the occasion up.
I have reviewed a few other afternoon tea (or "high" tea - though the history nerd in me can't resist pointing out that "high tea" is not the correct terminology) offerings in Sydney, my favourite being the Westin, followed by Sir Stamford. A Good Food month special event at The Print Room from several years ago offered all booze no tea and the very definition of delicate; and I have a soft spot for The Tea Room in Queen Victoria Building because that's where my beautiful friend AL tied the knot and also the subject matter of my very first food review, but I low-key find its afternoon tea offerings disappointing. Speaking of disappointing, nothing could beat the National Gallery of Victoria - I shudder to even think about it, even though the gallery itself was quite impressive.
First, coffee, The afternoon tea comes with your choice of coffee or tea - though sadly (though predictably) the mildly pretentious but wonderfully whimsical deconstructed items are not included. The coffee at the Grounds is what you'd expect of a good coffee in Sydney: rounded, rich and well-executed. It isn't superb (oh, how spoilt we Australians are!), but it is solid.
The bottom tier of the afternoon tea platter consist of a smoked salmon on flapjack, egg open sandwich and ham, tomato and cucumber finger sandwich. The flavours are pleasant, but nothing out of the ordinary. I would say these savoury offerings are not as delicate as I would like - for example, the white bread is not pillowy-soft, it has hardened somewhat around the edges - when the whole point of having white bread in this age of health-consciousness and clean eating is to feel as though one were having a luxuriously soft, melty, naughty treat.
The middle tier consist of a mini chocolate lava cake and a matcha mousse. The chocolate cake is so rich one little mouthful is truly enough. The matcha mousse could do with a slight more bitterness - though I am aware that I am a green tea fiend and have a much stronger desire for that bitterness than most people, so perhaps they have the balance just right.
The top tier consist of a mini pavlova and a raspberry choux, both piled high with sweet cream. The choux's raspberry dust is surprisingly tart, which is necessary considering the cream-to-pastry ratio. The pavlova is a little on the sweet side for me.
Finally, the scones. Served with marscapone and jam, these are so wonderfully dense that despite the whole affair being a little bite of this, a small nibble of that, we end up groaning with full stomachs.
Score: 3/5
Everything was done quite well, the atmosphere is wonderfully dreamy, and the staff are attentive and lovely.
Cost: $35 / $40pp. Good value for money.
Address: Shop RG 12, 500 George St (The Galleries), Sydney
Website: https://thegrounds.com.au/Spaces/the-grounds-of-the-city/
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